THE Hardy Monument – the Dorset landmark which celebrates the naval Hardy, not the writer – will reopen to visitors on Wednesday 17th April after its winter closure. The Portland stone ‘spyglass’ monument stands on the highest point of Black Down, 241 meters above sea level, with uninterrupted views out over the English Channel. It…
AN important Iron Age hillfort and other archaeological remains, covering 73 acres at Ham Hill Country Park has been purchased with £235,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), funding from the Friends of Ham Hill and a capital grant from South Somerset District Council. The area that has been saved for the nation makes…
THE dawn chorus is one of the glories of the spring, but it’s a bit early for many people, so the RSPB has arranged a seies of “not quite dawn chorus” guided walks at the Arne nature reserve, on Thursdays in April and on 2nd May from 7 to 9am. Ellie Sunderland, RSPB Arne visitor…
LONGLEAT House is this year marking 70 years since it became the first stately home to open its doors to the public on a fully commercial basis. As part of the celebrations, Viscount and Viscountess Weymouth, Ceawlin and Emma Thynn, have recreated iconic photos from the time featuring Ceawlin’s grandfather, the 6th Marquess of Bath,…
VISITORS to the National Trust’s Lytes Cary Manor near Somerton get a taste of Tudor living and 20th century gardening style following a winter of conservation and restoration work. Changes in the Arts and Crafts inspired garden include the renovation and re-emergence of the pond, one of the original features of the garden introduced by…
HERE is this month’s special Dorset Wildlife Trust events. For volunteering opportunities, visit www.dorsetwildifetrust.org.uk/volunteering To 14th April – Easter art exhibition, Fine Foundation Wild Seas Centre, 10.30am – 5pm; work inspired by nature and the sea by DWT volunteers. To 14th April – Get Dorset Buzzing Roadshow, Chesil Beach Centre, with family games including the…
A PROGRAMME of horticultural walks, talks and masterclasses has been arranged to mark the 25th anniversary of Knoll Gardens near Wimborne. The events will be led by Neil Lucas, the UK’s leading authority on ornamental grasses, whose continuously developing style has seen the East Dorset gardens become internationally acknowledged for its naturalistic planting. The 2019…
THERE are two pieces of litter for every footstep you take on a beach, and once again the National Trust is appealing for volunteers to take part in The Great British Spring Clean, run by Keep Britain Tidy, running until 23rd April. The tide of litter on our beaches appears to be on the increase,…
THE tiny isolated cottage which was home to TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) in his last years is once again open to the public for the season, following work during the winter on the grounds by the owners, the National Trust. The woodsman’s cottage was taken by Lawrence as a bolt hole in 1923 after…
IF February was unusually (and worryingly) spring-like, March came in like the worst kind of winter storm, ripping across the country, felling trees from the New Forest to the Scottish highlands, and sending most people back home to switch the heating on. In the hope that the month settles down and we can all start…