Visit the Treasure Houses of England Website for all the latest news and offers.

Visit our new website at www.TreasureHouses.co.uk for all the latest news and offers plus lots of additional information on the historic houses, palaces, castles and gardens of the Treasure Houses of England, UK.

New Treasure Houses Of England Website

Visit the all new Treasure Houses of England website at www.treasurehouses.co.uk for the latest news, events, location information, directions, galleries, competition and sign-up for our e-newsletter and promotions.

BEAULIEU
BLENHEIM PALACE
BURGHLEY HOUSE
CASTLE HOWARD
CHATSWORTH
HAREWOOD HOUSE
HATFIELD HOUSE
HOLKHAM HALL
LEEDS CASTLE
WOBURN ABBEY

Explore and discover England's great palaces, castles and houses...

Success For Woburn Abbey And Gardens At National Tourism Awards

Receiving the award

Woburn Abbey and Gardens won a major award at the National Coach Tourism Awards 2014 on the 15th May.

The awards, held at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, was organised by trade magazine Coach Monthly and recognises excellence and innovation across coach tour operators, tourist destinations and attractions, and industry suppliers. Woburn Abbey and Gardens won the award for “Coach Friendly Visitor Attraction of the Year”.  
    
In giving Woburn Abbey and Gardens the award, the judges said "Woburn Abbey’s comprehensive approach to providing an excellent service to tour planners, the appointment of a dedicated groups co-ordinator, free coach parking, and a clear and easy-to-use groups section on the website stood out in a sector where competition to attract groups is strong." The judges also commented on Woburn Abbey’s offer to arrange out-of-hours experiences, and the free entry and generous £10 refreshment voucher for drivers.

Lisa Weaver, Groups Co-ordinator, and Stephen Manion, Operations Manager, collected the award in front of more than 400 tourism industry professionals. The awards presentation was hosted by the editor of Coach Monthly magazine, Stuart Render, and ex EastEnders actress and television presenter Brooke Kinsella MBE.

“The National Coach Tourism Awards is the only national awards scheme to focus specifically on the coach tourism community,” says Stuart Render. “This is therefore a well-deserved and a significant achievement. Our winners are at the forefront in delivering excellence across all sectors of the industry, helping to raise the quality of customer service and quality across coach operators, destinations, visitor attractions and tourism industry suppliers.”

Commenting on the award, Stephen Manion said: "It has been an incredible month for the Woburn Estate with this award coming soon after success for The Woburn Hotel at the MK Food and Leisure Awards. It is a credit to everyone who works here and the hard work that everyone puts in to provide the highest quality experience for our visitors."

For further information on group bookings visit www.woburnabbey.co.uk or call Woburn Abbey and Gardens on 01525 290333.

The Treasure Houses of England’s Glorious Gardens

As well as boasting a series of fine stately homes, castles and palaces, the Treasure Houses of England are also world-renowned for their magnificent gardens. 

Celebrate the seasons in sublime style by visiting the glorious grounds and gardens at some of the most spectacular sites in the country.

Beaulieu literally means 'beautiful place' and the gardens certainly manifest the name. In spring, the banks of the dry moat surrounding the Montagu family home, Palace House, and the lawns of the adjacent Wilderness Garden are carpeted in colour with a dazzling display of snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils.

Beaulieu

With over fifteen species of daffodils in bloom during the flowering season, it presents a stunning seasonal show for all the senses. See the Surrey Sculpture Society’s exhibition of traditional and contemporary artwork on display throughout the grounds (23 May – 20 Aug).

Blenheim Palace

Celebrating the best gardening in the UK in stand-out style, the Blenheim Palace Flower Show (20-22 June) will feature in excess of 150 floral and gardens exhibitors alongside a grand floral marquee with industry judges, ten garden landscapes, and lots more including food, refreshments and family activities.  Featuring everything floral - from award-winning nurseries to gardening celebrities and experts who will be on hand to help you to transform your garden into a tranquil haven - the show is crammed with incredible colour and inspiration.

