Cadw has today announced the return of Open Doors – an annual festival that gives everyone access to Wales’ most extraordinary and treasured historical locations.

Throughout September, more than 200 historic landmarks across Wales will host a range of free events, guided tours, and immersive experiences, some for the very first time.

This includes several iconic locations within Brecon and Radnorshire.

This year’s Open Doors event is especially poignant as Cadw celebrates its 40th anniversary with an exciting year of activities.

Some of the events of local interest include:

• Abercamlais House and Gardens, Brecon – September 14 and 15 , 12pm-4pm

A splendid Grade 1 listed building dating from the Middle Ages, Abercamlais House has since had extensive alterations in the early 18th century and the Victorian times.

This stunning house is set in extensive grounds and will be open to the public with organised tours as part of the Open Doors festival.

• Powys Archives, Llandrindod Wells – September 11, 10am-1pm

Take a tour behind the closed doors into the archive store where around 100,000 individual items from the old Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Breconshire are stored.

Items include Victorian Christmas Cards, police charge books, school logbooks and photographic albums, dating from the 14th century. The tour will be followed by refreshments and booking is required.

• St Davids Church, Llywel, Brecon – September 14, 11am-4pm

St David's Church Llywel is a grade 1 listed church, with a wealth of historic artifacts, including the Llywel stone with Ogham inscription.

The church will be open to viewing the treasures, including access to the church records. 

A warm welcome and refreshments will be available.

• Brecon Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Post, Cefn Cantref – 28 September, 11am-4pm

The ROC Post was part of over 1500 Royal Observer Corps nuclear monitoring posts spread over the UK, to monitor the effects of nuclear bomb blasts and fall-out during the Cold War from the early 1960s to 1990s. 

The Brecon Post has been restored to what it would have looked like when operational during the Cold War, with all the communication equipment working to recreate the atmosphere in the lead-up to a nuclear conflict.

The Post will be available to members of the general public - to visit for a sense of what happened all over the UK during the Cold War and have ex-Royal Observer Corps personnel explain what they did. 

The visit involves going 15 foot underground down a ladder. Only people who are fit and able to traverse the ladder, and children under 12 years old with parental permission, are allowed to go underground.

• Church of St David, Colva – September 1 to 30 , 9am-5pm

The Church of St David dates back to the 13th Century and is situated high up in the Radnorshire hills on an old drovers' road.

It is Grade II* listed and is described as 'though modest in scale it retains considerable unspoilt character from medieval and later periods.'

There are remains of important wall paintings on the North, East and South walls that comprise reformation texts over earlier medieval illustrations including a rare Memento Mori.

The church received funding from various organisations, including Cadw, in 2023 to repair a badly leaking roof. The work was completed in February 2024.

The church is always open and there is much to see.

Visitors are advised to check the details of each event as ticket requirements vary at each location.

Further details, including a list of all participating locations, a complete schedule of events and ticketing information, are available at https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/whats-on/open-doors.