This September, Heritage Open Days offers a rare opportunity to step inside one of Berwick-upon-Tweed’s most fascinating historic sites and discover the stories, people and objects that are helping shape its future.
As part of Berwick Heritage Open Days 2026, Berwick Barracks presents a packed programme of free events from 11–20 September, bringing together behind-the-scenes tours, exhibitions, conservation demonstrations, creative activities, archive material, historic film and plenty of opportunities to get involved.
Berwick Barracks is currently being transformed into new museum and cultural spaces for the town, and this year’s Heritage Open Days programme offers a unique chance to see that transformation in action – while discovering some of the remarkable stories held within its walls.
Go behind the gate
Ever wondered what is happening inside Berwick Barracks while the building work is underway?
The Behind the Scenes Construction Site Tour with The Living Barracks offers a rare chance to join the site manager for a look at the progress being made as this historic building is transformed. Discover the renovation and conservation work taking place to preserve this important part of Berwick’s built heritage for future generations.
Tours last approximately 30 minutes and take place on Friday 11 September at 4pm, Tuesday 15 September at 4pm and Wednesday 16 September at 4pm. The tours are bookable and are suitable for ages 12 and over. Participants should wear stout footwear, with hard hats and hi-vis vests provided.
There will also be a chance to see traditional conservation skills in action during Stonemasonry Demonstrations on Site, taking place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 11am–3pm. Meet with the contractor working on the project, find out more about the techniques being used and even have a go yourself.
Discover the stories hidden in the Barracks
At The Storehouse, visitors can explore Resonances: Things Unseen from the Barracks, an exhibition exploring the intertwined histories of Berwick Barracks, the King’s Own Scottish Borderers Regiment and the town of Berwick.
Drawing on artefacts and archive material from the KOSB, the exhibition looks at the hidden aspects of the Barracks, the marks left behind by the people who have passed through the buildings and the layers of memory that have accumulated over time.
Resonances is open Tuesday 15, Thursday 17, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 11am–4pm and is free to explore on a drop-in basis.
You can also get a glimpse into the future museum collections during Conservation in Action, where conservation staff and volunteers will be cleaning, packing and preparing objects from the town’s social history collections for their future museum displays.
Come along, see what is on the conservation table and chat to the on-site conservator and volunteer team. Conservation in Action takes place at The Storehouse on Tuesday 15 and Thursday 17 September, 12–2pm.
See Berwick’s heritage through a different lens
The Berwick Barracks programme also explores the relationship between Berwick’s buildings, landscapes, communities and everyday stories – and invites us to look at the town’s heritage in new and unexpected ways.
At The Straw Yard, visitors can discover Charlotte Summers’ Re:imagine in Colour, a photographic exhibition inspired by images from the Berwick Archives. Charlotte has created a striking series of new photographs that blend the old with the new, bringing historic imagery into conversation with the Berwick of today.
Set within the historic surroundings of The Straw Yard, the exhibition offers a chance to see how the past and present can be brought together to imagine something new for the future – a fitting addition to a Heritage Open Days programme that is all about seeing Berwick’s heritage from a different perspective.
Re:imagine in Colour is open Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 10am–4pm. No pre-booking is required. Find The Straw Yard between the Barracks and the Cow Port – just look out for the bunting on the gates.
Back at The Storehouse, Living Landscape – Living Heritage is a 15-minute film showcasing work by master’s students in landscape architecture from Edinburgh College of Art, who were invited to imagine new park proposals for Berwick’s Old Town Walls.
Taking inspiration from objects in the Town Museum collection, the students have explored how the stories contained within everyday objects could be brought to life through the landscape – particularly around the Walls’ flankers, the small, enclosed spaces built to protect the fortifications.
The film asks us to imagine the Town Walls as living heritage: places filled with stories, people and ecologies, and to consider what they might become in the future.
Living Landscape – Living Heritage will be showing at The Storehouse on Tuesday 15, Thursday 17, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 11am–4pm and is free to explore on a drop-in basis.
Get creative with Berwick’s built heritage
Heritage is not just something to look at – it is something we can make, share and contribute to.
