It's Time for Coffee!

As the 2014 season nears an end, we are busy with preparations for our annual coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care next Friday, the 26th September.  The staff and volunteers - and even some of the offices in the stable block- are all busy baking cakes and the Events Office is slowly disappearing underneath a pile of all the raffle prizes which are being donated.  There are some really fantastic prizes, so make sure you buy a ticket...or ten!

Coffee and cake will be served in the stunning Entrance Hall to the house between 10.30am and 12 noon. It's all for a very worthy cause, so make sure you pop along if you can. 

Cake and coffee aside, Friday also sees the last of our Public Hall Tours for this Season.  The tours get busy, so to avoid missing out, contact the office on 01246 432310 to book your place.

The last day of opening is Sunday 28th, where we will see off the season with the Lord Conyers Morris Men dancing in and around the gardens.  They proved really popular back in May, bravely dancing on through the rain.  Lets hope they get nicer weather this time around!

We hope to see as many of you as possible!

A Summer full of fun!

Can you believe that this season is almost over already?  August is nearing an end and there are only six weeks left until we close the gates for the 2014 season.

Looking back, August has been a fantastic month.  We were incredibly lucky with the weather for  Food and Craft Fair.  The sun shone for the whole event, giving visitors - and staff- chance to peruse the stalls at leisure.  There really was something for everyone with delicious snacks with everything from samosas to cupcakes; fudge to gourmet marshmallows.  Non-food lovers were also spoilt for choice with the selection of homemade gifts from shabby chic decorations to paper crafts and woodturned products.  Alexandra and Lady Sitwell's stall selling knick knacks from the Hall proved especially popular!  It was a truly enjoyable day for all involved.

Unfortunately, the Plant Fair on the Sunday didn't fair quite as well weather-wise but that didn't put off our visitors who still flocked to the fair and the gardens, despite the typically British weather.  These plant buyers are a hardy bunch!

It isn't all over yet, though.  We still have one weekend of public weekend tours to go.

Coming up we have the last of our WW1 talks, with our archivist Christine Beevers focusing on the impact of WWI on the Sitwell family.  These talks offer an exclusive insight into the Sitwell family and into Renishaw and are an absolute must for anyone with an interest in history. 

There is also the annual Macmillan Coffee morning on Friday 26th September.  Free to enter, tea, coffee and cakes are served inside the Entrance Hall to Renishaw, making it a fun morning for all. 

Even when the gates do close on Sunday 28th September, it isn't for long as we are happy to bring back Christmas tours.  The Hall will be open to the public on Wednesdays 10th and 17th December.  Spaces are extremely limited, so booking is essential to avoid disappointment. The chance to see the Hall decorated for Christmas is not to be missed!

Tour de France comes to Renishaw

Last weekend, Tour de France fever hit Yorkshire as the race passed commenced in the county for the first time.  Never ones to miss out, we played our part in the proceedings as a Belgian TV show, Vive le Vélo used Renishaw Hall as the backdrop for their filming.  The crew made quite the focal point for our visitors - and staff -  as they set up their complicated looking equipment on the Middle Lawn behind the house.

The crew set up on the Middle Lawn.

 



It all made for an exciting afternoon, although we do think that Renishaw probably stole the show!

That isn't all that has been happening here, as we gear up for the second of our Fair Weekends. The Food and Craft fair on the 9th August is coming together nicely with a lovely selection of stalls offering everything from cakes, gourmet marshmallows and raw chocolate to wood turned products, paper crafts and shabby chic gifts, to name a few!  The Specialist Plant Fair on Sunday 10th is also set to be as popular as ever.  We will also host a Strawberry Tea event to raise money for Breast Cancer Care on Thursday 31st July between 2pm and 4pm which should be a fun afternoon, with much planned to entertain visitors of all ages. 

Don't forget to 'follow' us on Twitter or 'like' us on Facebook to keep up to date with all of our events. 

Behind the Scenes with David Kesteven

'How many gardeners are there?' is one of the most frequently asked questions from visitors.  Our reply of 'four' is met with open-mouthed astonishment.  Here, we talk to Head Gardener, David Kesteven, to find out exactly what goes into managing gardens as expansive as the ones here at Renishaw and to discover some of the behind-the-scenes secrets.

What does your role as Head Gardener at Renishaw involve?

Coordinating people and plants; making sure everyone knows what they're doing and has what they need and that all plants are in the right place and have what they need.  I work on implementing Alexandra's plans for the garden making sure everything looks as fantastic as possible for the visitors.

What is the thing you are most proud of in the garden?

The standards of maintenance; Lady Sitwell always says, "We must have our standards".  Also, straightening up the pyramids, Dave and Paul's [Renishaw gardeners] hedges and the planting in the borders.

David, hard at work in the gardens.

What are your plans for the future of Renishaw gardens?

To keep improving the planting; breeding our own Magnolias and taming the woods all the way down to the lakes .

Do you have a favourite season?

My favourite month is May and my favourite seasons are Spring and Summer.

What are the highlights of each Season?

Winter:  snowdrops and hedges.
Spring: Daffodils, Magnolias, Bluebells
Summer:  Roses, delphiniums, borders
Autumn: Bottom terrace, dahlia.

David and the Delphiniums, which are out right now.

Finally, have you any anecdotes you would like to share?

One TV company asked me the worst thing about visitors.  I said that they had been breaking the heads off the opium poppies and afterwards they bleed and look terrible - the poppies, that is - I added, but they edited that bit out.

Enjoy David's hard work; the gardens are open 10.30am until 4.30pm, Wednesday to Sunday until the end of September.

It has been an incredibly busy start to the 2014 Season.  It's difficult to believe that we're already almost two months in - where has the time gone? A welcome addition this year, is our new visitor centre which has been a hit with visitors and staff alike.  As well as your tickets, you can also purchase Renishaw Hall wine, Sheffield Honey Company honey and we have just begun to stock greetings cards from The Great British Card Company along with the usual Renishaw Hall souvenirs.

Since our opening weekend, we have been kept busy with the first of our Food and Craft Fairs and Specialist plant fairs.  Even though the weather was typically British with lots of rain, we still attracted plenty of visitors.  We've also enjoyed the first of our Vineyard tours and tasting sessions with our vineyard manager Kieron Atkinson, offering the opportunity to learn about the Renishaw Hall vineyard and sample the award winning wine.  It's also been nice to open the doors of the Hall to our Public Tours (every Friday at 1pm and 2.30pm; plus weekends in August).

As always, the garden has been ever changing.  We have already welcomed a host of daffodils in time for Mothers Day, the bluebells which made an appearance for Easter, the Pocket Handkerchief and currently the Laburnum Tunnel.  Of course, there is much more to look forward to, with the garden never looking the same twice.

We have so much more to look forward to during the remainder of this Season.  We are busy with plans for the second of our Food, Craft and Plant Fair weekends, which is due to take place on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th August.  On June 11th, we host the annual Classic car and bike show in the grounds, which is always popular.  Beginning on June 11th and dotted throughout the season are the WWI talks, hosted by our archivist Christine Beevers, which  focus on the Sitwell family living through the war.  The Sitwell museum has also undergone something of an overhaul, with new exhibits concentrating on Edith Sitwell to mark 50 years since her death.

To keep up to date with the latest Renishaw Hall news; follow us on Twitter, 'like' us on Facebook and subscribe to our e-newsletter via our website.