Treasure Houses Win at Hudson's Heritage Awards 2014 - HIGHLY COMMENDED: Hatfield House, Hertfordshire

Hatfield House

HIGHLY COMMENDED:  Hatfield House, Hertfordshire

BEST SHOPPING sponsored by Spear’s, the luxury lifestyle media brand

If you want to ask whether Hatfield House is serious about retailing, I only need to tell you that it now has a complex of 10 shops that are open 11 months of the year.

The retail area is in a restored and revitalised Stable Yard with its own access and free parking, giving a previously underused area of the estate a new purpose and new life.

This is a lively space with the atmosphere of a busy market square.  In addition to shops which sell everything from jewellery and antiques to food and toys and gifts, there are monthly farm markets and antiques markets while buskers and face painters provide entertainment. A successful innovation last year was a loyalty card – The Yard Card. This allows a group of regular shoppers to receive privileged discounts and invitations to events and new openings.

2014 Hudson's Heritage Award Winners

About Hudson's Awards

The Treasure Houses Of England

The Treasure Houses of England are 10 of the most magnificent palaces, houses and castles in England today. Together they attract in excess of 2.8 million visitors annually.

Members are Beaulieu, Blenheim Palace, Burghley, Castle Howard, Chatsworth, Harewood, Hatfield House, Holkham Hall, Leeds Castle and Woburn Abbey.

One of the most compelling features of the Treasure Houses of England is that they all offer the visitor a living history. Most are still homes to the great families who have owned them for generations. Others keep their heritage alive by re-creating scenes and events that have dominated and shaped England from the 9th century to the present day.
Between them they house some of the most important art collections in the world with famous works from artists such as Van Dyck and Gainsborough. The connoisseur of fine furniture, porcelain and china will find priceless examples of Chippendale, Wedgwood and Meissen.
Each house is an architectural masterpiece surrounded by beautiful parklands and gardens.

Treasure Houses Win at Hudson's Heritage Awards 2014 - Blenheim Palace Win the Award for BEST SHOPPING

WINNER:  Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
BEST SHOPPING sponsored by Spear’s, the luxury lifestyle media brand

Blenheim Palace Gift Shop

Blenheim Palace won a Commercial Innovation Award here last year, in recognition of a major investment programme which has reinvigorated many of the visitor areas with new buildings, restoration and redevelopment. What impressed the judges is how this programme is continuing with more innovation and continuing attention to detail. 

The team at Blenheim run 3 shops.  The newest is The Children’s Shop, selling pocket money toys, treats and fancy dress that will appeal to kids.  There is a shop selling high quality arts and crafts from the immediate surrounding area, though for 2014 this will be a World War 1 shop specialising in First World War memorabilia to support the major exhibition in the house.  And of course there is an exemplary gift shop which sells a range of items including many carrying the attraction’s own brand. The judges particularly liked a new range of items inspired by the working lives of the household staff, called Below Stairs. And if you need the Valet’s Shoe Polishing Kit or the Housemaid’s Bannister Brush, you can now order it online and have it posted direct.

2014 Hudson's Heritage Award Winners

About Hudson's Awards

The Treasure Houses Of England

The Treasure Houses of England are 10 of the most magnificent palaces, houses and castles in England today. Together they attract in excess of 2.8 million visitors annually.

Members are Beaulieu, Blenheim Palace, Burghley, Castle Howard, Chatsworth, Harewood, Hatfield House, Holkham Hall, Leeds Castle and Woburn Abbey.

One of the most compelling features of the Treasure Houses of England is that they all offer the visitor a living history. Most are still homes to the great families who have owned them for generations. Others keep their heritage alive by re-creating scenes and events that have dominated and shaped England from the 9th century to the present day.

Between them they house some of the most important art collections in the world with famous works from artists such as Van Dyck and Gainsborough. The connoisseur of fine furniture, porcelain and china will find priceless examples of Chippendale, Wedgwood and Meissen.
Each house is an architectural masterpiece surrounded by beautiful parklands and gardens.

