Heritage in Britain… It’s Why People Visit
At World Travel Market, London, this year, the ‘Heritage in Britain’ stand brings together a wide cross section of the greatest historic buildings, museums, galleries, palaces, cathedrals, gardens and heritage attractions that the UK has to offer.
Britain’s unique and varied attractions continue to draw interest from around the world. In an extensive survey of international tourists, Britain was rated one of the best locations to explore history and heritage, with 78% of overseas visitors believing exploring heritage is important when selecting their holiday destination ¹. Among the 13 organisations coming together at this ‘one stop heritage shop’ during WTM, there is confidence in a continued recovery with attractions reporting 11% rise in total visits from 2022 to 2023 ² and overseas visitors surpassing pre-pandemic levels to reach 8.7m visits in Q1 2024 ³.
The thirteen organisations include: Blenheim Palace, English Heritage, Historic Royal Palaces, London Transport Museum, Old Royal Naval College, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Royal Collection Trust, Royal Horticultural Society, Royal Museums Greenwich, Shakespeare’s Globe, St Paul’s Cathedral, the National Gallery and the Science Museum.
There are many reasons to visit each member of the ‘Heritage in Britain’ group and plan ahead for your visitors to enjoy exceptional experiences, superb collections, historic performances, great artworks, stunning vistas, majestic buildings … the list goes on. Alongside amazing everyday visits for global audiences to these must-see venues, there are a variety of new activities and exhibitions in store for 2025/2026:
Blenheim Palace sees exciting new tours and experiences for visitors to experience including Bridgerton at the Palace – stand in the rooms where sumptuous dinners filled with romantic tension were held, where the young Queen entered her royal residence for the first time, and even where this author’s very own identity was speculated over a game of chess. During 2025/26 they will also embark on a journey to restore the Palace roof. The Above and Beyond Roof project will take a monumental effort by many staff, suppliers and partners, huge sums of money to complete, and will be a fascinating project to follow and see it return to its full glory. Watch this space to learn how they will raise these vital funds and the tours we will be offering throughout the project.
English Heritage has launched its newest attraction, Dover Castle Under Siege, that tells the forgotten tale of the epic 1216 attack. Visitors can step into a world of siege warfare and medieval defence brought to live with interactive displays, reopened tunnels and a new viewing area with panoramic views of the castle.
Historic Royal Palaces will launch a new exhibition Dress Codes from March – Nov 2025 at Kensington Palace, displaying never-before-seen treasures from its Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. The Tower of London’s Medieval Palace and Cradle Tower will be re-presented from May 2025, transporting visitors to the medieval period through innovative storytelling, bringing to life the fascinating characters who lived and worked there.
The award-winning London Transport Museum is creating a new space dedicated to the history of poster design where visitors can see the works of world-renowned graphic artists up close in How to Make a Poster exhibition, housed in the Global Poster Gallery and on display until autumn 2025.
The Old Royal Naval College in the Royal Borough of Greenwich boasts an extraordinary jewel – the magnificent Painted Hall – one of Europe’s most impressive interiors. Alongside this, new film tours and experiences will begin in spring 2025; step behind-the-scenes of Britain’s no.1 heritage film location and discover how this stunning UNESCO site has featured in everything from Bridgerton to Bond.
The Royal Collection Trust will welcome visitors to the official residences of His Majesty The King in 2025, with Buckingham Palace re-opening in July, the Royal Mews in March, and Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse throughout the year. RCT will also announce its 2025 exhibitions at WTM 2024.
Royal Horticultural Society will have a RHS Flower Show in 2025 at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire, one of the grandest stately homes in the country. 2026, will see RHS shows taking place on the Sandringham Estate, the private country retreat of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla and the historic grounds of Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire.
Royal Museums Greenwich (which includes the Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House and Cutty Sark) will be opening a new exhibition Pirates, celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Royal Observatory with a year-long calendar of events and will be hosting its famous annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition and exhibition.
Shakespeare’s Globe welcomes visitors year-round with its award-winning Guided Tour. London’s only candlelit theatre, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse will premier Chekhov, with his peerless Three Sisters. Also upcoming are new productions of Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well and Cymbeline, and Hansel and Gretel returns to the iconic open-air Globe.
St Pauls’ Cathedral sees the return of the newly restored The Light of the World, the famous painting by William Holman Hunt (October 2024), and has plans in 2025 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In 2026 it will mark 500 years of the printing of Tyndale’s New Testament – the first ever holy book printed in English, of which they have one of only three remaining copies – now is a great time to speak with their team about visiting the Cathedral.
The National Gallery is celebrating its 200th birthday this year with a year-long programme of inspirational exhibitions and projects to mark the occasion. In addition and building on their enlightening Highlights Tours, soon they will be launching exciting new tours including an In-Depth Highlights Tour (90-minutes) for visitors to explore key masterpieces of the collection with an art expert, and a Gallery Explorer Tour, an interactive experience for children and their families to search for paintings within the collection and learn interesting facts in a fun way about the art. Their Out of Hours Tour also offer an exclusive experience for guests to explore the Gallery when the doors are closed to the public.
The Science Museum will open a significant new exhibition on science at the Palace of Versailles, exploring how scientific knowledge became widespread, fashionable, and a tool of power to enhance France’s prestige. Visitors to Versailles: Science and Splendour will discover the unexpected and important role of science at the French royal court through spectacular scientific objects and artworks. Many items will be on display for the first time in the UK and the sumptuous exhibition, which opens from 12 December, will shed light on the contribution of women to physics, medicine, and botany in 18th century France.
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