The Booking Secretaries for this programme can be contacted on 01749 890611
Visit to Wiseman Dairies, Bridgwater
Visit to Winchester College and Optional Visits to Royal Green Jackets and Gurkha Museum
Talk: “Experiences as a Bevin Boy (wartime coalmining conscript)”
Lunch at the Monkton Inn, West Monkton
Illustrated Talk: “The Work of the Art Fund”
Quiz Night at the Anchor Inn, Hillfarrance, Taunton
Visit to Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
Visit to Snowshill Manor, near Broadway, Gloucestershire
Visits to Orchard Wyndham, Williton
Visit to St Andrew's Church, Stogursey
Visit to Hergest Croft Gardens, Kington, Herefordshire
Visit to Fairfield House, Home of Lady Gass, Stogursey
Visit to Berkeley Castle and Edward Jenner Museum, Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Thursday 14 January
Wiseman Dairies procure, process and supply more than one in four litres of all the liquid milk consumed in Britain every day.
Their new £80m dairy in Bridgwater's Regional Rural Business Centre was opened in 2008, together with a new livestock market replacing those at Taunton and Highbridge.
The dairy is capable of producing eight million litres of milk a week. Its main distribution areas are Wales, the Midlands and south-west of England, and its location in one of the largest milk producing areas in the UK enables it to keep transportation costs to a minimum.
There will be a guided tour, lasting about one-and-a-half hours and covering all aspects of the processing of milk and milk products.
Wednesday 20 January
Winchester College was founded by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, during the 14th century. Originally, there were 70 scholars and 18 choristers. Today, as well as the scholars, there are over 600 “commoners” and more than 80 teachers. Many of the buildings of the original 14th century college are still in use for their original purposes.
William of Wykeham founded not only Winchester College but also New College, Oxford. These were on a scale hitherto undreamed of in English education and became the model for Eton and King's College, Cambridge, later in the 15th century.
Two conducted tours of the College have been arranged and these are included in the price of the ticket.
Earlier in the day, on arrival at Winchester, there will be a chance to visit the two regimental museums at Peninsular Barracks. Highlights include accounts of the regiments' Victoria Cross awards (26 in the case of the Gurkhas alone) and, in the Green Jackets Museum, a 22-square metre model of the battlefield at Waterloo with 22,000 model soldiers and horses, accompanied by a commentary of what happened on the day of the battle.
Saturday 23 January
West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, 2.30pm
Stephen Sylvester is a retired actor. He was much involved in children's television during the last two years of World War II. During a 40-year partnership with Oliver Postgate, he contributed voice-overs and stories for series such as “Pogle's Wood” and “Ivor the Engine”.
Earlier, he was conscripted to work down the coalmines. His experiences form the subject of his talk. The conscripts became known as “the Bevin Boys” after the wartime Minister of Labour, Ernest Bevin. Training as an actor, he says, “did not really equip me for digging coal”, and he found the experience extremely unpleasant.
In 2007, more than 60 years after leaving the mines, Stephen Sylvester and other former Bevin Boys were recognised by the Government for their wartime work by being presented with medals for their service.
He returned to acting after the war. He is a past member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators and since 1984 his Christmas plays have been performed by several Devon primary schools.
Tuesday 9 February
The Monkton Inn at West Monkton (not Monkton Heathfield) has a well-deserved reputation for splendid food and a welcoming atmosphere.
Saturday 20 February
West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, 2.30pm
The Art Fund is the UK's leading independent art charity. It offers grants to help museums and galleries enrich their collections. It has been in existence since 1903 and has given a total of £2million to the National Trust for 579 works of art.
Anthony Pugh-Thomas lectures on behalf of the Somerset Committee of the Fund. He will talk about the origins of the Fund and how it decides when to offer a grant. He will bring with him pictures of various acquisitions made in the last 100 years, including a number for Somerset, and tell some of the stories surrounding Art Fund campaigns, such as those for the Rokeby Venus and the Holbein portrait of Christina, Duchess of Milan.
Monday 22 February
Hampton Court was partly built by Henry VIII after he had acquired it from Thomas Wolsey in the 1530s. It was later extended and remodelled by William III and Mary II at the end of the 17th century.
Henry's phase of the development included tennis courts, bowling alleys and gardens for recreation, a hunting park of more than 1,100 acres, kitchens covering 36,000 square feet, a chapel, a vast communal dining room (the Great Hall) and a garderobe (or lavatory) which could accommodate 28 people at a time. This was known as the Great House of Easement .
