Why You Should Be an English Heritage Member

You've finally made the move. The rush is over, and here you are, somewhat settled in England, with a bit of free time on your hands. If you're like me, pink-tinted glasses or no, you'll notice beauty and history all around you. Even if you hadn't planned on sight-seeing—which I highly doubt—I suspect you might end up wanting to explore your new land. But where to start?


The same as when you go on a planned vacation, you might want to check out "passes" that let you visit lots of stuff and save money doing it. We happened to register with English Heritage, one of a few organizations that offer this kind of membership. There is also National Trust, Historic Scotland, Heritage Ireland (that I know of). There may be more, but I'm sure you won't mind looking up whatever it is that interests you.

English Heritage et al are registered charities offering free access to staffed sites for a yearly fee (this year it was £43.50 per adult, children ≤ 18 go free). Then there are other benefits. For example, being a member of English Heritage also grants free access to special events, as well as reduced prices to other events and venues around the country. With your membership card you receive a guide book that lists all the places they maintain, they send quarterly/seasonal magazines with special events, and little reminder cards once a month or so.

Guide and info we've received from English Heritage.

A lot of these places are free—just find parking and go explore. So, if you don't feel like spending the money, definitely check out the web sites linked above. You can search by post code for what's nearest you, pack a picnic, bring your dog and spend a few hours on one of the sites.

If you do decide to become a member and plan to travel within the UK, your membership card is not only good at the English Heritage sites, but it also gets you a discounted price when you enter certain Historic Scotland sites and other venues such as Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast and Warwick Castle.


Incidentally, once you start visiting, you might want to put together pieces of the historical puzzle with a bit of extracurricular reading.

Obviously we don't plan to visit every single place in the guidebook, there isn't enough time. But considering we came here to see things, we are really glad to have signed up. We've already visited several breathtaking places nearby, some of which people never really hear about. I can also safely say we've gotten more than our money's worth already (and it's only been 7 months since we became members), all the while helping a tiny bit in the organization's conservation efforts.

Clockwise from top left:
Stonehenge, Portchester Castle, Kenilworth Castle event, Titchfield Abbey.
Center: Elizabethan Gardens at Kenilworth Castle.

By the way, other than the membership we paid for ourselves, we have no affiliation with English Heritage or the other groups I mentioned above, so this article is totally unbiased. :)

Happy travels!