National Trust To Open For Free On Saturday September 8th

As part of Heritage Open Days this year, the National Trust will be opening many of its properties for free on Saturday, September 8th and is inviting visitors to discover and share their stories. A series of events at historic houses, gardens and other properties across the country will include oral history recordings, workshops and family history ‘taster’ sessions.

Some Trust properties, in conjunction with the Society of Genealogists, will show how to begin tracing your family tree. Others will be giving visitors the chance to record memories of their lives and to listen to the fascinating reminiscences of people connected to the properties, not just of the families who lived there, but of former cooks, maids and footmen to evacuees, nurses and wartime servicemen and women.

To support these events, the Trust will be launching a major on-line resource to provide a wealth of hints and advice on researching your family history and heritage. The site will include a ‘surname profiler’ to discover the roots of your name, a memory map on which to upload and share your memories, and top tips from family history and genealogy experts on researching your family tree.

Fiona Reynolds, Director General of the National Trust says: “Everyone’s lives have shaped our collective heritage and increasing numbers of people want to know more about their past and to explore their roots. Whether you have memories or experiences you want to record for posterity, would like to hear those of others, or are tempted to begin researching your family tree, there are lots of ways to get involved. We hope everyone will be encouraged to come along and share their stories.”