Open Doors is a Europe wide festival of architecture and which take place throughout September as part of European Heritage Days. Blaenau Gwent invites everyone, locals and visitors, to celebrate our architecture and heritage through a selection of walks and visits. You will be able to discover so much about our local history, characters and events that shaped our towns, valleys and the world.
Open Doors days give everyone the chance to explore historic buildings and sites free of charge, especially those not normally open to the general public.
The festival kicks off on Saturday 4th September 2021 when St Illtyd’s church in Abertillery opens its doors to the public between 10.00 am and 4.00pm. St Illtyd's church is without doubt the oldest standing building in Blaenau Gwent. The large, roughly circular churchyard is an indication of its Celtic roots with the earliest written reference to the church found in a poem of the 9th or 10th century in Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin ("The Black Book of Carmarthen")
The ancient chancel, striking tower and simple whitewashed interior evoke the austerity and simplicity of its’ monastic origins. The churchyard is maintained as a wildflower meadow and offers panoramic views across the Ebbw valleys.
The church is care for by a group of enthusiastic volunteers who are keen to share its history with visitors. The graveyard is fully recorded to aid family history research.
On Saturday 25th Abertillery and District Museum will be offering guided tours of the museum, holding demonstrations of conservation methods and will be giving sneak peeks 'behind the scenes'. Abertillery and District Museum is a community museum which occupies the lower floor of a former Victorian entertainment hall in Abertillery town centre. The museum has displays mainly relating to the long industrial and social history of the town and surrounding area with a variety of items from Roman pottery to the cap Arthur Scargill wore during the miner’s strike. The museum will e open between 10:30 am and 4:00pm
Cllr Dai Davies, Blaenau Gwent Council’s Executive Member for the Regeneration and Economic Development said; ‘The Open Doors Festival is great opportunity to see places that are not normally available to visit and explore. This year you will be able to explore our oldest standing building and get a taste of what volunteers get up to in one of our fine museums.’
European Heritage Days are an initiative of the Council of Europe. The event is co-ordinated by Cadw in Wales whose partners organise parallel events in England and Scotland. The initiative was launched in 1991 and over 20 million people visit participating sites in Europe annually. Full details of Open Doors events can be found at www.cadw.gov.wales