Sell-out success for jubilee concert raises funds for local hospital charity

The sell-out success of a Jubilee concert in the beautiful setting of Holkham Hall has raised £3,000 for the King's Lynn Hospital League of Friends.

The concert, which was hosted by Viscount and Viscountess Coke, marked the start of Holkham’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations with music performed by a line-up of talented Norfolk musicians, all of whom have received treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The funds raised from the evening will be used by the charity to help purchase equipment and for amenities at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

Performers included the tenor Stephen Miles, pianist Gill Smith, lutenist Peter Trent, the Wensum Chorale and Holborne Recorder Consort, who made a fitting musical launch to three days of Jubilee celebrations at the hall. Music included Britten folk songs, lute solos and madrigals from the reign of Elizabeth I and music from the 1950s onwards in a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II.

Valeria, Viscountess Coke, Lord Coke’s mother, said:  “I am delighted we have been able to raise £3,000 for the charity and I would like thank everyone who worked so hard to make this such a successful and enjoyable evening.” 

Jubilee gun salute, regal music and an alternative ‘Queen’… a Royal tribute year for Burghley House

England’s greatest Elizabethan house will be marking Diamond Jubilee year with a summer of celebrations, including a regally themed Battle Proms music spectacular – and a tribute to Britain’s own musical monarch!

As the country gears up for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, the ancestral home of Queen Elizabeth I’s most trusted adviser - William Cecil, Lord Burghley - is hosting its own patriotic celebrations.

Since being built 400 years ago by William Cecil, Elizabeth I’s chief minister, Burghley House has dominated the sweeping approach to the Georgian stone town of Stamford.

Today, it still packs that ‘wow’ factor – offering a packed family day out with a combined ticket giving access to the House plus two gardens, including the Tudor-inspired Gardens of Surprise.
Regarded by many as England’s greatest Elizabethan house, Burghley will host Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in June as part of their UK tour when up to 10,000 guests are expected to have a picnic with The Queen at an invitation-only summer picnic.
But there will be plenty more going on during the summer, both in the house and in the sweeping grounds, for visitors who want to join in national celebrations.

A Jubilee Jamboree (2nd – 10th June) will offer summer activities for youngsters at an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ themed festival, boasting tea parties, sporting events and have-a-go fun, including painting your own teacups!

For a spectacular afternoon and evening of summer entertainment, the annual Battle Proms at Burghley (7 July 2012) will this year have a Royal theme too – along with its usual mix of mounted cavalry, Spitfire aerial display and soul-stirring orchestral music.

For 2012 a special Diamond Jubilee Gun Salute will be provided by the gunners of the English Field Artillery Company who will fire a volley of shots from an authentic vintage field gun.
With the magnificent Burghley House as the backdrop, the event closes with the traditional sing-along, flag-waving proms finale, including favourites Rule Britannia, God Save the Queen and Land of Hope and Glory, culminating in a dazzling firework spectacular.

Jubilee celebrations will continue in to autumn at Burghley thanks to its annual Flower Festival (6th-14th October) - when the State Rooms are transformed with floral displays created by local flower societies – which this year will also have a Jubilee theme.
And the alternative Queen?

How about an open air concert in front of the Elizabethan house by Mercury - one of the world’s most authentic tributes to rock’s most flamboyant front man Freddie Mercury and Queen.
Mercury faithfully and accurately recreate the distinctive Queen experience
 and will be playing Burghley on Saturday
 9th June 2012.

For full details visit www.burghley.co.uk or telephone 01780 752451.

Norfolk Estate’s Jubilee Celebrations to Launch with Charity Concert in aid of Local Hospital

 A Norfolk country estate will be launching its Jubilee celebrations with music from the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and our present Queen in a charity concert in aid of King's Lynn Hospital League of Friends.

On Friday June 1 at 7pm Holkham Hall will be hosting the concert ‘Long May She Reign’, marking the start of its Diamond Jubilee celebrations with music performed by an impressive line-up of talented musicians.

Funds from the concert will go towards King's Lynn Hospital League of Friends, whose main objective is to raise money for the purchase of equipment and amenities in local hospitals.

Performers include the tenor Stephen Miles, pianist Gill Smith, lutenist Peter Trent, the Wensum Chorale and Holborne Recorder Consort, who will make a fitting musical launch to three days of Jubilee celebrations at the hall. Music will include Britten folk songs, lute solos and madrigals from the reign of Elizabeth I and music from the 1950s onwards in a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II.   

Festivities will continue throughout the weekend with a 1950s inspired fun, fashion and food event. On Sunday 3, Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 the Hall, Bygones Museum and courtyard will be alive with activities and events including period cooking demonstrations, a fashion show and rock and roll music – promising to create a lively party atmosphere.

Inspired by the Queen’s 1,000 boat flotilla on the Thames, younger visitors will have the chance to help build Holkham’s own royal flotilla, which will be floated on the lake on Tuesday June 5.

Concert tickets cost £20 and include a glass of wine in The Saloon during the interval. Tickets for the flotilla workshop cost £15 per child.  Normal admission prices apply for the 1950s inspired celebrations. For more information visit www.holkham.co.uk or call 01328 713111.

Music, fashion and food from the 1950s inspire country estate’s diamond jubilee celebrations Holkham Hall

A Norfolk country estate has announced plans to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with music, fashion and food inspired by the 1950s.  

There will be a musical start to the celebrations on Friday June 1 at 7pm, with a charity concert featuring music from the reigns of Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II, with funds from the evening going to the King’s Lynn Hospital League of Friends.

On Sunday 3, Monday 4 and Tuesday 5, 10am to 5pm, Holkham will be celebrating The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with activities, food and entertainment from the decade The Queen came to throne.

Visitors to the hall between 12pm and 4pm can see a fifties fashion show, with guest appearances from Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. The hall will be dressed for the occasion, with the dining room laid for a special Jubilee dinner and demonstrations of 1950s cooking taking place in the Old Kitchen.  Adding to the party atmosphere in the courtyard and Bygones Museum, rock and roll music will be performed along with Max Miller-style comedy, 1950s inspired refreshments and family games, activities and crafts.

In recognition of The Queen’s 1,000 boat flotilla on the Thames, younger visitors can help Holkham build their own flotilla in the ‘Holkham Ahoy’ children’s workshops from 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 4pm on all three days. They can watch their creations floated on the lake on the last day of the Jubilee celebrations.

For further information and individual admission prices contact 01328 713111 or visit www.holkham.co.uk.

Rule Britannia! Royal Celebrations at Kent’s Royal Palace 2nd & 3rd June

Use your Key to the Castle ticket to join a great British street-party atmosphere and celebrate the Diamond Jubilee 1950s Weekend at Leeds Castle, “the loveliest castle in the world”.  2 & 3 June

Celebrate all things British from the coronation year in 1953, at a former Royal palace. Leeds Castle has been home to six Medieval Queens during its 900 year history and a preferred residence of Henry VIII.

Enjoy the patriotic atmosphere all weekend with cream teas, iconic 1950s cars, steam engine rides and our Great Water flotilla. Bring a picnic and watch the Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant and flotilla, broadcast from London on a big screen. 

A craft marquee will be available for children to make crowns, rosettes and other patriotic items. There will be musical entertainment, kite flying and face painting. Small additional charges apply.

Visit the Leeds Castle shops for an exciting new range of Diamond Jubilee gifts including mugs and teddy bears. Prices start from £2. All items feature the official emblem for the Queen’s Jubilee, as created by 10 year old Katherine Dewar from Chester. Katherine won the national competition for children aged between 6 and 14, run by the BBC television programme Blue Peter.

After the excitement of the weekend, Leeds Castle will carry on the daytime celebrations into the Sunday evening with live music, vintage newsreel of the Coronation an open air film screening of the musical “Grease”! Following the film will be a magnificent 15 minute fireworks display to music to conclude this memorable day.

The film is rated PG. Gates open at 6pm for the evening event. Tickets are available from 2 April and must be pre-booked. They cost £20 for adults and £15 for children (under 16 years). Please call the Leeds Castle box office on 01622 880008 or book online at leeds-castle.com/events.

