Glorious gardens

THE TREASURE HOUSES OF ENGLAND have some of the most beautiful formal gardens and parkland in England. From Flower Festivals to Victorian Gardeners and Living History, there is much for garden-lovers to enjoy this summer.

Beaulieu has a topiary display running throughout 2016; it’s based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The Blenheim Palace Flower show returns for its fourth year (June 17-19). The three-day show celebrates the very best of gardening in the UK. Visitors can also explore the beautiful Formal Gardens and 'Capability' Brown Parkland. 

Burghley's Flower Festival (October 1-9) will transform the State Rooms with floral displays created by local flower societies.

Castle Howard's interiors will be brought to life colourful floral displays – from traditional to contemporary, understated to ornate – during its flower festival (June 23-26). Soak up the garden party atmosphere in the Boar Garden with live music, strawberries and Pimms, join a guided garden tour, or explore the 1,000 acres of parkland and gardens.

Hatfield House has its two-day garden show (June 4-5) takes place on the Queen Elizabeth Oak Field, with plenty of exhibitors selling plants, shrubs, and gardening tools.

A must-see might be Woburn Abbey’s garden show (June 25-26) June. Whether you're a keen horticulturalist or you're looking for inspiration for your family garden, all are welcome. This year demonstrations, talks and Q&A sessions will be presented by Pippa Greenwood, a BBC Gardeners World panelist.

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What's On at the Treasure Houses of England …

FROM February, explore the evolution of the motor car in a display in Beaulieu's National Motor Museum (Brockenhurst, Hampshire.) Discover how automotive technology has developed since the dawn of motoring, 

New at Burghley (Lincolnshire) from March 19 will be two exhibitions; 'Capability Brown at Burghley' exploring Brown's influence on both the parkland and the house, and ‘The Georgians at Burghley’.

Hatfield House (Hertfordshire) will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first official tank trials which took place in the park in February 1916. A replica Mark IV tank will be on display throughout the year, and there will be an accompanying exhibition in the library explaining the history of the tank.


Leeds Castle (Kent) will be hosting EnjoyMotors (May 7-8). Get up close to hundreds of vintage, high performance, and classic cars from around the world.

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Picture Credit: By Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada - Beaulieu National Motor Museum, Hampshire, CC BY 2.0, http://www.flickr.com/photos/24874528@N04/9225083678">Hatfield House - July 2013</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Blenheim Palace to open all year

BLENHEIM PALACE in Oxfordshire has announced that it is to open year round (excluding Christmas Day) from February 2016. Since opening to the public in 1950, it has been closed during the winter months. 

Chief executive, John Hoy, says: ‘It will give our visitors an exciting opportunity to enjoy the palace throughout the festive season and allow us to add new events and winter activities to our calendar.’

The annual deep clean of #BlenheimPalace will continue during January and early February as usual, offering visitors the opportunity to see how the house manager Kate Ballenger and her team repair, restore, and protect the interiors and artworks.

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Things to do at Blenheim

BLENHEIM'S private rooms on show, visitors to #BlenheimPalace this year have an opportunity to see the Duke of Marlborough's private apartments … the rooms in which the Marlborough family has lived for generations.

Booking essential, and not recommended for children.

ROSES in bloom at Blenheim, visitors can enjoy a botanical bounty at Blenheim Palace in June, the best time to see the Rose Garden as the circular rosarium comes into bloom.

The Rose Garden is contained within a circular walk, arched over by slender hoops supporting climbing roses of a delicate pink. The central statue is surrounded by symmetrical beds of roses.

ARE you up for the Churchill Challenge? Visitors to the Blenheim Palace Flower Show (June 19-21) are being invited to enter the Churchill Cup hanging basket competition.

To join in the palace's events marking Sir Winston Churchill's commemorative year, the 2015 show will be paying homage to the wartime leader who died 50 years ago.

Organizer Aztec Events is asking visitors to celebrate the former Prime Minister's era by entering and presenting a pre-planted hanging basket. The baskets will be eligible for gold, silver, and bronze awards.

www.blenheimflowershow.co.uk

www.blenheimpalace.com

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39725141@N00/11805636943">Blenheim Palace Formal Gardens - Revisited</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)

Tuck in at Blenheim

THE Blenheim Palace Food Festival (May 23-25) is a new event for the palace, and will include cookery demonstrations, children's workshops, foraging fun, and stalls selling local and regional produce. 

Aspiring chefs of all ages can look forward to learning from local cookery schools and chefs.


