VISITS
Enriching Lives Through The Arts
Enriching Lives Through The Arts
Our wonderful visits, three a year, are carefully chosen to give members and their guests an opportunity to see very special places and learn more about the history of the houses, gardens and museums than are generally available.
TUESDAY 30TH APRIL 2019
SHERBORNE CASTLE AND SHERBORNE ABBEY
Sherborne Castle, Dorset has been a family home since 1617. Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594, this historic house reflects a glorious variety of decorative styles from over 400 years of English History.
Sherborne Abbey, founded by St. Aldhelm in AD 705, has developed from Saxon cathedral to the worshipping heart of a monastic community, and finally, to one of the most beautiful of England’s parish churches.
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TUESDAY 18TH JUNE 2019
CHAVENAGE HOUSE & MISERDEN GARDENS
Chavenage is a wonderful Elizabethan house of mellow grey Cotswold stone and tiles which contains much of interest for the visitor.
Miserden Gardens: With terraces overlooking the Golden Valley, The Garden at Miserden dates back to the 17th-century.
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WEDNESDAY 16TH OCTOBER 2019
DOWNSIDE ABBEY AND BRADLEY HOUSE
Downside Abbey is the home to a Community of Benedictine monks. It is probably the least known major Gothic Revival building in Britain. The Abbey Church is Grade 1 listed, impressive both in scale and its wealth of fittings, monuments and art work. Work started in 1814 by Leonard and was completed in 1929 by Giles Gilbert Scott. The Library hosts 450,000 highly valuable rare books and materials from the archives.
Bradley House is the seat of the Dukes of Somerset. The house itself is a surviving fragment of a much larger early 18th century house. What remains is approximately one eighth the size of the original house but remains a handsome Grade 11 listed property with fine furniture, fireplaces and paintings. The Dukedom is the second oldest after the Dukes of Norfolk. Nearby is the Grade 1 listed All Saints Church with 12th century origins, it is the principal burial place of many of the Duke’s Ancestors.
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Visits Secretary:
Tricia Duncan: T: 01672 810443