Meet Queen Elizabeth… at England’s greatest Elizabethan house - Burghley.

Queen Elizabeth Portrait

Four centuries after it was built in her honour, Queen Elizabeth I is returning to England’s greatest Elizabethan house… well, sort of!

A new event has just been added to Burghley’s 2014 programme offering visitors a chance to not only be amazed by the stunning Elizabethan architecture of the house and estate – but also enjoy ‘An Audience With Elizabeth I’.

Built by her chief minister William Cecil, Burghley House in Lincolnshire was originally designed as a grand tribute to the Queen, and is still lived in by a direct descendant of Lord Burghley.

Despite there being a Queen Elizabeth Bedroom among the magnificent state rooms open to the public, Elizabeth never actually stayed at Burghley, with her one planned visit called off at the last minute because William Cecil’s daughter had smallpox.

But 400 years later, there will be a chance to see Queen Elizabeth at Burghley!

Evening drinks in the Orangery Restaurant – housed in a building that provided space for the family’s love of horticulture and designed by Capability Brown – will be followed by a glittering presentation by Lesley Smith, Curator of Tutbury Castle, in character as Queen Elizabeth I at the special ticketed event on Friday, 23rd May 2014.

Held in the Great Hall – boasting a remarkable double hammer-beam roof 60ft tall that was used as a banqueting hall in Elizabethan days – the lecture will transport guests back to the time of Drake, Raleigh and Shakespeare on England’s voyage into the Renaissance.

Renowned Elizabethan historian Lesley Smith will talk about the profound effects on English and European politics of the Protestant queen who went on to rule England longer than any other monarch before her.

An Audience with Elizabeth I

 starts with drinks in the Orangery at 6pm and the lecture ends around 8.30pm.

Tickets are £14 and include a glass of wine and places are limited so the advice is to book early.

For full details of opening times, events and to book online tickets, 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 15 March to Sunday 2 November 2014, daily (except Fridays) from 11am to 5pm (last admission 4.30pm). Admission: House and The Gardens of Surprise - adults £13; children (3–15 years) £6.50; seniors/students £11.80; family (2 adults & 2 children) £35.

Richard Hammond’s Vauxhall Nova Sri Is The Latest Exhibit Unveiled At World Of Top Gear

Top Gear Vauxhall Nova SRi

New from the latest BBC Top Gear series, Richard Hammond’s Vauxhall Nova SRi, which featured in the opening episode, is now on display to the public at Beaulieu’s World of Top Gear.

Hammond drove this vehicle for Top Gear’s retro hot hatchback challenge, which saw the presenters manoeuvring through the aisles of a supermarket, reminiscing over their teenage years and testing the cars as getaway vehicles in an especially dramatic police chase involving the heavily armed and heavily moustachioed Top Gear Police Department. Hammond lovingly wrapped the car in ‘authentic’ arctic camouflage wrap, to give the car a more modern, showroom fresh look. However, this new pristine look didn’t last long, thanks to the large amount of time the car spent sliding along on its side – an authentic 1980s stance known as ‘the Nova position’. Keen-eared Beaulieu visitors may spot that you cannot hear this car’s engine running. This is because it is broken.

The Vauxhall Nova joins a whole host of vehicles at Beaulieu created by the Top Gear presenters for some of their most ambitious challenges.

The ‘Enormodrome’ recreates the feel of the Top Gear studio with regular features from the programme, including the Cool Wall and the Celebrity ‘Lap Times’ board, kept up to date in line with the show. Visitors can also watch behind-the-scenes footage of the Top Gear production zone and clips of some of the best Top Gear moments.

World of Top Gear can be seen as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction which also includes the National Motor Museum, Palace House and Beaulieu Abbey. 

