VISITORS were able to take a peek into the past when Trowbridge Civic Society opened up four of the town's historic buildings on Saturday.

They were able to explore some of the town's hidden heritage in the Blind House and see what it was like with just the light of a candle.

Visitors could also take a gargoyle view of the town centre from St James's bell tower and look round a 19th-century almshouse which has become a 21st-century home.

Glynn Bridges, vice chairman of Trowbridge Civic Society, said: "Trowbridge has a lot of interesting buildings but they are not all recognised as historic buildings. We have opened up the Union Street almhouses, for example.

"This is the first time these have been opened up for the heritage open day, thanks to the trustees, and people were able to see the interior of these 19th-century almhouses."

Doors to hidden attractions also opened in Warminster over the weekend and people were able to tour five sites in the town.

Warminster Maltings, the Chapel of St Lawrence, Warminster School, the Athenaeum and Salisbury Plain training area were all open to the public.

Elizabeth Collyns, chairman of Warminster Civic Trust, said: "It all went very well and there was a good attendance. We never get any negative comments, as people always seem to enjoy it.

"We had to compete with Frome Show, so in the circumstances I think we did very well.

"We are considering changing some of the venues next year as most of the people who are interested in these open days have already visited a lot of the sites before."

The tours were part of Heritage Open Days 2002, which is co-ordinated by the Civic Trust.

Last year, the open day attracted more than 800,000 visitors to sites across England.

Properties open to the public included homes, offices, castles, churches, prisons, windmills and numerous other architectural oddities, contemporary design classics and historical gems.

Martin Bacon, chief executive of the Civic Trust, said the open days offer members of the public a rare chance to visit some of England's best heritage sites, which are not normally open to the public.

He said: "It is a really valuable opportunity to get to know something 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."