2014 marks the centenary of the start of the First World War, a landmark anniversary for England and the world. The First World War Centenary Partnership, led by Imperial War Museums (IWM), will mark the centenary by leading a vibrant, four-year cultural programme that includes over 500 new exhibitions and 1,500 events. 

James Berresford, VisitEngland's Chief Executive said:

“A time for reflection and commemoration, the anniversary of the First World War is something that will resonate across the country in 2014, shown by the outstanding level of activity across England. These experiences, from new exhibitions in our leading museums and galleries to specially commissioned pieces of theatre and performance, will allow visitors and communities to mark the centenary in a way that is meaningful to them. The programme being put together by Imperial War Museums and the First World War Centenary Partnership is a fitting tribute to such an important moment in history.”

Here, VisitEngland highlights a few key events taking place across the country.

A Day of Remembrance

4 August 2014, the day we entered the war, will be marked with a candle-lit vigil of prayer at Westminster Abbey (www.westminster-abbey.org). The service is one of a number of events being announced by the Government to mark the centenary of the start of the Great War. During the evening of silence, prayers, readings and music, the congregation will see the light of candles disappear one by one until a final remaining candle is extinguished at 11pm. Other remembrance events will be held around the country. For more information, visit www.1914.org.

Imperial War Museums

From 19 July 2014, IWM London's (www.iwm.org.uk) new First World War Galleries open to the public. In the Galleries made up of 14 areas, visitors will discover the story of the First World War, how it started, why it continued, how it was won and its global impact, through the lives of those who experienced it on the front line and the home front. Drawing on IWM's First World War collections – the richest and most comprehensive in the world – the Galleries will feature objects large and small, many of which have never been seen before from lucky charms made from shell fragments to iconic recruitment posters and huge ship models. Objects on show include weapons and uniforms through to diaries, letters and souvenirs, which will sit alongside photographs, art and film. Highlights include the Life at the Front area, with a Sopwith Camel plane and Mark V tank looming above, where visitors will be able to explore a recreated trench with a light and soundscape that will evoke what it was like and a sense of the conditions troops had to endure over the changing seasons. Visitors will leave the Galleries with a new perspective on this landmark conflict.

In Manchester, From Street to Trench: A War That Shaped a Region (5 April 2014 –  31 May 2015), will be the largest exhibition to explore the North West of England during the First World War, at IWM North (www.iwm.org.uk). The exhibition illustrates how a region was shaped by the conflict and how the people of that region played a significant role in global events.

Over at IWM Duxford (www.iwm.org.uk) in Cambridgeshire, the focus will be on the hangars and buildings on display that date back to the latter stages of the First World War. Visitors will be able to discover aspects of land warfare and mechanisation in the museum's Land Warfare exhibition as well as First World War aircraft in its AirSpace exhibition.

Exhibitions & Events

Liverpool will host the UK's flagship First World War Centenary commemoration event – and it's going to be big. Well, giant to be precise. Memories of August 1914 (www.giantspectacular.com) will be brought to Liverpool by street theatre tour de force Royal De Luxe, who captivated crowds of 800,000 people in 2012 with the Giant spectacular Sea Odyssey.  A warm welcome will be given to two familiar faces – the Little Girl Giant and her playful canine companion Xolo – who return to the city. The event will take place from 23 – 27 July 2014 and will see the huge marionettes explore the city as part of a brand new moving and emotional story recollecting a time when Britain was preparing for war.

The National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) will be commemorating the centenary of the First World War at a number of their places over the coming months and years.  At Dunham Massey visitors can discover what life was like for the patients and how the war changed everything for those who lived and worked at Dunham. During the First World War, this Georgian house was transformed into a military hospital, becoming a sanctuary from the trenches for almost 300 soldiers. To mark the centenary, the National Trust is turning the clock back and visitors can now spend time in the ward, recreation room and operating theatre as they experience the Stamford Hospital as it once was. In West Yorkshire, at Nostell Priory, visitors can listen to the voices of those who lived and worked at the site during the First World War. Brought to life by actors from Yew Tree Youth Theatre and using original letters and documents, these recordings offer a vivid and compelling insight into the daily reality of life, love and loss during a time of war.