The Private South Gardens at Burghley boast nineteenth century yew hedges and stunning landscape views of the nearby Lion Bridge and South Front of Burghley. Meanwhile, the South Gardens magnificent displays of narcissi and spring bulbs will be available to visit in aid of the National Gardens Scheme (12 -13 April, 11am to 4pm - last admission 3.30pm) for a truly dazzling day out.

Burghley

Spruce up autumn by watching local flower societies transform Burghley’s staterooms into fabulous floral displays during Burghley Flower Festival (4-12 October). Take a tour through the grand interiors of this great Elizabethan house where the painted ceilings and seventeenth century art will be inspirationally echoed by breathtaking blooms.

Castle Howard

A stunning array of arrangements will adorn the house with beautiful bursts of colour and fragrance at Castle Howard Flower Festival (15-16 May). Early summer blooms in the Walled Garden and rhododendrons in Ray Wood provide plenty of scope to explore and admire the gorgeous grounds. Find inspiration and practical tips aplenty at the plant fair that will include demonstrations and advice from the resident experts.  And don’t forget to prettify your own garden courtesy of special not-to-be-missed promotions in the Garden Centre.

Chatsworth

Having evolved over more than 450 years, the 105-acre Chatsworth garden continues to change today. Roam the exquisite grounds to view permanent sculptures and famous water fountains - including the 300-year-old cascade, trough waterfall and the enormous gravity-fed Emperor fountain. As well as the huge maze, rockery, and rose, cottage and kitchen gardens, there are also over five miles of meandering walks dotted with rare trees, shrubs, streams and ponds.

Harewood

With over 100 acres of award-winning gardens and walks set within rolling parkland surrounding the House and lakeside, Harewood presents an awe-inspired location.  The West Garden’s floral displays morph from majestic daffodils and snowdrops in springs to a summertime show of rhododendrons and other exotic blooms. Follow the clues around the park’s spring trail and collect different letters to solve a puzzle.

Breathe in the sweet scent of bluebells and daffodils at Hatfield House’s gorgeous woodland garden. During NGS Gardens Open Day For Charity (29 March), visitors can enjoy the spring bulbs in the Lime Walk along with the enchanting Woodland and Sundial Gardens. (Admission charges apply.)

Hatfield

Join the Landscape team for Holkham Hall’s Spring Tours of the Private Gardens (18 May, 11am, 1pm and 3pm), which are normally closed to the public.  See the spectacular arboretum with its many unusual and rare specimen trees, along with the magnolia trees, tulip tree and resplendent rainbow of blooming bluebells.

Leeds Castle

For show-stopping spring colour, take a walk in the Wood Garden at Leeds Castle. In spring, a display of daffodils, narcissi and anemones presents a wonderfully vibrant palette, later replaced in the summer season by a spellbinding scene replete with rhododendrons and azaleas.

Woburn Abbey Gardens will be staging a variety of activities for National Gardening Week (14 - 20 April). This year’s theme of ‘Start Something Beautiful’ will encourage visitors to follow a series of discovery boards installed by the team of gardeners, affording a behind-the-scenes look at forthcoming developments. Other boards will showcase a number of Humphry Repton’s 200-year-old watercolour designs for the gardens, detailing plans for a green oak walkway to be constructed alongside the award-winning rockery pavilion.

Woburn Abbey

A garden tour, included with entry, will take place at 12noon on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Easter week. The tour will be lead by one of the RHS-qualified gardeners, who will also be available to dispense advice on how to start something beautiful in your own outdoor space this spring.

In addition, Woburn Abbey Garden Show (21 – 22 June) returns for its fifth year and welcomes everyone from green-fingered gardening experts to novices to offer a mass of magnificent tips, ideas and inspiration to make your own garden a stunning success.

www.treasurehouses.co.uk

Learn Something New in 2014 At Woburn Abbey Gardens

If improving your gardening skills was one of your New Year Resolutions for 2014, Woburn Abbey Gardens have a number of courses, study days and events on offer. From drop-in activities at the monthly Come and Grow events, to study days lead by experts, and the 5 week Introduction to Horticulture course in the autumn – there is something for everyone.

