The Derbyshire Literature Festival comes to Renishaw!

In May, Renishaw Hall will be Helen Mort playing its part in the Derbyshire Literary Festival with a full weekend of special events.

On Saturday 16th May, Derbyshire Poet Laureate, Helen Mort, will be hosting a writing workshop in the Rex Whistler Room.  Tickets are £10 and include access to the gardens and museum.  Find out more and buy tickets at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/festival. 



The magnificent library at Renishaw.

On Sunday 17th May, there will be the opportunity to delve into Renishaw's own literary history with a specialist Literary Hall Tour.  Renishaw's archivist, Christine Beevers will lead the tour, combining aspects of the general hall tour with a more detailed focus on the literary aspect.  Renishaw houses over 30, 000 books - more than enough to keep even the most avid reader busy - along with many fascinating letters and documents.  Renishaw also boasts the famous Literary Trio of Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell as part of it's fascinating history.

While the hall is open to the public regularly throughout the season, this is the first time the literary tour has been made open to the general public, making it an event not to be missed.   

Tickets are £16 per person and include access to the award winning gardens and the museum which gives a further  places are extremely limited, so pre-booking is advised to avoid disappointment.  Contact the events office on 01246 432310 or enquiries@renishaw-hall.co.uk for more information.

Adventures in Wonderland

Curiouser and curiouser! There were unusual goings on in the garden on Easter Monday as Alice and her Wonderland friends - the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit and Queen of Hearts - visited the gardens for an afternoon of fun.  The characters hosted a Mad Hatters Tea Party on the top lawn while the Queen of Hearts 'entertained' the crowds with her singing!  The cast spent hours chatting to visitors, joining them for picnics and providing many photograph opportunities against the backdrop of the beautiful gardens and Hall. All in all it made for a truly magical afternoon.

The performers were from Sutton-in-Ashfield based company Fancy Entertainment who cater for functions and parties, large and small.  Check out their Facebook page for photographs and a brilliant video of the event!

Everyone at Renishaw would like to extend warm thanks to everyone at Fancy Entertainment for putting on such a marvellous event.

'Garden of the Year' Opens for 2015!



The stunning camellia walk

We are already one week in to the 2015 Season - it is difficult to believe where the time has gone! The season has begun in a celebratory mood as we are very proud to be announced HHA Garden of the Year 2015.  As always, the gardeners have been hard at work maintaining the gardens and making some quite dramatic changes. The daffodils are emerging and the camellias and hellebores are looking better than ever just in time for Easter weekend.  Bluebell season is almost upon us; their arrival is anticipated for the end of April.

Exciting changes have also taken place in the Visitor Centre, where we now stock a delicious range of jams, chutneys and preserves from Just Preserves in Sheffield and biscuits from Artisan Biscuits in Ashbourne.  They are definitely a hit with visitors and staff members alike! We still stock a range of honey from The Sheffield Honey Company and wine from Renishaw Hall's own vineyard along with Renishaw Hall souvenirs. Stop by the Visitor Centre for more information.



Don't be late for this very important date!



On Easter Monday, we welcome Alice in Wonderland and friends to the gardens,  which will make for a truly magical afternoon.  Alice will be around from 1pm - 3.30pm.  There is no additional charge for this event, though normal admission costs apply.  Remember to collect a free Children's Trail Map or Quiz Sheet from the Visitor Centre on your way in.

There is lots to look forward this year, from a full weekend of literary fun in May as part of Derbyshire Literary Festival including the first ever public Literary Tall and a poetry workshop with Derbyshire Poet Laureate, