ON SATURDAY 14 and Sunday 15 September, Lancaster Castle will be opening its doors to show off its heritage to residents and visitors free of charge.

Organised by Lancashire County Council, the Lancaster Castle programme is part of Heritage Open Days 2002, which is co-ordinated by the Civic Trust and part of a European-wide initiative, European Heritage Days.

Heritage Open Days' activities will take place all over England from 13-16 September.

Around 800,000 visitors will enjoy the weekend - making the most of the opportunity to visit an outstanding selection of private homes, castles, churches, follies, industrial sites, contemporary design classics and architectural eccentricities.

Free guided tours (on a first come, first served basis) of Lancaster Castle's magnificent Shire Hall, Hadrian's Tower, Dungeons, Barristers' Library and Robing Room, Crown Court, Drop Room and Grand Jury Room will take place at 10.30 am, 11.00 am, 11.30 am, 12 noon, 12.30 pm and 1.00 pm on Saturday 8 September and Sunday 9 September.

Tours at other times during the weekend will be charged at the normal admission rate of £4.00 for adults and £2.50 for concessions.

Lancashire County Council joins some 23,000 volunteers across England who work behind the scenes to organise Heritage Open Days locally.

Martin Bacon, Chief Executive of the Civic Trust, said: "Heritage Open Days offer members of the public a rare chance to visit some of the best of England's built heritage.

Many of the attractions are not usually open to the public, so it really is a valuable opportunity for people to get to know something new about the community in which they live.

Not only can people learn about heritage that is right on their doorstep, but they can do it for free!"

Full details of Heritage Open Days' activities are available from Tourist Information Centres and the Civic Trust website, www.heritageopendays.org.