During the first weekend in January, visitors observed Woburn’s gardeners mulching the annual bedding and demonstrating the taking of hardwood cuttings in their Camellia House. New and experienced gardening enthusiasts alike were able to pick up new skills and put their questions to the Woburn Abbey Gardens team. During the next year, there will be eleven more of these events – each with its own theme and seasonal tasks – taking place on the first weekend of every month. These sessions are included with standard gardens entry and you can join a free guided tour of the gardens at 12 noon on both days of each event.

Woburn Abbey Gardens are also offering a total of nine study days between May and October; each lead by their RHS qualified gardeners or other experts from their field. The season starts with two days in May – Kitchen Gardening (Wednesday 7th) and Propagation (Wednesday 14th), and the Bees Study Day in July (Sunday 27th) will teach you how to give these insects a helping hand at home. From September, there is a series of Study Days that can be booked separately, or together to make up a ‘Introduction to Horticulture’ course. Between the 17th September and the 15th October, the weekly Study Days will cover subjects including: Planning Your Garden; Planting Your Garden; Pruning and Propagation; Composting; and Trees and Shrubs.

Woburn Abbey Gardens won the Georgian Group Architectural Award in 2013 for their restoration work on the gardens designed by Humphry Repton. His life and work, particularly his designs for Woburn, will be examined on the 16th October.
For more information, visit www.woburnabbey.co.uk, call 01525 290333 or email StudyDays@woburn.co.uk
 
2014 Event Highlights

• 21st-22nd June 2014 – Woburn Abbey Garden Show

• 26th and 27th September – Bat Walks

• 29th November – Luminaries Woburnensis

Come and Grow
1st and 2nd February - Pruning Evergreen Shrubs including Dogwood
1st and 2nd March - Pruning Roses and Wisteria
5th and 6th April - Snow Drop Planting and Seed Sowing
3rd and 4th May - Hazel Plant Supports and Pruning Forsythia/Philedelphus
7th and 8th June - The Cheslea Chop and Planting Seasonal Bedding
5th and 6th July - Pruning Buxus and Prunus
2nd and 3rd August - Pruning Wisteria and Propagating Herbs
6th and 7th September - Lawn Care, Pruning Lavender and Composting
4th and 5th October - Bulb and Tree Planting
1st and 2nd November - Preparing Herbaceous Borders and Turf Lifting
6th and 7th December - Pruning Fruit Trees and Double Digging

Study Days
Kitchen Gardening
Wednesday 7th May
Grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs at home after taking part in this day long introduction to Kitchen Gardening.

Propagation
Wednesday 14th May
Examine the conditions needed for propagating plants and practise seed and vegetative plant propagation techniques.

Bees
Sunday 27th July
Uncover some incredible facts about these important insects and find out how to give bees a helping hand at home.

Planning Your Garden
Wednesday 17th September
Learn how to identify different types of plant and the situations that suit them. Draw up your own scale plan for a border.

Planting Your Garden
Wednesday 24th September
Discover the horticultural skills needed to prepare a site. Try planting to a site plan with correct spacing and positioning.

Pruning and Propagation
Wednesday 1st October
Explore basic pruning, pruning for shape and technical pruning skills and investigate various propagation techniques.

Composting
Wednesday 8th October
Our gardeners will guide you through the process of making a leaf mould and discuss techniques you can use at home.

Trees and Shrubs
Wednesday 15th October
Find out about the different requirements of a variety of trees and shrubs.  Discover which would best suit your garden.

Humphry Repton
Thursday 16th October
Take an in-depth look at the career of Humphry Repton and what made him such a remarkable landscape gardener. Explore his most realised designs in Woburn Abbey Gardens.

The Year Ahead At Woburn Abbey and Gardens

Woburn Abbey Garden Show

Woburn Abbey Outdoor Theatre

Woburn Abbey Tri For Life

Woburn Abbey and Gardens is looking ahead to a busy year following the announcement of their 2014 programme of events and exhibitions. From a World War I exhibition to a triathlon in the Deer Park, a Garden Show to a trail of Chinese Wallpapers in the Abbey, there’s something for everyone on offer.

