Henley launching new heritage trail this Platinum Jubilee to encourage visitors to embrace its history

A Warwickshire town is encouraging visitors to embrace its history as it launches a brand-new heritage trail during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.

Henley-in-Arden is set to launch a revamped town trail for visitors to follow – starting at the town’s Heritage Centre and taking in its landmarks and independent shops, before finishing back at the centre.

The Heritage Centre is in the process of being renovated to make it more appealing to visitors, including the creation of a children’s activity room, the centre’s Victorian school room having traditional costumes for kids, and outdoor Victorian games in the centre’s outside area.

Visitors can preview the trail by watching a new video showing off the best places to visit in the town.

The trail will be officially launched on Saturday June 4 – which is not only the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend, but also the town’s annual Court Leet Day featuring live music, raffles, food and drink, and the annual ‘duck race’ which brings in visitors from around the region.

Wendy Andrews, Henley Parish Council’s vice chair, said: “This new trail is designed to showcase Henley’s proud history and guide visitors around all the fantastic landmarks and independent shops we have in our town.

“From the medieval Mount and 15th century Guildhall, to brilliant businesses like Henley Ice Cream, Urban Village and The Bluebell to name but a few, there’s so much to discover along the trail.

“It will also showcase the Heritage Centre and all it has to offer, especially with the revamped Victorian education room and outdoor area.

“Henley is a fantastic place to visit for a day out, and our new trail perfectly encapsulates the blend of old and new that makes our town so special.

“We’re looking forward to seeing plenty of people visit Henley during and after the launch and using the new trail as their guide.”

The trail and improvements to the Heritage Centre has been funded through the Welcome Back Fund, from the European Regional Development Fund money through the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The programme is managed by Shakespeare's England on behalf of Stratford District Council, and awards money to projects that bring people back into town centres.

It was created in partnership between Henley Parish Council, town business Creative Touch Design, and the Joseph Hardy Trust.

Anyone completing the trail will be able to claim a free gift with Heritage Centre branding.

Glyn Slade, Welcome Back Event Manager from Shakespeare’s England, said: “This new trail is a great way to encourage people who have not visited Henley before to spend a day seeing all it has to offer.

“The town’s array of independent shops and landmarks are all featured in the trail, and the fact that it starts at the renovated Heritage Centre means visitors will get to experience Henley’s history too.

“Henley’s long, historic High Street lends itself to a heritage trail like this, and we think visitors will really enjoy visiting the Heritage Centre and the various places on the trail. Henley is a hidden gem, and we hope plenty of people take the time to visit and see it for themselves.”

For more information, visit the Heritage Centre’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HenleyinArdenHeritageCentre