Visit to Lady Farm Garden, Chelwood, Bristol
Visit to Lulworth Castle House, Dorset
Visit to Snowshill Manor and Gardens, Gloucestershire
Visit to Hill Court, Near Thornbury, Gloucestershire
Visit to The Royal Military School of Music, Twickenham
Visit to John Leach's Pottery, Muchelney
Visit to Coughton Court, Near Alcester, Warwickshire
Visit to Ham Sewage Treatment Works
Visit to Hill Court, Near Thornbury, Gloucestershire
Here's Your Health at The Ruishton Inn!
Visit to Lanhydrock, Near Bodmin
Guided Historical Walk Around Wiveliscombe and Tea at Lynhales, Langley Marsh
Visit to The Spectacular Coast of Cornwall
Birdwatching at Topsham, Exeter
Visit to Stratford-upon-avon and Ragley Hall
Visit to Wimbleball Lake, Exmoor
Visit to Waddesdon Manor, Near Aylesbury, Bucks
Seminar: Home Energy Efficiency
Visit to Kingston Lacy, Dorset
Wednesday 6 July 2005
The gardens now cover about 10 acres, including three acres once occupied by farm buildings. We will be able to see the cottage garden, wildflower area, watercourse culminating in a lake, and much more -- together forming a garden for all seasons.
The owners, Malcolm and Judy Pearce, will give us a talk about the development of the gardens since 1991.
Monday 11 July and Tuesday 12 July 2005
Built in the early 1600s, Lulworth Castle, near Wareham, Dorset, was gutted by fire in 1929. It has been partly restored and is open at a charge, with free admission for members of English Heritage.
However, our destination is Lulworth Castle House, not the Castle. This neo-Georgian residence was built in the park in the 1970s as the home of the Weld family. It contains some of the furniture, silver and porcelain rescued from the Castle after the fire, and the Ince Blundell Collection of pictures and sculpture from a former Weld family home in Lancashire. The elegance of the light and airy rooms gives an air of gracious living.
We shall be free to wander in the owners' private garden and to visit the Chapel of St Mary, built in 1786 -- the first free-standing Roman Catholic church built in England since the Reformation.
Monday 11 July and Thursday 14 July 2005
Dr Mike Parr, who has studied dragonflies for more than 40 years, will take us to look for dragonflies at Priddy Pools, near Wells. Given good weather we could easily expect to see 15 species of Odonata, including possibly the fast-flying Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea) which does not occur at many sites in the West Country. Priddy is also a good site for Hobbys and they may be seen catching dragonflies over the water. If time permits, we could also do some water-dipping to see if we can catch some dragonfly larvae.
Dragonflies fly only in good weather. If the weather forecast is not hopeful or conditions are bad on the day, the trip will be cancelled. Members who have booked for the visit will be contacted in good time to let them know whether to come or not.
Thursday 14 July 2005
Wyndham Hall, Taunton, 2.30pm
We can all help in the prevention and detection of crime. An officer from West Country Crimestoppers will explain how members of the public can assist the police by giving information about crime and criminals anonymously.
Tuesday 19 July 2005
This visit has been arranged to learn about the history of the once-important building Taunton Castle (not the County Museum or its collection). The tour, led by John Bainbridge, Education Officer with the Somerset County Museums Service, will include a visit to the garden which is now part of the Castle Hotel. We shall also see one of the St James Street Almshouses in the Museum grounds.
Wednesday 20 July 2005
The Manor House, near Broadway, Gloucestershire, was owned by Winchcombe Abbey from 821 until 1539 when it passed to the Crown with the dissolution of the monasteries. There followed several owners until 1919 when the house was bought as a semi-derelict farm by Charles Paget Wade, an architect and craftsman. It was then that he started his famous collection of crafts which the house contains today. In 1951 he gave the house and its contents to the National Trust.
The Manor House is built of traditional Cotswold stone and is situated in a delightful garden run on organic principles. There are plant sales.
Quantock Centre members are asked to take their National Trust membership cards.
Friday 22 July and Friday 19 August 2005
Our afternoon visit will be to nearby Hill Court, a Victorian manor house with gardens and acres of parkland, set in the Vale of Berkeley and near the River Severn. The estate has been in the ownership of the Jenner-Fust family since 1609 and is still their family home. It is not open to the general public. Adjoining the house is the 13th century Church of St Michael and a walled garden.
The heir to the estate will guide us around the house and, in talking about his ancestors, will use the great portrait collection of the last 400 years as his "visual aids".
Tuesday 26 July 2005
Broadlands is well known as the home of the late Lord Mountbatten and of the Victorian Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston. The elegant Palladian mansion, in a beautiful landscaped setting on the banks of the River Test, contains a fine collection of furniture, paintings, porcelain, sculpture and mementoes of the famous. There is an exhibition in honour of Lord Mountbatten.
Tuesday 2 August 2005
Kneller Hall, Twickenham, was built in 1709 for Sir Godfrey Kneller, the Court portrait painter. The Royal Military School of Music was formed there in 1857. Weather permitting, we shall watch part of the band rehearsal at the open-air bandstand. We shall also see the museum and chapel and hear a talk on the history of the school.
Monday 8 August and Tuesday 9 August 2005
The thatch-roofed pottery at Muchelney, on the Somerset Levels, was established by John Leach in 1965. Grandson of Bernard Leach, he will show and explain the making of pottery by hand-throwing clay and traditional wood-firing. His new gallery, selling a range of work by various pottery makers and artists, will be open.
We will also be able to walk the short distance to see the pond, now a county wildlife site, which John created in 1988 to repay Nature for his own dependence on wood for firing the kiln.
