Visit to Churches at Ilminster and Stocklinch
Visit to Cothay Manor and Garden, near Wellington
Visit to Dudmaston Hall, Bridgnorth, Shropshire
Visit to Hartland Abbey and Stoke Church, North Devon
Visit to Three Herefordshire Churches
Visit to Almonry Museum and Heritage Centre, Evesham, and Boat Trip on the River Avon
Visit to Farnborough Hall, Banbury, Oxfordshire
Tour of Somerset Church Towers and their Hunky Punks
Visit to Athelhampton House, Dorchester
Visit to Croft Castle, near Leominster, Herefordshire
Visit to Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Visit to Abbey House Gardens, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
Visit to Charlecote Park, near Wellesbourne, Warkwickshire
Visit to Compton Verney, Warwickshire
Tuesday 10 July
Members will assemble at the Ilminster Parish Church, set in a miniature version of a cathedral close (writes Mark McDermott, who will be the guide). It is a magnificent Hamstone building in the late-medieval Perpendicular style and includes the chantry chapel of the Wadham family.
Stocklinch Magdalen church has a simple plan but contains some interesting features including an 18th century “singing gallery”, complete with a painting of King David with his harp. The delightful Stocklinch Ottersey church, which is redundant but in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, has architectural features in the Decorated and Perpendicular styles and is surrounded by evidence of a medieval open-field system.
Thursday 12 July
Cothay Manor, built of local sandstone in 1485, sits on the banks of the River Tone and is said to be a perfect example of a small classic 15th century country manor house. Virtually untouched since then, it is surrounded by a magical, romantic garden laid out in the 1920s but completely redesigned and replanted within the original yew hedges.
On either side of a 200-yard yew walk are “rooms”, each a small garden in itself. There are a white garden, scarlet and purple garden, herbaceous borders, a scree bed and a bog garden, a riverside walk and many other delights.
Tuesday 17 July
Dudmaston Hall, a National Trust property, dates from 1701, with some alterations in the 1820s. The house contains a superb collection of botanical drawings and watercolours as well as the personal effects of Sir George and Lady Labouchere, who lived at the Hall for 40 years. Sir George, who was a foreign diplomat, assembled a now famous contemporary art collection, housed in the old octagonal dining room.
Lady Labouchere, who gave the house to the National Trust in 1978, was a descendant of Abraham Darby, the famous ironmaster of Coalbrookdale in the Industrial Revolution.
The nine acres of well-maintained gardens contain many fine plants, shrubs and trees. The Dingle is an 18th century woodland walk and there are other estate walks through woodland and fields.
Thursday 19 July
Hartland Abbey was founded soon after 1157, dissolved in 1539 and given by Henry VIII to the Sergeant of his Wine Cellar, William Abbott. The house has descended through marriage to the present owners and remains a family home. Guided tours of the Abbey House and the nearby Stoke Church are being arranged.
The Abbey's gardens are extensive, and the walk through Berry Wood leads to the spectacular cliffs and coastline of Hartland Point, scene of many shipwrecks through the ages.
Tuesday 24 July
This is an event for church buffs, with visits to three churches in Herefordshire. The first visit is to Ledbury and its fine parish church with many treasures including a detached tower, five windows with “ball flower” ornaments and the monument to Elizabeth Barrett Browning's parents.
Brockhampton is a strikingly designed Arts and Crafts church built in 1901, partly thatched and with two towers. It is also full of works of remarkable craftsmanship in wood, stained glass, tapestry and embroidery.
The third destination, Kilpeck, is the most complete Norman church in England, renowned for the richness of its well-preserved carvings on the south doorway, the 85 corbels, the chancel arch and the apse with rib vaulting.
The journey home will be through the Wye Valley and over the old Severn Bridge.
Tuesday 31 July
Evesham is a most attractive town, with the River Avon flowing almost through the centre.
The Almonry Museum and Heritage Centre are housed in the medieval home of the Benedictine Almoner. A remarkable collection takes the visitor from the earliest days of the Vale of Evesham, when hippos roamed the swamps, through to the Second World War.
