Visit to Stapehill Abbey Crafts and Gardens, near Wimborne
Visit to Saltram House, near Plymouth
Visit to the Donkey Sanctuary and Sidmouth
Walk Round Historic Bridgwater
Visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
Visit to Pencarrow House, Bodmin
Pub Lunch at the Boat and Anchor, Somerset Bridge
Visit to Ashford Water Treatment Works, Cannington
Visit to the National Museum Cardiff and St Fagans National History Museum
Visit to Powderham Castle and Dawlish
Visit to South Somerset for Somerset Art Weeks
Visit to the Holburne Museum, Bath
Visit to Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxford
Tuesday 4 July 2006
The High Tour of Wells Cathedral gives sights not to be missed. You can see the Cathedral from clerestory level and clamber among the roof beams and on to the top of the main tower.
There you will see the workings of the old clock and look out through the “ports” at the west end where on festival dayss the trumpeters play and the choir sings to the people below.
The High Tour is definitely not for people with any disability. There are 250 steps to the top of the tower. Anyone with even slight heart or mobility problems should not attempt the climb. You will be asked to sign a disclaimer before proceeding. The number of people for the tour is strictly limited to 24.
For others, a full guided tour of the lower level of the Cathedral is no less fascinating. It brings to life the work and history of this great Cathedral.
We shall leave after the end of Evensong so that anyone can attend the service if they wish.
Wednesday 5 July 2006
Stapehill Abbey has something to interest everyone. The 19th century Cistercian Abbey houses craft exhibitions, and we will be able to visit the nuns' chapel, cloister and cloister garden – all under cover.
The award-winning gardens, including a recently established Japanese Garden, provide a spectacular array of colour throughout the year. More than a century of rural life is portrayed in the Museum of Artisan Farming in Victorian England; and period workshops and “high street” shops have been re-created.
Wednesday 12 July 2006
Saltram House at Plympton is a fine Palladian mansion with a Tudor heart. Standing in a wooded landscape, it was largely created in the 1740s and 1820s by three generations of the Parker family. It contains fine plasterwork ceilings, Chinese wallpapers and rooms by Robert Adam.
It also houses a collection of paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Saltram was a location for the film of Jane Austen's first published novel, “ Sense and Sensibility”.
The predominantly 19th century gardens feature an Orangery and several follies as well as beautiful shrubberies and fine specimen trees.
Tuesday 18 July 2006
Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594, Sherborne Castle has been the home of the Digby family since 1617. The State Rooms reflect a variety of decorative styles, from the Tudors to the Victorians, complete with fine collections of art, furniture and porcelain. The 30 acres of lakeside gardens were created by Capability Brown.
Tuesday 25 July 2006
The Donkey Sanctuary, near Sidmouth, is dedicated to the rescue and care of donkeys. There are more than 400 donkeys there. Most readily seen are those in the Visitors' Centre where the new arrivals – elderly donkeys in need of special or medical care – are housed. Other donkeys can be visited by taking some of the outlying walks. Some donkeys do their own visiting.
Wednesday 26 July 2006
There is a great deal to see in Plymouth, even on a day visit. Ignore the town centre, which is similar to so many others, and, instead, visit the Barbican Village which provides a fine taste of Plymouth's rich and historic past.
See the large waterfront, used by fishing boats from different countries landing their catches, and the entrance to the marina. Across the swing bridge is the National Marine Aquarium with its vast range of underwater life, from seahorse to shark.
The narrow streets of the Barbican area are full of interesting small shops selling various wares and antiques; and the Plymouth Gin factory offers tours and “samples”.
Wednesday 2 August 2006
This visit will be led by Christopher Sidaway BA who is a Council member of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society and an expert on the history of Bridgwater.
The walk starts in King Square (the centre of a 13th century castle) and will take in the castle wall remains, the “Concrete House”, Blake Museum and St Mary's Church, ending at the Old Vicarage.
The walk will last around two hours.
