HISTORIC venues across the district will be opening their doors to offer the public as part of a nationwide heritage event.

Many of the venues involved in the four day Heritage Open Days event are not normally open to the general public, meaning people can get a rare chance to enjoy Bradford's rich history.

The events run from Thursday September 10 to Sunday 13.

Among the Bradford venues taking part are Lower Wyke Moravian Church, a Chapel dating back to 1753, considered to be a fine example of German Moravian architecture. On the Saturday and Sunday the church will have a display of the history of the church, as well as a tour of the surrounding area.

There will be guided tours around the Manningham area by a tour guide dressed as Samuel Lister, former owner of Manningham Mills, on the Sunday, and family workshops and events at The Peace Museum on the Thursday and Friday.

Grade II listed St Cuthbert's Church in Heaton will open between noon and 5pm on the Sunday to allow its features such as a statue of Mary as a mill girl and a set of Stations of the Cross by Eric Gill.

Bradford City Hall will be open on Thursday and Saturday for more of the Sneak Peeks that have been taking place this month, which allow people to see parts of the hall not normally open to the public, and view displays of the city's treasures.

On the Saturday local magistrates will be performing mock court cases throughout the day, held in the Victorian Court Rooms and based on real cases and original documents.

In Ilkley there will be a heritage walk around Heathcote Garden and other notable buildings in the town on Sunday starting at 2pm.

High Royds Memorial Chapel in Menston will open its pauper's graveyard. The chapel, which contains details of the 2,861 people who are buried there, remembers those who have gone before and helps with the campaign to remove the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health. It will open on the Saturday and Sunday.

In Keighley East Riddlesden Hall will have a free open day on the Saturday, and on the same day there is a talk in Cliffe Castle Museum on the history of wedding dresses.

Ingrow Loco, based in Ingrow in Keighley and home to the Bahamas Locomotive Society is open on the Saturday and Sunday for a guided tour of the railway exhibits.

Keighley Shared Church, a Grade II listed building on Church Street, Keighley, opens on the Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

Councillor Val Slater, heritage champion at Bradford Council, said: "These are special days, they are days when people can look around some of the district's important and historic buildings - an opportunity that isn't normally available in some venues.

"I would encourage people to take advantage of this."