Your Key to the Castle ticket is valid for the daytime weekend event. Tickets cost £19.75 for adults; £17.50 for seniors and visitors with disabilities (carer goes free); £12.50 for children (under 4’s free). Tickets are valid for 12 months so you can pay once and visit all year round.

Leeds Castle is located near Maidstone in Kent just off Junction 8 of the M20 and only one hour’s drive from London. Grounds open at 10am daily and the castle is open from 10.30am. Last admission is 4.30pm and gates close at 6pm (April to September).

Diamond Jubilee Celebrations at the Treasure Houses of England

Celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in classic Royal style at the magnificent Treasure Houses of England. Hosting an array of eclectic events – and with intrinsic links to the monarchy - the historic houses make the perfect venues to mark this momentous occasion. 

Beaulieu’s fabulous 50’s themed event features a range of entertainment for all the family (2nd-5th June), including a drive-in of 50’s vehicles, live jazz from Riverboat Days and old style fun fair rides and stalls. 

A Jubilee Bank Holiday Celebration Weekend will amaze all visitors to Blenheim Palace (2nd-5th June). With children’s characters Rupert the Bear and Noddy & Big Ears delighting the crowds on 3rd, Bunbury’s Celebrity Cricket Match and afternoon tea on 4th and Massed Brass Bands on 5th – it look set be to a wondrous weekend out.

Follow in the footsteps of the Queen herself who is scheduled to visit Burghley House as a part of her Jubilee Tour. Admire its gorgeous Elizabethan architecture, ‘Capability Brown’ landscaped parklands and internationally revered collections.  A Jubilee Jamboree (2nd – 10th June) will offer summer activities for youngsters at an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ themed festival, boasting tea parties, sporting events and have-a-go fun, including painting your own teacups!

Commemorate Half Term at Chatsworth (2nd - 10th June) with a 1950s extravaganza of events and activities to amuse and enthral the family in true celebratory style. Their four day British summer fete and street party (2nd –5th June) will recreate the original Coronation via a giant street party in the garden complete with fancy dress, bunting and flag decorations, and village fete.   Also hosting Royal walking tours, wool spinning crafts and giant TV screen to transmit the live action and procession as it happens; Chatsworth will deliver an inspired and memorable event for all.

Don’t miss Harewood House’s spectacular street party (2nd 5th June, 10am-4pm). Displaying exciting TV coverage on screens placed throughout the venue, enjoy quintessentially English food, craft activities and several special exhibitions (31st March – 17th June). ‘Royal Harewood: Celebrating the Life of The Yorkshire Princess’, and ‘Marcus Adams: Royal Photographer, photographs from the Royal Collection’ offers a unique insight into the life of HRH Princess Mary in Yorkshire, including some previously unseen items from her Faberge and Fan collection, many given as gifts when Harewood was a Royal Household.  In the Terrace Gallery, intimate photographs of a young Monarch to-be will be on view for the first time in the UK in 2012 to celebrate this special year.

Holkham Hall’s new exhibition highlights the 400-year long royal connection between the monarchy and Holkham’s Coke family establishment (April-October). Delve into the archives, library, personal records and photos to discover original items that illustrate the spellbinding story.  In addition, Holkham and Black Knight Historical celebrate the Jubilee (3rd - 5th June) with a true party atmosphere as the Hall, Bygones Museum and Courtyard become alive teeming with activities and events inspired by the 1950s such as a flotilla workshop and 1950s café menu.

 

For a distinctly British party, head to Leeds Castle for their Diamond Jubilee 1950s Weekend (2nd & 3rd June). Relish cream teas, 1950s cars and engines and picnic in style as the Thames Pageant is broadcast on a big screen.

In the evening, enjoy a vintage newsreel of the Coronation, highlights of the day’s events and 1950s blockbuster Grease ahead of fantastic fireworks accompanied by music.  Leeds Castle will also be staging a Jousting Tournament (5th - 10th June) where Medieval activities – including a craft marquee for children - and various entertainment will wow the masses as they are treated to twice-daily jousting tournaments from knights on horseback in the grounds of the incredible 900-year old castle.