William and Mary commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild Hampton Court. Wren original planned to demolish the entire palace, except for the Great Hall, but time and money did not allow, and Wren had to be content with rebuilding the main Royal apartments.
The east and south facades were transformed, with the Tudor towers and chimneys being replaced by the elegant Baroque exteriors which dominate the Formal Gardens today.
Inside, Grinling Gibbons carved elegant fireplaces and architectural mouldings and Antonio Verrio painted colourful ceilings.
As well as the palace, there are extensive grounds and gardens. As the weather will be uncertain, we probably won't want to spend much time outside, but the Privy Garden, the Knot Garden and the Pool Gardens will be well worth seeing.
Thursday 4 March
This is a new venture for the Quantock Centre – a Quiz Night. Come along and enjoy a fun evening, with nothing too serious in the questions. And bring along friends to make up teams of four.
The Anchor Inn, which prides itself on high-quality home-cooked food, is providing a buffet for half-time.
Tuesday 9 March
Given to the 1st Duke of Marlborough by Queen Anne as a thank-you present for winning the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, the estate occupies 2,100 acres of parkland, landscaped by Capability Brown, with sweeping lawns and stunning formal gardens.
There will be a private tour of the palace with its superb staterooms and extraordinary decorations, portraits, furniture, porcelain and magnificent tapestries. A unique example of English Baroque architecture, Blenheim was created a World Heritage site in 1987.
As money ran out, construction of the palace ground to a halt in 1712. Eventually it was completed at the Duke's own expense.
Over the years, successive Dukes made considerable impact on Blenheim. For example, the 4th Duke brought in Capability Brown and William Chambers to transform the Palace Park and Gardens. The 5th Duke, a horticulturalist of international standing, developed extensive gardens. The 8th Duke introduced gas, electricity and central heating. The 9th Duke had half million trees planted in the park and was responsible for the complete redecoration of the State Rooms.
Blenheim is most famous as the birthplace of Winston Churchill, with a suite of rooms dedicated to “The Greatest Briton”.
The grounds have water terraces, a lake, a secret garden and a walled garden with a butterfly house and maze.
Friday 19 March
Snowshill Manor, which is owned by the National Trust, is set on a hillside above the Vale of Evesham and is surrounded by an intriguing and intimate garden.
This traditional Cotswold house contains a spectacular collection of craft objects including Samurai armour, clocks, toys and musical instruments. It is one of the most remarkable collections held by the National Trust.
The manor of Snowshill was owned by Winchcombe Abbey from 821 until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. It then passed to the Crown, and was given to Katherine Parr, last wife of King Henry VIII.
The main part of the house dates from around 1500. It was altered and extended in the 17th century, and the south front displays classical details of circa 1720.
By 1919, the manor was a semi-derelict farm. However, its very neglect appealed to Charles Paget Wade who bought and restored it to accommodate his unique collection of 22,000 objects.
Wade had inherited sugar estates in the West Indies from his father, enabling him to amass his vast collection of craftsmanship, mainly acquired from antique shops and dealers in the UK. He believed every object was invested with the spirit of the craftsman and the age in which it was created.
Wade designed the garden in collaboration with the Arts and Crafts architect, M H Baillie-Scott. It features individual garden rooms, each with its own style. Most of the gates and garden furniture are painted in @x˜Wade Blue', a colour he himself developed.
In March, the snowdrops and primroses should be in their prime.
Saturday 20 March
The 38th Annual General Meeting of the National Trust Quantock Centre will be held at the West Monkton Village Hall at 2.30 p.m. If you are thinking of attending you might like to see the agenda.
PROGRESS AT FYNE COURT
Following the AGM, Andrew Mayled, the National Trust's Property Manager, Somerset Countryside, will give a talk describing progress by the Trust on improvements to the Fyne Court Estate, which Quantock Centre members visited in May.
Wednesday 24 March
Castle Drogo is a remarkable building of Dartmoor granite which was the dream home of Julius Drewe, the India tea tycoon, and is now owned by the National Trust. It was designed by the great architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens, and built between 1910 and 1930.
It stands dramatically on a high spur above the Teign Gorge and, while appearing on the outside to be a medieval fortress, the incongruous interior is of a comfortable 1930s home where radios and gramophones, toys, dolls houses, photographs and books sit alongside 17th tapestries and inlaid tables.
The servants rooms add to the fascination of the castle.
