A FOUR-DAY festival celebrating history and culture launches today, Thursday.

Knutsford Heritage Open Days runs until Sunday, with more than 50 events on offer.

Celebrated across the nation, HODs makes history accessible and this year’s Knutsford Promenades project has been selected as one of four commissioned works.

Cutting edge VR technology will shine a light on the weekend’s centrepiece of Regina v Turing and Murray - the court case against World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing heard in the old sessions house on Toft Road.

Through a dramatic re-enactment at The Courthouse and an afternoon of talks called ‘The Salon’ - featuring Sir Dermot Turing and Robert ‘Judge’ Rinder - visitors can gain an insight into Turing’s life, legacy and conviction for ‘gross indecency’ following his relationship with Arnold Murray.

To celebrate the Turing legacy, a replica Enigma, Turing’s Mechanical Calculator and the Quarter Sessions records will be on display. There will also be a free screening of The Imitation Game, family-friendly coding, PatternCraft and Fibonacci sequence workshops.

More interactive opportunities come in the form of Codebreaker cocktails and gin masterclasses, as well as Run Knutsford’s Turing 2:46 or an AI golf masterclass.

Some of the town’s finest churches and private homes will also open their doors to the public, with plenty more celebrating Knutsford’s rich history.

See the full programme at knutsfordpromenades.co.uk