There will also be a children's activity village, plus a traditional hay bale-filled picnic area where families can eat and relax. 






www.blenheimpalace.com

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Picture Credit: Ecologically grown vegetablesby Elina Mark Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons, Blenheim Palace panorama by Magnus Manske - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

Scone Palace crowned Scotland’s top rural tourist destination

THE crowning place of Scottish kings has been named Scotland’s top rural tourist attraction.

Says Sarah Butler, CEO of Scone Palace says: ‘The palace and its grounds attract more than 100,000 visitors every year, as well as the tens of thousands of visitors who attend major events held on the estate.

‘We are always striving to improve our visitor experience and this award recognizes the strong contribution Scone Palace makes as a visitor attraction, local employer, and in putting Perthshire on the map as a key Scottish tourist destination.’

Scone Palace re-opened for the season on April 1.



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Picture Credit: "Scone Palace, Scotland" by rob bishop via Wikimedia Commons; "Scone Palace Grounds, The Murray Star Maze 02" by Palickap (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

Head to Chatsworth this Easter

ONE of the biggest and most popular Easter Egg Hunts in the region and special appearances from the Easter Bunny are just two of the treats in store for those who visit Chatsworth this Easter as the Derbyshire estate opens for the season.

There will be plenty going on over the whole school holiday period (March 28 – April 12), with spring-themed craft activities taking place daily in the Oak Barn and outdoor crafts and spring bulb planting at the newly-opened educational centre, The Stickyard.

www.chatsworth.org

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Picture Credit: "Chatsworth Bridge" by Rob Bendall [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons

Easter treasures

THE Treasure Houses of England have packed Easter and spring diaries …

Castle Howard's (pictured above) Easter Fair & Farm will feature a traditional fairground, farm and children's activities. April 4-6.

At Beaulieu this Easter, test your driving skills on Beaulieu's giant Scalextric track, create your own F1 balloon car, follow the Easter trail and explore Palace House. Visit over Easter weekend to meet the Easter bunny and collect a chocolate treat. April 3-19. 

Blenheim Palace's Pleasure Gardens will feature a Victorian fairground with a Lighthouse Helter Skelter, carousel, and swing boats … plus circus skills workshops. April 3-6. 

Burghley's Easter egg hunt will be April 5 from 11am to 5pm in the Gardens of Surprise (pictured left). 

Enjoy the great outdoors at Chatsworth. In the farmyard, families can watch cow milking, see chicks hatching, see litters of piglets, and find Easter eggs in the farmyard. March 28-April 12.

Families can watch "lambing live" with bottle fed lambs throughout April at Hatfield Park Farm. 

There are ducks, geese, turkeys, Hungarian woolly pigs, and cattle. 

Celebrate Easter with family fun at the 900-year-old Leeds Castle. Take part in the Easter trail looking for clues along the way to earn a chocolate prize. Activities include circus skills, juggling, jester and archery shows. April 3-6.

• For details and timings, go to www.treasurehouses.co.uk

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Picture Credit: "Castle Howard - England1 144" by Pwojdacz via Wikimedia Commons; "Gardens of Surprise, Burghley House"  by dennis smith  via Wikimedia Commons; "Lambing, Hatfield Park Farm" courtesy hatfieldparkfarm.co.uk

England’s treasures

THIS year’s exhibitions at the Treasure Houses of England include:

Beaulieu's Motorsport Exhibition opens on March 6, with two new displays: Grand Prix Greats and Road, Race and Rally.

Burghley's exhibition – Collectibles and Curiosities – displays objects that are not normally seen by visitors. Rather than being devoted to 'Works of Art', the exhibition highlights an astonishing variety of unusual objects collected by the family. 

• Duty Calls: from Waterloo to World War II explores the stories of Castle Howard, gives a glimpse into a hitherto unknown chapter of the family and estate.

• Harewood will showcase a collection of gift boxes in a special display on the State Floor in the new A Gift from the Whole Nation (April 3-November 1). The boxes are some of the 'thank you' presents given by Princess Mary in 1914 to send to the troops at Christmas. More than 426,000 gift boxes were made and distributed in just two months.

At Woburn Abbey visitors can see - from March 27 - the largest private collection of Venetian Views by Canaletto on public view.

Art in Clay at Hatfield House (July 3-5) showcases some of the finest ceramics currently being made by individual makers in the UK and Europe.

From May, the Leeds Castle Dog Collar Collection returns to public display. 

More than 130 collars document the history of canine fashions from the 16th century to the 21st. 

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Picture Credit: "Grand Prix car interior c1939" unascribed via Wikimedia Commons; "CastleHoward01" by Dave59 via Wikimedia Commons; "Westminster Abbey by Canaletto, 1749". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Dog collars courtesy leeds-castle.com/Attractions/The+Dog+Collar+Museum