I didn't realise it was that time of year again - the downside of not being out and about as much as I used to be.

For those of you still flitting about the land with some regularity, Doors Open Day 2008 is now underway, and has a shiny new web site. For the first time (in my opinion) all the locations taking part are easy to identify and find on the web site, by area, or by date, across the country:

Doors Open Day 2008 Area Programmes

Glasgow's own Doors Open Day web site:

Doors Open Day: Glasgow's Built Heritage Festival, September 15 - September 21, 2008

Updates here! Because there's always last minute changes, cancellations, and additions.

Looks like some interesting places to visit, I must do some planning.  Mind you it is the same weekend as the Leuchars Airshow Hmm.

I note that Argyll & Bute are not participating, no surprise there then!

I'm a great fan of this but am wondering whether there is some nonsense creeping in e.g. the following from a place I'd like to visit.

Access restricted to public areas

So all the doors aren't open ..............

Re: Glasgow City Council; Blairtummock House

No nonsense... you're worse than me

It's not always GCC

Blairtumnock House is now office accommodation, with a number of businesses occupants, not all of whom wish to open the offices they lease to the public, or have staff willing to come in and give up their time-off to show nosey folk around.

From their own commercial literature:

• Blairtummock will not be open to the public on a casual visiting basis. However, the public rooms will be open will be available for pre-arranged visits, including by tour groups, and for events such as Doors Open Day.  The offices will be let to business users, and the public rooms will be available for hire by business, community groups and individuals.
  

So, the public parts remain open, while the business users' space will not, which isn't really much of a surprise.

There are owners of properties that do open their doors and come in on the day to show the visitors around. Although I knew one of my suppliers had premises in Craigie House, I had no idea he was also a part-owner, or was involved or interested in keeping the place up to spec. There are some particularly interesting carvings in the place that I got the story about, and learned how the antique light feature in the main meeting room had come from Auchtermuchty by chance, and had a peek at the organ installed there too. It was a bit odd too, as I had visited once on business, and it never occured to me that there was all that interesting stuff just a few feet from where we were "negotiating".

Just found this beginning Monday, September 8, 2008, on Five:

11:30 -12:30

Behind Closed Doors (Documentary)

Monday

Charlie Luxton goes behind the doors of buildings normally closed to public view, as part of a week-long celebration of open-house events taking place across the country. Charlie visits five buildings that reflect the story of power in Britain - from a rarely opened World War Two bunker in North London to Manchester's extraordinary neo-gothic Town Hall. He also finds out from Ken Livingstone what it was really like working in City Hall, and investigates secret tunnels beneath the Treasury. (New, Subtitles)

Tuesday

Charlie Luxton goes behind the doors of buildings normally closed to public view, as part of a week-long celebration of open-house events across the country. Charlie visits homes and offices made out of shipping containers and goes under the Mersey to see George's Dock Ventilation Tower in action. He also learns about 'blobitecture' at the Blizard Building at Queen Mary's University, London and powers up an original James Watt steam engine at Crossness Pumping Station.

Wednesday

Charlie Luxton goes behind the doors of buildings normally closed to public view. Charlies visits some of Britain's greatest financial institutions, including the normally secretive Bank of England, and the cutting-edge headquarters of corporate giants Lloyds and Bloomberg. Along the way, he gets a fascinating glimpse into places of business where high-pressure trading and key economic decision making are carried out on a daily basis.

Thursday

Charlie Luxton goes behind the doors of buildings normally closed to public view, as part of a week-long celebration of open-house events across the country. Charlie gets a sneak preview of the Royal Institution's 22 million pound makeover designed to introduce a new generation to science. He visits Britain's only residential library at St Deiniols in North Wales and looks at the rich cultural history of London's 900-year-old Barts Hospital.

Friday

Charlie Luxton goes behind the doors of buildings normally closed to public view, as part of a week-long celebration of open-house events across the country. Charlie discovers how British homes have evolved to meet society's changing needs as he visits the lavish 18th-century Newark Park lodge near Bristol and London's Trellick Tower.