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Banburyshire

Heritage events in Banburyshire

A morris day in Adderbury, the open afternoons at Broughton Castle, the seasons at Sulgrave Manor and Upton House. One true event and three calendars, so use this page to time a visit to a place that is often shut.

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Only one of the four things here is an event in the usual sense. The other three are the seasons of old houses, listed because when they open is the main thing you need to know. Start with the morris day if you are looking for something to go to, and with the house pages if you already know where you want to go.

Adderbury Day of Dance

The Day of Dance is the one to plan a trip around. Adderbury's three morris sides, the Village Morris Men, the Morris Men and Sharp and Blunt, the women's side, dance through the village's pubs and lanes all day on a Saturday in late April, with guests in some years. It has been an annual event since 1975. It starts with ceremony in the churchyard of St Mary's. We found no ticket or charge in any account. Dates go up late, in one recent year only four days ahead, so watch the Village Morris Men's site. The Bell and the Red Lion are both in the village for a drink, and a walk round the village fills the gap between dances.

Broughton Castle's open afternoons

Broughton Castle is a family home open on a short list of afternoons from spring to September: Wednesdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays. You pay at the Gatehouse with no booking. Arrive early and start in the garden, which opens before the house. If you are only coming for the moat, the park is open to walkers most days. The listing has the hours, prices and what you may not bring.

Sulgrave Manor's season

Sulgrave Manor opens on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays between March and September, and you see the house on the hour with a short talk to start. It is closed for the winter, apart from a candlelit Christmas event, and it warns that special events can change the days. Check before you drive. Our story explains the Washington link, and how much of it is legend.

Upton House through the year

Upton House has no single season. Its hours shift through the year, with a family trail at Christmas, and the Trust's calendar is the only place to get them. We could read the Trust's pages only in part, so ring if your trip depends on it. See the listing for what is there.

Other old things to time your trip around

The Michaelmas Fair in October is centuries old, with records of it from 1677. Swalcliffe Barn, a medieval tithe barn, opens free on summer Sunday afternoons. The Sealed Knot marked the 380th anniversary of the Battle of Edgehill with a re-enactment on 28 and 29 August 2022, but we have no regular date for one.

What is missing

Most heritage days around here are small and advertised late, so we will have missed some. The national Heritage Open Days festival of free events runs over ten days in mid-September, and in 2026 it brought a Banbury Historical Society open day to Banbury Museum; its own site lists each year's events. We list no regular re-enactment and no canal heritage event beyond the Canal Festival. Canons Ashby, Chastleton and Farnborough Hall all keep their own seasons, on their listings, and castles and houses near Banbury says which days combine.

Morris dancers in black and red rag coats and feathered hats dancing down a street of ironstone houses in low sun
Morris dancers on the High Street, Adderbury Photo: Steve Parker, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dates and places

The morris day, and the houses that keep their own calendars.

  • A long terrace of ironstone cottages along a curving road, a clear blue sky above

    Adderbury Day of Dance

    Event · Streets, churchyard and pubs of Adderbury

    Adderbury's three morris sides, with guests, dance through the village's pubs and lanes all day on a Saturday in late April, an annual event since 1975. It was last held on 25 April 2026. The 2027 date is not yet published; the pattern suggests 24 April 2027, to be confirmed.

  • The Great Hall at Broughton Castle, stone walls and plaster ceiling above red sofas and a wide fireplace

    Broughton Castle open days

    Event · Broughton Castle, near Banbury ·

    Broughton Castle opens to visitors on Wednesdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays, 2pm to 5pm, from 4 April to 29 September 2027. Pay at the Gatehouse: there is no booking. The gardens and tea room open at 1.30pm.

  • The gable of a stone porch with carved arms above the window, and an American flag flying beyond

    Sulgrave Manor season

    Event · Sulgrave Manor, Sulgrave ·

    Sulgrave Manor is closed to day visitors for the winter and reopens in March 2027, on a day not yet published. In season it opens on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, 10.30am to 4pm. Its one date before then is Candlelight Christmas, 5 December 2026.

  • Upton House seen across the terraced kitchen garden, vegetable beds descending the slope

    Upton House and Gardens through the year

    Event · Upton House and Gardens, near Banbury ·

    Upton House keeps changing hours through the year, so check before you go. Christmas with the Muses runs in the house from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, 11.30am to 3.30pm, with a break over 25 and 26 December. Hours for 2027 are not confirmed.

  • A many-gabled ironstone manor house above lawns and full borders, a church spire behind on the left under dark clouds

    Castles and historic houses near Banbury: which to pick

    Story · Guides · 12 minute read

    Broughton Castle, Upton House, Sulgrave Manor, Canons Ashby, Farnborough Hall, Compton Verney, Chastleton, Stowe and Charlecote Park: which suits whom, which days combine them, what opens in winter, and which to skip.

  • The long ironstone side of Swalcliffe Barn under its stone-slate roof, a bench by a door and clover in the grass

    Swalcliffe Barn

    Sight · Historic building

    A ten-bay medieval barn of ironstone, built for New College, Oxford, in about 1401, with its medieval timber roof. Grade I and a scheduled monument, six miles west of Banbury, and open free on summer Sunday afternoons.

Before you go

Day of Dance
Dates go up late. Watch the Adderbury Village Morris Men's site from spring.
Broughton
No advance tickets. Pay at the Gatehouse, and arrive early for the garden.
Sulgrave
Walk-ins are welcome. Special events can change the open days, so check.
Upton
Hours change through the year. Ring if your trip depends on them.

Questions

When is the Adderbury Day of Dance?

On a Saturday in late April. Its date goes up late, so watch the event page and the Village Morris Men's own site. We found no charge in any account.

When is Broughton Castle open?

From spring to September, on Wednesdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays, in the afternoon. The event page has the current dates, and there is no advance booking.

When does Sulgrave Manor reopen?

In March. The manor had not given the day for its next season when we checked in November 2026, so watch its what's on page. It opens on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays in season. Our page has the latest.

Is Upton House open in winter?

Over Christmas, yes: Christmas with the Muses, a family trail through the house, runs from mid-November into early January, with a break on 25 and 26 December, 11.30am to 3.30pm, included with admission. For this winter's dates and the rest of the winter, check our page and the Trust's calendar.

Can you book Broughton Castle in advance?

No. Tickets are sold at the Gatehouse on arrival, and cannot be bought ahead. Historic Houses members go free with a card, and the tea room needs no ticket.

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