A 45-minute tour entitled, “England's Last Castle”, will be available. Alternatively, we can simply explore, in our own time, the family rooms and service areas and the pretty, secluded garden, the highest owned by the National Trust.
Thursday 25 March and Friday 16 April
Quantock Centre members made two visits to Orchard Wyndham in August 2009. Now, because of their popularity and the limited number of people the house can cope with, two more visits have been arranged.
As before, Centre members can be sure of a gracious reception, and the garden will be especially attractive at this time of year, with a profusion of daffodils, primroses and other Spring flowers.
Orchard Wyndham has been the home of the Wyndham family and their forebears, the Orchards and the Sydenhams, for more than 700 years. The house is not a “stately home” but an old and frail country house.
The family have lived in it, added to it and tried to keep it alive for generations, and this adds to its charm. It has many unusual features: for example, it does not appear to have a front door!
There will be guided tours, conducted by trustees of the estate and family friends.
Wednesday 7 April
The earliest surviving features of this outstanding church include a set of remarkable carved Romanesque capitals on the tower arches dating from c1100.
The church was extended, still in Romanesque style, in c1180 to create an aisled choir for the monks of Stogursey priory who shared the church with the parishioners. Other parts of the building date from the later medieval period and from restoration in 1864-5 by the architect of Tyntesfield.
After visiting the church, we shall walk a few hundred yards to the remains of Stogursey Castle which functioned between the 12th and 16th centuries; then became a farmstead and was acquired by the Landmark Trust in the 1980s.
Monday 12 April
Hergest Croft Gardens lie in the heart of the Welsh Marches, with stunning views towards the Black Mountains. There are gorgeous flower borders, an old-fashioned kitchen garden, azalea grove and park wood.
Hergest Estate extends to more than 1,000 acres and includes the manor house, Hergest Court, dasting from 1267. It was built by Hywel ap Meurig and subsequently occupied by the Clanvowe and Vaughan families. The house is reputedly haunted by a great black hound, “The Black Dog of Hergest”.
Hergest Croft was built in 1895 to a design by Richard Drew who did much work for the family and locally. The house was used for a school in World War II and later housed the Herefordshire Archives before being released back to the family in 1972.
Four distinct gardens occupy 70 acres of the estate. The Hergest Croft Garden includes a conservatory displaying many tender plants. The Azalea Garden has a huge avenue of blue cedars. The Kitchen Garden includes traditional vegetables and fruit and a Spring border under an avenue of ancient apple trees. The Park and Park Wood have specimen trees and, in a secluded valley, exotic trees evoking a Himalayan scene.
Thursday 22 April
Fairfield House lies about one mile west of Storgursey on the Lilstock road. The house is a mixture of Elizabethan and medieval styles and has been lived in by the same family (the Acland-Hoods and their ancestors) for more than 800 years.
The present occupants are Sir Michael and Lady Elizabeth Gass. Lady Gass is the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset.
There are woodland gardens, views of the Quantock Hills and sea, and, in April, a carpet of fritillaries. The house is open to the public and for charity during the Spring.
Centre members will divide into two groups for tours of the house and visits to the garden.
Wednesday 28 April
Centre members will have a conducted tour of Berkeley Castle, which was built in the 12th century. It is the oldest building in the country inhabited by descendants of the family who built it. Consequently, it has not been “modernised” or similarly ruined.
The contents of the castle reflect the fact that the family have been at the centre of British social and historical life for 900 years or so. They include the cabin chest of Francis Drake, who was a frequent visitor to Berkeley, the bedspread of Queen Elizabeth I, tapestries, silverware and ceramics.
Edward II was imprisoned and murdered at the castle. Barons met in the Great Hall before setting off to sign the Magna Carta. The last court jester in England died there when he fell from the minstrel's gallery.
The estate covers 6,000 acres and includes a surprisingly large castle church. The gardens are a beautiful complement to a delightful and unique building, the terraces climbing nearly 30 feet from lawn to Gun Terrace and softening the mellow stone face of the Castle with the colour and texture of flowers. The present planting of the terraces was carried out with the help of Gertrude Jekyll at the turn of the last century.
In the old walled kitchen garden are a Butterfly House, with hundreds of butterflies flying freely in a tranquil indoor garden, and a plant centre stocked with unusual varieties from the castle grounds.
The day will also include a visit to the Edward Jenner Museum, dedicated to the man who invented the vaccine against smallpox.