At Carton Collagraphs with The Living Barracks, expert printmaker Georgie Fay will lead a friendly, inclusive workshop inspired by Berwick’s everyday built heritage.
Using recycled Tetra Pak surfaces, participants can create their own designs before printing them onto artist-grade paper using a real printing press. All materials are provided, and everyone can take home their own unique artwork.
The free workshop takes place at The Storehouse on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 11am–3pm. All ages are welcome, although children should be accompanied by an adult.
You can also become part of a new piece of community history with artist Cath Campbell during Sew Your Signature on the Berwick Tablecloth.
Inspired by the historic Mons Tablecloth held in the KOSB archive, this community artwork celebrates the everyday stories of hospitality, participation, remembrance and connection.
The original tablecloth records a meal given to Scottish officers at a Belgian farmhouse in August 1914, shortly before the Battle of Mons. As the officers left, they signed the cloth as a memento of their visit, and the family embroidered the signatures as a lasting memorial.
Now, visitors can add their own signature to the Berwick tablecloth. No sewing experience is necessary, all materials and instruction are provided, and all ages are welcome.
Join in at the KOSB Archive on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 11am–3pm.
Make your own medieval coin
Head to the Parade Square for a hands-on journey back around 900 years.
With Strike a Coin with Science Viking, you can have a go at striking your own medieval Northumbrian coin with Bjarni Thorvaldrson, the Science Viking, while discovering more about the history of coinage and Berwick’s Royal Mint.
The activity takes place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 11am–3pm, and is free to drop in.
Meet the people of Berwick’s past
History really comes to life when you can meet the people who inhabited it.
On the Parade Square, WWI and WWII re-enactors will be bringing military history to life across the weekend. Meet historical re-enactors portraying the 6th (Service) Battalion, formed at Berwick Barracks in August 1914 as part of the “new army” of volunteers during the First World War, alongside a KOSB paratrooper detachment from the Second World War.
With kit bags and equipment on display, visitors will be able to chat to the re-enactors, ask questions and take photographs.
The re-enactors will be at the Barracks on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 11am–3pm.
See Berwick on the big screen
At The Maltings Cinema at Berwick Barracks, archivist Linda Bankier will take visitors back to Berwick in the 1960s with Berwick on Film on the Big Screen.
Watch fascinating cine film footage of the town, being shown on the big screen for the first time, while Linda provides a live narration packed with stories and insights about the people and places appearing on screen.
It is a chance to see familiar Berwick scenes in retro technicolour and discover more about the archive footage that has been preserved for future generations.
The talk takes place on Saturday 19 September, 10–11am and is bookable through The Maltings. Entry is via Ravensdowne or the Barracks gates.
And there is more archive material to explore throughout the weekend.
Step Back in Time – Berwick Barracks invites visitors to drop into The Maltings Cinema on Saturday 19 September, 3–4pm, to explore archive images documenting the Barracks through the years and gain an insight into daily life at this historic site.
Then on Sunday 20 September, 11am–1pm, Step Back in Time – Berwick Celebrations turns the spotlight on Berwick’s celebrations and traditions over the years. Take a look at the archive images and see if you can spot someone you know!
A weekend of living heritage
There will be plenty happening around the Barracks throughout the weekend, and together, the programme offers a fascinating snapshot of what makes Berwick Barracks so special: its architecture, military history, collections, archives, people and connections with the wider town.
And, importantly, it offers a glimpse of what is to come.
As the Barracks is transformed into new museum and cultural spaces for Berwick, Heritage Open Days provides an opportunity to see the building in a moment of change – to explore some of the stories that will help shape its future and meet some of the people helping to bring those stories to life.
Whether you are fascinated by architecture and conservation, love local history, enjoy getting creative or simply want to discover somewhere you may never have seen before, Berwick Barracks has something for you this Heritage Open Days.
Plan your visit
Berwick Barracks – Heritage Open Days 2026
11–20 September 2026
Berwick Barracks and The Storehouse, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Many events are free and available on a drop-in basis, while some activities require booking.
For the full Berwick Heritage Open Days programme, visit berwickhods.org.uk.
For bookable events at The Maltings, visit The Maltings.