Woburn Abbey is opening two new exhibitions on the 11th April. The first, 'Valiant Hearts: World War I - Woburn and its Stories' commemorates the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. The exhibition will tell the stories of the 11th Duke and Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey itself, and people from the local area during the war. Visitors will be able to see original records and letters, and find out what it was like to train at the local garrison or be treated in the Woburn Military Hospital.

The second exhibition, 'Peeling Back The Years: Chinese Wallpaper at Woburn Abbey' will examine the decorative history of the building and give you a chance to discover the story of the 4th Duke's bedroom through its layers of wallpaper. As visitors explore the Abbey they see documents showing how these wallpapers were made, sold and hung.

Having won the Georgian Group Award for Restoration of a Georgian Garden or Landscape this year, the gardeners are continuing their plans to restore more historic features in the Gardens. The Woburn Abbey Garden Show is back for its 5th year, with a wide variety of stalls, demonstrations and talks from horticultural experts on offer. There’s also a chance to take part in a free Gardens tour every month as part of their series of ‘Come and Grow’ events.

For the more adventurous, the Cycletta or Tri For Life events offer a reason to get in shape whilst raising money for charities like Macmillan, Great Ormond Street and Rays of Sunshine. The Woburn Country Fair takes place in June with a weekend of fun filled country pursuits taking place in the appropriate surroundings of the Woburn Abbey Deer Park.

Woburn Abbey is also putting on two open air productions from the Pantaloons Theatre Company in July, with performances of ‘History of Britain' and the Shakespearian classic, 'The Tempest'.

The events calendar also includes historical re-enactments, car rallies, and gardening study days. Visit www.woburnabbey.co.uk or call 01525 290333 for more information.

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Woburn Abbey & Gardens is a member of the Treasure Houses of England, ten of the most magnificent palaces, stately homes and castles in England. http://www.treasurehouses.co.uk

Location

Woburn Abbey, Woburn, Bedfordshire MK 17 9WA

Just south east of Milton Keynes, Woburn Abbey is signposted from junctions 12 and 13 of the M1. It is also easily accessible from the A5.

Repton Descendents See Their Ancestor’s Designs Realised at Woburn Abbey Gardens

Woburn Abbey Gardens are home to the greatest number of realised designs by landscape gardener, Humphry Repton, in the UK. Their annual study day on his life and work takes place in November, and their Gardens team were honoured this year to find three descendents of Humphry Repton himself in attendance.

Joanna, Carol and Angela, cousins who journeyed to Woburn from Scotland, London and France respectively, are great great great great great granddaughters of Humphry Repton. Inspired to further research their family history, the three women attended the study day as a starting point on their journey to learn more.

Humphry Repton was commissioned by the 6th Duke of Bedford in 1802 to create a new vision for the grounds and gardens at Woburn Abbey. He saw himself uniting the disciplines of science, art and horticulture in this new profession of landscape gardening, and collated a series of drawings, paintings and plans in his ‘Red Book’ of designs. Only some of these projects were completed during his lifetime, but the recent and ongoing renovation project at Woburn Abbey Gardens is realising many features to be enjoyed by visitors in the 21st Century.

“It was a great privilege to be here” Said Joanna, from Dumfries, who organised their places after spotting the study day flyer on a previous visit to Woburn Abbey Gardens in the summer. “I’m a jewellery designer, and feel I work in a similar way with my vision and attention to detail. I feel an affinity with him.”

For Angela, who made the journey across the channel from Paris, the day allowed her to make new discoveries about her ancestor, “I didn’t realise he was such a talented artist”.

Carol, based in Muswell Hill, felt that the talks during the day brought Humphry Repton to life. “I’m interested in the fact he considered himself an artist but still worked amongst the labourers. It’s great that his designs are being opened up and preserved for future generations at Woburn Abbey Gardens.”

To see Repton’s designs for yourself and explore the exhibition on his life and work, Woburn Abbey Gardens are open from 10am to 4pm on Friday, Saturday and Sundays throughout the winter and then daily from the 11th April 2014.

Or see the gardens in a whole new light at the festive Luminaries Woburnensis on Saturday 7th December from 6pm – 10pm. The next Humphry Repton Study Day will be held on the 16th October 2014.