Wednesday 10 August 2005
Coughton Court, near Alcester, Warwickshire, is one of England's finest Tudor houses. Home of the Throckmorton family since 1409, the house has a superb collections of furniture, porcelain and family portraits as well as an exhibition about the Gunpowder Plot.
The grounds have been developed in keeping with the period setting and include a formal garden, walled garden, riverside and lake walk, orchard, vegetable and bog gardens. There are two churches.
Quantock Centre members are asked to take their National Trust membership cards.
Tuesday 16 August 2005
Sewage treatment involves removing and disposing of impurities so that the remaining waste water can be safely returned to the river or sea and become part of the natural water cycle again. This visit will provide an opportunity to understand the methods used to undertake these and other vitally important processes.
Friday 19 August 2005
This is a repeat of the
visit made on 22 July
Monday 22 August 2005
Health will be the theme of an after-lunch talk at the Ruishton Inn by a speaker from Taunton Deane Primary Care NHS Trust. The Trust is responsible for improving the health of the community, securing the provision of high-quality services, and integrating health and social care in the community.
Wednesday 24 August 2005
Syon Park, Brentford, the spectacular home of the Duke of Northumberland, has been described by Simon Jenkins in his book, "England's Thousand Best Houses", as "one of England's top twenty houses". Robert Adam created some of the finest interiors in the grand neo-classical style in the 1760s where the Duke and Duchess could entertain on a lavish scale.
The 12th Duke has recently opened the State Bedroom, used by the young Princess Victoria during the 1830s, and his own Private Apartments, contrasting an intimate homely atmosphere with the vast state rooms.
The centrepiece of the gardens is the Great Conservatory, surrounded by an extensive collection of rare trees and plants, leading to views across the River Thames.
Thursday 1 September 2005
Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, dates from the 17th century and was partly rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1881. Full of atmosphere, it is one of the most fascinating and complete late-19th century houses in England. The 50 rooms which are open show a vanished way of life.
Set against a wooded slope, the house is surrounded by 400 acres of parkland, formal garden and an array of shrubs and trees. The estate was given to the National Trust in 1953 by the 7th Viscount Clifden.
Quantock Centre members are asked to take their National Trust membership cards.
Tuesday 6 September 2005
Bob Croft, Somerset County Archaeologist, will lead a walk around Wiveliscombe. He will talk about some of the old buildings and point out details of interest.
Friday 9 September 2005
This visit is in support of Sea Britain 2005, a year-long celebration of the UK's maritime interests.
The harbour at Boscastle, given to the National Trust in 1955, has a gorge-like entrance which turns through two right angles and is a terrifying place for ships to enter. The cliffs are spectacular. There are associations with Thomas Hardy, who went to Boscastle in 1870 to work on St Juliot's church and met his future wife Emma there.
We shall follow the coast road to Tintagel where the Old Post Office also belongs to the Trust. It is a delightful medieval building, enhanced by a cottage garden.
Our journey will then take us to Carnewas and Bedruthan Steps. On a sunny day, the view is superb, with sparkling blue sea, golden sands and rocks of every colour. This is one of the most breathtaking sights in Cornwall.
Quantock Centre members are asked to take their National Trust membership cards.
[This visit was arranged before the flood disaster of August 2004. If there are any restrictions on entry to Boscastle because of the restoration work, the itinerary may have to be modified.]
Saturday 10 September 2005
At high tide, many shore and water birds roost at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' Bowling Green Marsh reserve. We shall have a short morning walk to view the birds from the hide. We will also view the rivers Clyst and Exe.
Thursday 15 September 2005
Ragley Hall, Alcester, designed in 1680, is one of the earliest and loveliest of England's great Palladian country houses. The magnificent Baroque plasterwork of the Great Hall is the masterpiece of James Gibbs. The house contains much French and English furniture, fine porcelain, and portraits by Joshua Reynolds.
The main formal garden descends in a series of wide terraces. The rest of the 27 acres of garden consists of shrubs and trees with vistas across the park.
Monday 19 September 2005
The main purpose of this visit is to have a conducted tour of the inside of the dam at Wimbleball Lake to see how the flow of water is controlled. The reservoir is set in the Exmoor National Park. Afterwards, members can take their own walk around the lake.
Thursday 22 September 2005
Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, is an enchanting French Renaissance-style chateau, built in the 1870s for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to entertain the fashionable world. The 45 rooms that we will see combine the highest-quality French furniture, Savonnerie carpets, Sevres porcelain and other decorative arts from the 18th century, with magnificent English portraits and Dutch Old Masters.
There are extensive wine cellars. The garden is renowned for its colourful parterre, specimen trees, fountains, grottoes, and aviary with exotic birds.
Quantock Centre members are asked to take their National Trust membership cards.
Monday 26 September 2005
Wyndham Hall, Taunton, 2.30pm
With winter and dark evenings a few weeks away, now is the time to review our energy consumption and to consider if our homes will be warm during the long cold days. The speaker is Richard Harper, Taunton Deane Energy Efficiency Officer.
Thursday 29 September 2005
One of the treasures of the National Trust, Kingston Lacy, at Wimborne Minster, Dorset, was the home of the Bankes family, formerly of Corfe Castle, for more than 300 years.
The original brick house was built between 1663 and 1665 for Sir Ralph Bankes, Attorney-General to Charles I. Sir Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament in the 19th century, later encased it in stone. The house, set in 1,500 acres of parkland, contains a superb collection of Old Masters and the famous Spanish Room, hung with gilded-leather hangings.
Quantock Centre members are asked to take their National Trust membership cards.