As part of the centenary, English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk) has initiated a major project to record the colossal 'footprint' left by the First World War on the fabric, landscape and coastal waters of England. Falmouth was a key coastal location during the conflict, and Pendennis Castle played a significant role, as a coastal battery, training depot, and centre of activity for the area. A new exhibition will explore stories from this time, including the fascinating aspects of life in Pendennis, and a series of letters from a soldier billeted at Pendennis, and then posted to the front line. The exhibition is set to open in June 2014, with a First World War themed event. In South Yorkshire, Brodsworth Hall is a fine example of a typical country house in time of war, with staff and family impacted upon by the conflict. An exhibition within the house will present the individual stories of those who did and did not return, and the work done to support them by those left at home. The exhibition will run all year, with a series of 'Brodsworth at War' events running from May to September, featuring costumed interpreters bringing this period of history to life.

The first series of TV's most lavish period drama, Downton Abbey, was set against the outbreak of the First World War. Next year, Highclere Castle (www.highclerecastle.co.uk), the setting for the series, will mark the First World War Centenary by hosting 'Heroes at Highclere' on 3 August.  During the First World War, the castle was transformed into a hospital, just as it was in its fictional role as Downton Abbey, as patients began to arrive from Flanders in 1914. The event will feature The Kings Troop Royal Artillery, Physical Training Corps, The White Helmets and more. In the air, there will be Spitfires, B17s, and other exciting aerial acrobatics from the Great War Display. Fill up on corn beef hash from vintage catering units, drink traditional WW1 ales, and shop at the vintage fair.

The gun which fired the first shot at sea in the First World War is set to take centre stage at the new remembrance gallery at the National Museum of the Royal Navy (www.royalnavalmuseum.org) later this year. The gun will be craned into place as part of the new HMS Hear My Story exhibition at the museum in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard (www.historicdockyard.co.uk). Opening on 3 April 2014, the exhibition will give a voice to the stories of the men, women and ships that have made the Navy's history over the last 100 years. HMS will bring visitors closer than ever before to the real Royal Navy as their heritage is brought together for the first time.

In London, Historic Royal Palaces (www.hrp.org.uk) has announced plans to mark the centenary anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War through a major art installation and programme of events. At the Tower of London, an installation of 888,246 ceramic poppies – one for each British and Colonial fatality during the war – will be unveiled on 5 August 2014, one hundred years since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the First World War. The scale of the installation intends to reflect the magnitude of such an important centenary. During the First World War the Tower's moat was used to swear in over 1,600 men who had enlisted by the end of August 1914 at the recruitment station in the City to form the 10th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers –   the so called 'stock brokers battalion' who fought for the duration of the war. A programme of events will accompany the installation which will remain until 11am on 11 November 2014.

Elsewhere in the capital, the National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk) is to commemorate the centenary with The Great War in Portraits, running until 15 June 2014. The exhibition marks the start of a four-year commemorative programme. Tate Modern (www.tate.org.uk) will present 100 Years Later: Conflict, Time, Photography (from 19 November 2014, working title), where the relationship between photography and different sites of conflict is explored over time.

The Historic Houses Association (www.hha.org.uk) has launched a new online heritage trail to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak, sharing the stories of some of England's great houses during wartime. The Historic Houses Wartime Trail shows the impact wars have had on those who stayed at home supporting their country during these difficult times. The trail features HHA member properties across England, all of which have a story to tell about their property in times of conflict.

Stage Productions

The National Theatre's award-winning production of War Horse (www.warhorseonstage.com) will continue to tour England until July 2014. The play tells the powerful story of a young boy called Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, who has been requisitioned to fight for the English in the First World War. This remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship will visit the Theatre Royal, Plymouth; Birmingham Hippodrome; The Lowry in Salford Quays; The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton; Sunderland's Empire, and the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford. Performances have also been extended to February 2015 at the New London Theatre on Drury Lane.

See the full programme of events at www.1914.org or go to www.visitengland.com.

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For further press information please contact:

Kersti Martin

VisitEngland - Australia & New Zealand

E: Kersti.martin@visitengland.org

Notes to Editors:

About VisitEngland

• VisitEngland is the country's national tourist board. We work in partnership with the industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors.

About England

• Historic yet contemporary, traditional yet cutting-edge, metropolitan yet wild: England is truly a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism.

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More information can be found on www.visitengland.com and www.visitengland.org.