Head to Hatfield House on Monday 4th June as they light a jubilee beacon as part of the celebrations.

Woburn Abbey will have a special trail around the house allowing children to investigate the many links between Woburn, the Dukes of Bedford and the Royal Family.  There will be lots to please all the family, from lawn games to a special Jubilee Afternoon Tea and the opportunity to find yourself in our 19th century Hornbeam Maze (not normally open to the public).

For more information on other events visit www.treasurehouses.co.uk

Royal Harewood: Celebrating the Life of The Yorkshire Princess 31 March to 17 June 2012

HRH Princess Mary with her husband Henry,
6th Earl of Harewood on the Terrace at
Harewood, 1946 © Harewood House Trust

Harewood House in Yorkshire was home to Princess Mary, The Princess Royal, through four decades. Her love of Yorkshire and the affection the people of Yorkshire felt for her in return mean that she will always be remembered as ‘The Yorkshire Princess’. Harewood is proud to celebrate this Jubilee year with a special exhibition remembering her, an exhibition that runs through the House and out into the gardens which she loved so much. We are also commemorating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee with an exhibition of intimate family photographs of The Queen, from childhood to motherhood.

HRH Princess Mary
© Harewood House Trust

Princess Mary married Henry, 6th Earl of Harewood in 1922 and they moved into Harewood House in 1929. They introduced many modern amenities and commissioned architect Sir Herbert Baker to design a suite of rooms for them. They were both keen gardeners and the changes and improvements they made to Harewood’s gardens can still be seen. They were also avid collectors and, with the generous help of the Heritage Lottery Fund, we will be displaying for the first time many of the things that were precious to her: personal items such as exquisite fans, gifts from heads of state, presents from her royal relations by the great designer Fabergé. She loved the countryside and Harewood was her family home, where she brought up her two sons before the war and where she continued to live for nearly twenty years after her husband’s death in 1947. She saw Harewood through times of tremendous change and died here, walking round the lake with her son and two of her grandsons, in 1965. Family photographs, portraits, period footage and precious personal items will allow you to see Harewood as the family home it has always been, especially for the Princess who preferred country life to that of the city, and loved Harewood more than anywhere.

The Queen with Prince Charles and Princess Anne,
6 November 1954, Marcus Adams.
The Royal Collection © 2012,
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Marcus Adams: Royal Photographer
Photographs from the Royal Collection 
Harewood is also pleased to be hosting a special collection of photographs generously lent by The Queen from the Royal Collection. Taken by favourite royal photographer Marcus Adams, they capture with wonderful charm the early life of the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret from Princess Elizabeth’s first sitting when she was just over seven months old in 1926, to life as the new royal family, the pre-war years, their last sitting in 1941 at Windsor Castle, then later a new generation of royals; Prince Charles and Princess Anne were photographed by Adams thirteen times between 1949 – 1956. Some formal, some fun, striking portraits and vibrant photographs with their own distinctive style, the collection provides a unique insight into the life of the child destined to become Queen.  Two vintage prints of Prince Charles and Princess Anne taken in October 1952 when they attended Marcus Adams’s studio together will appear in the exhibition for the first time.  In the Terrace Gallery we will also be screening a short piece of film of a very young Princess Elizabeth, an intimate glimpse into a royal childhood.

The exhibitions open on Saturday 31 March 2012 and run until Sunday 17 June.

Harewood Winter opening 7 Jan – 29 March (Below Stairs open half term only – some parts of the garden may be closed over the Winter Season – please check website) 10am – 4pm, £5 per car

Open for half term week 11 to 19 February 10am-4pm

Members Day 30 March

Harewood Opens for the Full Open season from 31 March 10am – 6pm

Harewood House State Floor opens 12 noon to 3pm Monday to Sunday

Royal Harewood: State Floor, 31 March to 17 June

Gold medals and movie magic . . . a royal Olympic year for Burghley House

England’s greatest Elizabethan house will be offering visitors a unique take on Britain’s Olympic year including perhaps the most scenic place to watch the London 2012 Games – and the picturesque venue for a blockbuster summer feast of movie outdoor screenings.
Throw in fun family events, free-to-enter Fine Food Markets, summer picnics plus Diamond Jubilee celebrations and Lincolnshire’s Burghley House is setting its sights on a bumper 2012.
 
