MEMBERS of the public will have a rare opportunity to explore inside some of Tavistock's finest historic buildings this month. The weekend event is being organised by the Tavistock Townscape Heritage Partnership in collaboration with a number of local organisations. They are part of Heritage Open Days — a national celebration of heritage places which are not usually open to the public. The open days, from Friday, September 12 to Sunday, September 14, will feature three of Tavistock's iconic buildings built by the Dukes of Bedford in the mid 19th century. On all three days there will be guided tours of the Guildhall and police cells built in the 1840s. The tours at 10am, noon, 2pm and 4pm will be led by archaeologist/historian Andrew Thompson and former policeman Simon Dell who worked in the building. At Kilworthy Farm there will be guided tours of buildings which reflect the most advanced and visionary thinking of the mid Victorian age for beef production, including cowhouses, undercroft and the remains of Devon's largest waterwheel. The tours led by Sandra Vallence and Alex Mettler will be at 11am, 2pm and 4pm on Friday and Sunday and 11am, 2.30pm and 4pm on Saturday. Morning coffee and cream teas will be available and there will be a quiz for children in the garden. On the Saturday the Roman Catholic Church, which was originally built as an Anglican church by the Duke for the mining population, will be open from 11am to 4.30pm with young members of the congregation to show visitors around and provide refreshments. In addition, Robey Trust will be open on the Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Local Heritage Open Days organiser Andrew Thompson said: 'This is a wonderful opportunity for people to explore the legacy of the Dukes of Bedford and discover places which are not usually accessible with well-informed local experts. 'We are very grateful to the History Society, the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Mary Magdalen, Sandra Vallence, Tavistock Forward, Moorland Guides, Robey Trust, Tavistock Town Council and Devon Historic Buildings Trust for helping with this event.' Further information can be obtained from http://www.andrewthompsonheritage.co.uk">www.andrewthompsonheritage.co.uk