SALISBURY will celebrate the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Cathedral, one of the masterpieces of medieval architecture, in 2020, with a series of special events, which will include a spectacular flower festival. Originally built at what is now Old Sarum, the Cathedral was founded on its present site, on the water meadows of…
VISITORS to the National Trust’s Stourhead House in Wiltshire can learn more about the house’s stunning art and antique collections on one of a series of Masterpiece tours. A team of volunteers has researched and created these extended guided tours, which showcase highlights from the collection and explain the connections between them and the world-famous…
ONE of Wiltshire’s hidden delights, the idyllic garden of historic Hatch House near Tisbury, the home of Sir Henry and Lady Rumbold, holds its annual open garden on Sunday 2nd June, raising funds for the Salisbury Hospice charity. It is a popular event for all the family – a chance to see the 17th century…
THE rites of spring have come to Stourhead as the National Trust revives the Romans’ annual Floralia tradition. Floralia was a festival in honour of Flora, the goddess of flowers, whose memory is celebrated in a charming temple that looks out across the lake at the centre of this world famous 18th century landscape garden…
AN ancient oak tree famous for sheltering the six farm workers who became world-famous as the Tolpuddle Martyrs is having its story told this year in a series of events organised by the National Trust. The tree was given to the Trust to look after in 1934. Now 320 years old, it is the events…
A NEW theme at the National Trust’s Tyntesfield, house near Bristol running through 2019 and 2020 will give visitors the chance to discover more of the estate’s historic Spanish connections. “From Madrid to Tyntesfield: A story of love, loss and legacy” reveals the life of Tyntesfield’s founder, William Gibbs, who was born in Madrid, the…
THE punishment of transportation to the colonies – particularly to Australia – is most closely identified with the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the six Dorset farm labourers who were sentenced in 1834 to be transported for their part in forming a Friendly Society to campaign for fairer wages for agricultural workers. A folk musical, The Transports, tells…
OVER its 125 year history, the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis has been at the centre of the town’s cultural and social life – plays, concerts and community events … and now weddings! For some time, couples have been hiring the seaside theatre for their wedding receptions, but the arts venue is now a fully…
THE ancient working watermill at Dunster on the Somerset coast will be part of the National Mills Weekend, on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May. Visitors to the National Trust property will be able to see the 18th-century watermill in action on both days. There will be mill tours discussing how the mill works and…
THE Springhead Trust opens the beautiful lakeside gardens at Fontmell Magna on Bank Holiday Monday, 6th May, for the Creative and Sustainable Living Fair and open garden event. It is an opportunity to visit one of Dorset’s most fascinating gardens in all its spring glory, and a stimulating introduction to aspects of sustainable living. The…