As Britain prepares for Olympic glory and Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, one of the country’s most inspirational past Olympic champions is being celebrated at the ancestral home of Queen Elizabeth I’s most trusted adviser.
 
Since being built 400 years ago by William Cecil, Lord Burghley - Elizabeth I’s chief minister - Burghley House has dominated the sweeping approach to the Georgian stone town of Stamford. Today, it still packs that ‘wow’ factor – offering a packed family day out with a combined ticket giving access to the House plus two gardens, including the Tudor-inspired Gardens of Surprise.
 
Regarded by many as England’s greatest Elizabethan house, Burghley has a unique claim to fame for its 2012 season - as home to an Olympic Gold Medal Winner and one of the key organisers behind the last Olympic Games to be staged in London. 
 
David Cecil, Lord Burghley (1905-1981), who inherited the title of Marquess of Exeter from his father in 1956, was one of the golden athletes of his generation. During a sporting career spanning more than a decade he won every available honour in his chosen discipline culminating in achieving gold for the 400 metres hurdles at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and silver in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics 4x400 metre relay.
 
Lord Burghley’s great talent as a hurdler and his life at Cambridge was the inspiration behind Lord Lindsay, one of the key characters in the film Chariots of Fire, played by Nigel Havers – a movie which features in Burghley’s summer night film outdoor screenings.
 
Burghley House will be dedicating its annual Treasury Exhibition to the Olympic connections and sporting achievements of the Gold medal winning Olympian. ‘An Olympian at Burghley’ will show memorabilia including his running outfit, medals and information about his sporting career.
 
And for those who want to watch the Olympics in a spectacular setting, Burghley will be throwing The Great Olympic Garden Party every day during the London Games. With the Elizabethan house as the backdrop, Burghley’s normally closed private South Gardens will host a Big Screen, showing TV coverage from Saturday 28th July to Saturday 11th August – and included for free with a normal house and gardens ticket.
 
Access to the screen will be available 10am to 10pm, last admission 6pm, with special late night tickets after 6pm at a reduced rate. A special Olympic Pass will also be available covering the whole period, while day tickets will be given as wristbands in the colours of the Olympic Rings. Visitors who collect all five will get free admission for the rest of the period.
 

A summer evening festival of outdoor screenings will feature four special film nights, launching on Saturday 28th July with iconic sports movie Chariots of Fire, followed by three other movie screenings on Wednesday 1st August, Thursday 2nd August and Friday 3rd August.
 
Fittingly for a house so closely linked to the first Elizabethan period, Burghley will also be joining in celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June, while there will once again be children’s events in summer and autumn as well as the annual free-to-enter Burghley Fine Food Markets at Easter, summer and Christmas.
 
For full details visit www.burghley.co.uk or telephone 01780 752451.

Burghley, near Stamford in Lincolnshire, has been the home of the Cecil Family for over 400 years and is England’s greatest Elizabethan House. Burghley is owned and maintained by Burghley House Preservation Trust, which looks after a huge collection of great works of art, including one of the most important private collections of 17th century Italian paintings, the earliest inventoried collection of Japanese ceramics in the West, exceptional 18th century furniture and wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons and his followers. The Trust also maintains a 13,000-acre estate including residential, commercial and agricultural lettings, woodland and Burghley Park, which is open daily at no charge.
 
The House is open from Saturday 17th March to Sunday 28th October 2012 daily (except Fridays) from 11am to 4.30pm (Saturday 28th July to Saturday 11th August, open every day including Fridays, with Big Screen access 10am to 10pm, last admission 6pm). Admission: House and The Gardens of Surprise - adults £12.50; children (3–15 years) £6.30; seniors/students £11.20; family (2 adults & 2 children) £33.