The boat trip is said to be the most scenic in the Midlands. It will take in views of the Evesham Lock, with its unusual keepers cottage, the unique Hampton Ferry – the only rope ferry in the country – and Glovers Island.
Wednesday 8 August
Farnborough Hall has been the home of the Holbech family for more than 300 years. Built in the mid-18th century, it is remarkable for its honey-coloured stone, its interior plasterwork, entrance hall and two principal rooms.
The landscaped grounds, created in the 1740s, feature temples, an obelisk and a terrace walk with views of the lakes.
Wednesday 15 August
This visit will be led by Jill Cooper, a Blue Badge Guide. The churches feature hunky punks – elaborate and grotesque stone figures carved in the 15th and 16th centuries to ornament corners and break up straight sections of masonry.
Somerset hunky punks are the subject of a book by Peter Poyntz Wright who has been one of the Quantock Centre's Saturday afternoon speakers. Published by Heart of Albion, it gives a fascinating and comprehensive account of the hunky punks' history.
The tour will start at the Parish Church, Staple Fitzpaine, continue to Thurlbear and Bishops Lydeard and finish at Broomfield.
Thursday 23 August
Athelhampton is a 15th century manor house with an architectural garden. The house, its estate and gardens have been privately owned for more than 500 years. They are now run by Patrick and Andrea Cooke who have managed much of the restoration and improvement seen today.
The house has a fine collection of furniture from Jacobean to late Victorian. There are also ironwork, stoneware and wallpapers designed by the famous Victorian architect, A W Pugin.
The fine gardens include small buildings, each with its own unique history. There is a toll house and a dovecote.
Thursday 30 August
This castellated manor house, near Leominster, now owned by the National Trust, has been the home of the Croft family since Domesday. The walled gardens, with excellent views over the Welsh Marches, are among the finest in the county. There are many unusual and ancient plants.
Nearby is an Iron Age hill fort with views over 14 counties on a clear day. The parkland includes a handsome avenue of Spanish chestnut trees.
The interior of the castle is in Gothic style from the 18th century, with fine ceilings, paintings and furniture.
Thursday 6 September
Stoneleigh Abbey was built in the 16th century on the site of a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1154. The Abbey contains a wealth of architectural styles spanning 900 years and incorporates the remains of the original abbey.
For 400 years, the Abbey was in the ownership of the Leigh family who were related to Jane Austen who stayed there in 1806. Stoneleigh was the inspiration of both Northanger Abbey and Sotherton Court in Mansfield Park.
Visited by Victoria and Albert – and where a tree he planted still grows – the house has recently undergone a major restoration, with the support of English Heritage, the Lottery Fund and the European Development Fund.
Wednesday 12 September
This is another chance for Quantock Centre members to view these magnificent gardens. Dramatic changes take place month by month so that one could easily believe an entirely different place was being visited each time.
There will be a rare opportunity to take a tour of the house, acquired by the Pollard family in 1994.
The Abbey, completed in the 12th century, was the third most important religious centre in England after Canterbury and Winchester. It stood on the site of a religious order established by Maelduf around 642, of which Aldhelm became the first abbot in 675.
Tuesday 18 September
Charlecote Park, with its mellow brickwork and tall chimneys, is essentially Tudor in appearance. Queen Elizabeth I visited Charlecote and Shakespeare is said to have poached deer in the grounds. There has been a Lucy family home on the site since 1187.
The interior is early Victorian with many important objects. Visitors can also see life below stairs. The formal garden opens on to a fine deer park landscaped by “Capability” Brown.
Charlecote, owned by the National Trust, featured in the film, Libertine, starring Johnny Depp as the Earl of Rochester.
Tuesday 25 September
Compton Verney, an elegant country house designed by Robert Adam in the 1760s, was transformed into an art gallery of international standing after its acquisition by the Peter Moores Foundation in 1993.
It houses six permanent collections of paintings, forming the largest art gallery in Warwickshire. The 120 acres of “Capability” Brown landscaped parkland are of breathtaking beauty.