Beaulieu is open every day, except Christmas Day, from 10am. For more information telephone 01590 612345 or visit www.beaulieu.co.uk

Who is your Motocycling Icon?

Mike Hailwood

Stanley Woods

Charley Boorman

A wall featuring your top 20 icons of the motorcycling world will take centre stage in a new for 2014 display, The Motorcycle Story, at the National Motor Museum.

A shortlist of 48 motorcycling icons has been drawn up in consultation with experts from the National Motor Museum Trust Advisory Council and a number of motorcycling focus groups. It includes riders from all eras and genres of motorcycling from early Isle of Man TT winners such as Stanley Woods, to modern world champions Mike Hailwood and Valentino Rossi and celebrity riders Steve McQueen and Charley Boorman.

Now you have an opportunity to vote for your top three from the shortlist of riders www.motorcyclingicons.co.uk/contenders/ past and present, and have your say in identifying the most influential motorcyclists of all time.

The poll will be open until midnight on the 22nd April 2014, with everyone taking part entered into a draw to win fantastic prizes including a top prize of a three day premium reserved family ticket to this year’s British MotoGP at Silverstone.

The top 20 icons, as voted by you, will be announced at the Motorcycling Icons Wall unveiling, at the official opening of The Motorcycle Story display on the 14th May.

Who are your top three motorcycling icons?  Have we missed someone from the contender list? Tell us on www.motorcyclingicons.co.uk/have-we-missed-someone-from-the-contender-list/. 

If you are attending the MCN London Motorcycle Show at Excel from the 14th-16th February, visit us on the Mike Hailwood Tribute stand to vote and talk about your choices.

The Motorcycle Story opening on the 14th May immerses the visitor in a journey through motorcycling history with machines displayed in their historical and cultural context, tying technological developments to changing trends in fashion, style and sport. Supporting artefacts include clothing worn and trophies won by sporting greats in displays which cover varied racing disciplines, road safety and British ‘Mods’ and ‘Rockers’ youth culture of the 50s and 60s.

www.beaulieu.co.uk

Shipwright School Build Offers Traditional Skills Opportunities

Timber framed building

2014 will see the building of a new replica timber frame 18th century shipwrights’ workshop at the historic shipbuilding village of Buckler’s Hard, on the banks of the Beaulieu River, using hand hewn timber from the Beaulieu Estate.

The first stage of this exciting venture will be to construct the workshop, using local timber. The whole building process will be run as a community training project to teach and demonstrate traditional building skills.

Courses will be run for the public, apprentices and students in a variety of specialist traditional timber framing skill areas including hand hewing, pit sawing, timber framing and the raising weekend.  The first course will be Hand Hewing, Pit and Trestle sawing of the timber from 24th - 28th March. Other courses follow in July to teach timber framing.

In early August, the public will be able to watch and enjoy the traditional hand raising of the timber framed shipwrights’ workshop as the building is lifted into position using a traditional ‘Gin’ pole and blocks and tackle. The operation will be carried out under the supervision of Henry Russell, one of the UK’s leading timber frame carpenters with 20 years experience. Once assembled on site the frame can be pegged together with cleft oak ‘Trunnels’.

Upon completion of the school, Buckler’s Hard will become a centre for the teaching and study of traditional shipbuilding, with courses scheduled to start in 2015. The Shipwright School which will be run in partnership with the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) in Portsmouth, will help to ensure the continuation of shipwright skills at both a local and national level for the restoration of historic ships and to support the traditional boatbuilding industry. The close proximity of woodland with standing timber at Buckler’s Hard will present an important opportunity to teach arboriculture techniques and theory, and allow students to learn about the felling, conversion and storage of timber for shipbuilding.

Visitors to Buckler’s Hard will be encouraged to visit the workshop. By seeing a practical demonstration of shipbuilding methods, it is hoped that everyone will gain a better understanding of the industry which gave the village a place in British naval history.