Tuesday 8 August 2006
The Dulwich Picture Gallery was designed by Sir John Soane to house a collection of old masters originally assembled for the King of Poland at the end of the 18th century. It has been described as the “most beautiful small art gallery in the world”.
At the time of the visit, the Gallery will be celebrating the 400th anniversary of the birth of Rembrandt with a special exhibition. We shall see that and also have a guided tour of the building and its own collection.
Wednesday 16 August 2006
Pencarrow House, Bodmin, set in 50 acres of formal and woodland gardens, is the home of the Molesworth-St Aubyn family. We will be able to explore this elegant Georgian house and enjoy the happy mix of domestic informality on the one hand and fine pictures, furniture, porcelain and antique dolls on the other.
Sir Arthur Sullivan composed the music for “Iolanthe” here.
The grounds include the Italian Gardens, beautiful lawns, woodland walks and many flowering plants and shrubs.
Friday 18 August 2006
The Boat and Anchor is just off the M5 at Huntworth, near Bridgwater. It is situated alongside the Bridgwater-Taunton Canal – a very pleasant place to watch the world go by: walkers, cyclists, canal boats@x¦ .
Wednesday 23 August 2006
Before water reaches your taps it has to be collected, made safe for drinking and pumped to its destination. All these processes take place at Ashford Water Treatment Works, Cannington. In addition, it is one of seven education centres in the Wessex Water region. The old Victorian pumping station is a listed building which now houses facilities for school visits and interesting old equipment. Attached to this building is the restored wartime Home Guard post.
We shall also visit the reservoir and treatment works. The latter is fully automated and computer-controlled, and you will be able to see the preliminary treatment to remove impurities by chemical means.
Monday 4 September 2006
We shall be conducted on a tour of the historical old town of Dulverton by members of the local Civic Society. The visit will be in two parts with a break for lunch.
Thursday 7 September 2006
The National Museum Cardiff has displays of art, archaeology, natural history and geology. The art collection, including outstanding Impressionist works, is among the finest in Europe.
The Museum traces the evolution of Wales through more than 4,500 million years to the present day. Other aspects of Wales' history are told in the archaeology and natural history sections – from highly decorative jewellery and artefacts illustrating links with the past to the unique environments represented in 900 sites of special scientific interest.
St Fagans Castle, a 16th century manor house, was once the summer sanctuary of the Earl of Plymouth. Five hundred years of Welsh history are gathered in 40.5 hectares. Forty original buildings have been re-erected to show how the people of Wales used to live and also the on-going reconstruction of the medieval Church of St Teilo.
Tuesday 12 September 2006
Powderham Castle, at Kenton, near Exeter, was built by Sir Philip Courtney, ancestor of the present 18th Earl of Devon in 1391. The Castle withstood the ravages of the Civil Wars and was embellished in the 18th century with the addition of some fine interiors, such as the Grand Staircase of around 1727. The ornamental plasterwork in among the finest in England.
There will be time to see the rose garden and chapel; go to the “Secret Garden” on foot or by miniature train, or return to the Visitors' Centre for the farm and gift shops.
Thursday 14 September 2006
Somerset Art Weeks take place every other year. In 2004, we had a very successful day touring studios and galleries in West Somerset.
This year, we shall concentrate on South Somerset, visiting artists and craftspeople who will be exhibiting their work and demonstrating their skills.
Tuesday 19 September 2006
The Holburne Museum of Art, which has been described as the jewel in Bath's crown, displays treasures, especially silver and old master paintings, collected by Sir William Holburne in the 19th century. It also has outstanding portrait and landscape paintings by Turner, Stubbs, Gainsborough and others.
Wednesday 27 September 2006
Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, was designed by the playwright and architect, Sir John Vanbrugh, in the early 1700s. It is among the finest of baroque-style houses.
It contains magnificent state rooms, intricate carvings and hand-painted ceilings, and tapestries, porcelain collections, paintings and sculpture.
There are lovely formal gardens, and the parkland of more than 2,000 acres was landscaped by Capability Brown in the 1760s.
The Palace was created a World Heritage site in 1987.