Make time for history: Visit Elizabethan House and Smeaton’s Tower this month
4 September 2026
If you’re a history lover and have been meaning to explore some of Plymouth’s fascinating heritage, now is the perfect time. With winter closures approaching, there's limited time left this month to visit two of the city’s much-loved historic attractions: Elizabethan House and Smeaton’s Tower.
To help you plan your visit, we’ve pulled together the key opening information and closing dates. Don't leave it too late to step inside these remarkable buildings and discover the stories they have to tell.
Elizabethan House
At Elizabethan House you can step back around 400 years and discover what life has been like on the Barbican - from the late 1500s to the Victorian times and beyond. The house underwent restoration in 2020–2021 as part of Plymouth's Mayflower 400 commemorations. As you explore, soak up the atmosphere of being in such a historic property while you discover more about the lives of some of the many people who have had 32 New Street as their address.
Elizabethan House is open from 12-4pm on Fridays and Saturdays until Saturday 26 September.
Smeaton’s Tower
Standing proudly on Plymouth Hoe, Smeaton’s Tower offers spectacular views across Plymouth Sound and the city from its lantern room, 72 feet above the ground. Originally built on the notorious Eddystone Reef in the mid-1700s, the lighthouse was eventually dismantled and moved to Plymouth Hoe in the 1880s after which it was opened as a tourist attraction. As you're climbing the stairs and ladders to the top take a minute to imagine what it must have once been like for the three lighthouse keepers who would have lived and worked in it.
Smeaton's Tower is open from 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday until Sunday 27 September (3.30pm on Saturday 26 September). Following this, it will be open on Saturdays and Sundays and throughout half term until Sunday 1 November.
Why not visit both?
If you want a history-filled day why not plan a visit to both sites on a Friday or Saturday this month? With both sites offering a different glimpse into Plymouth’s past and just a few minutes' walk apart, they make a great combination. There are lots of places on the Barbican and the Hoe where you can stop for something to eat and drink along the way.
You can pay on arrival at both Elizabethan House and Smeaton's Tower but if you book in advance online you can enjoy discounted entry. We hope to welcome you soon.