For further information about the courses visit: www.bucklershard.co.uk/attractions/shipwright-school/courses

This project is being part-funded by the New Forest National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund. The Sustainable Development Fund is a grant scheme to encourage sustainable ways of enjoying and living in the New Forest National Park.

Woburn Abbey Team Uncovers the Story of Local Soldier and Needs Your Help to Discover More

Sculpture Gallery

Whilst undertaking research for their forthcoming exhibition “Valiant Hearts: Woburn War I – Woburn and its Stories”, archivists at Woburn Abbey have uncovered the story of former Estate employee, Corporal Harry Gibbons.

After he left school, Harry Gibbons worked on The Woburn Estate as an Under ‘Keeper  and lived in Steppingley. On the 10th November 1914, at the age of 19, Harry voluntarily enlisted at the Bedfordshire Training Depot that had been established by the 11th Duke of Bedford in Ampthill. After 7 months of rifle practice, entrenching and route marches, he was posted to fight in France. During his service, Harry was admitted to hospital twice during his service – once, to a hospital in Etretat, for bronchitis and the second time, to a hospital in Boulogne, for a gunshot wound to the back. Both times he recovered and, thanks to the care he received from The Duchess of Bedford and her team of nurses, was able to return to the front.

It was whilst with the 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment and as part of the ‘Hundred Day Offensive” that Harry went into battle at Moerves, France.. On the 27th of September, as the British were making advances towards the Hindenburg support line – the last major defensive position taken up by the German Army during the war sadly Corporal Harry Gibbons lost his life.

Corporal Gibbons is remembered in the Moeurves Communal Cemetery, in the Church in Steppingley, and, since the restoration of the plaques in 2013, on the Memorial in Ampthill Park.

The team at Woburn Abbey are asking the local community for their help to discover more such stories of local people during World War I.

If you can identify any of the soldiers in this photograph, taken outside of Woburn Abbey Sculpture Gallery, please send an email to ValiantHearts@woburn.co.uk or call 01525 290 333. More information about the forthcoming exhibition can be found at www.woburnabbey.co.uk/valianthearts.

Help Beaulieu Break a Record!

Help Beaulieu Break a Record

Best known for its collection of iconic cars, the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is putting out an appeal for cars of a different kind. As part of a Guinness World Record attempt for the Longest Line of Toy Cars, Beaulieu is asking for donations of toy cars, in order to smash the current record of 9,795, set in Guatemala last December.

The attempt will be held in the grounds of the Beaulieu attraction with a continuous line, one kilometre long, of at least 10,000 cars placed end to end, starting and finishing inside the National Motor Museum. After the record attempt, the toys will be sold and the proceeds donated to Naomi House & Jacksplace hospices for children and young adults.

Sainsbury’s is supporting the appeal, with collection boxes in 21 stores in the South coast region from Monday 10th February, to enable their customers to donate toy cars. Local schools are also joining in the appeal and there will be boxes in Naomi House charity shops.

Sainsbury’s spokesman, Phil Bridgwater, said:” This is an ideal event for our customers to get involved in, supporting a charity everyone can relate to. Sainsbury’s customers never fail to rise to a challenge and I have no doubt they will speed their way to the number of cars required.”

To qualify, donated cars can be of any type designed to be played with by hand including cars, lorries, tractors and quad bikes, but not large enough for children to sit on.

Toy cars can also be donated by visitors to the Beaulieu attraction and children who bring two or more toy cars during February half-term and on the day of the record attempt, can enter for half price. The attempt will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, 5th May.

Katie Hamilton for Naomi House said:  We would like to thank Beaulieu, Sainsbury’s and other sponsors of this Guinness World Record attempt. We are sure everyone will want to be part of it and are delighted that Naomi House will benefit.”

Waste management company, Biffa has provided all the collection boxes and Chandler’s Ford based Quayline Digital has printed 22,000 advertising leaflets free of charge.

For more information and listing of collection points visit: www.beaulieu.co.uk/recordattempt