English Heritage is preparing to dust off some of its hidden gems. Kat Keogh explores.

From a genteel stroll around an ageing country house to a spot of afternoon tea, you could be forgiven for thinking that exploring the West Midlands’ heritage isn’t the most exciting of pastimes.

But English Heritage is hoping to blow the cobwebs away as hundreds of properties prepare to open their doors to the public next month as part of a celebration of the region’s history and culture.

Heritage Open Days will see more than one million people file through the doors of 4,000 of the country’s most unique buildings during a four-day event.

The open days will be run locally by an army of volunteers and supported nationally by English Heritage, the government body responsible for preserving the country’s unique historic buildings, landscapes and archaeological sites.

Visitors will be encouraged to go off the beaten track and uncover the hidden heritage gems the West Midlands has to offer, with private homes, castles, factories, churches, temples and historic gardens all putting out the welcome mat on September 9-12.

Among the more unusual activities on offer are a chance to glimpse behind the shop floor at legendary Wolverhampton department store Beatties.

The flagship store, which first opened in 1877 and is now a House of Fraser, is holding an exhibition with archive documents dating back to when the store first opened, as well as original objects including the first Beatties carrier bag.

English Heritage outreach manager Suzanne Carter said: “Every year the event gets bigger and more diverse.

“Hundreds of properties and organisations took part last year and this year we can reveal that 40 new and interesting entries have been added to the list.

“As well as free admission, many places offer the rare opportunity to access areas that are usually off-limits. There really is something for everyone with Heritage Open Days as it offers a great way to explore, discover and have fun for all ages.”

Highlights also include an invitation to jump aboard the Big Brum Open Top Bus for a tour of the city’s architecture, venture into the depths of what was once Shropshire’s biggest lead mine at Snailbeach, Shrewsbury, plus a chance to explore original champagne cider cellars in Hereford.

Visitors to Soho House in Handsworth will be given a unique opportunity to go up on the roof and see where former owner, manufacturer Matthew Boulton, watched the stars.

There will also be a behind-the-scenes tour of the costume collection at Warwick Museum, led by Maggie Wood, Keeper of Social History for the Museum Service.

Other highlights include a chance to create your own pattern at Stoke’s Emma Bridgewater pottery factory, see the newly-restored 16th century gatehouse at Polesworth Abbey in Warwickshire, take a stroll around the lakeside gardens of Croome Park in Worcestershire and access behind-the-scenes areas of Wolverhampton’s 18th century Molineux Hotel, which houses the city’s priceless archives.

Coventry Transport Museum, which boasts the largest collection of British road transport in the world, will also offer a peek into the Aladdin’s cave of the motor world by opening its store rooms.

* For more information on Heritage Open Days, visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk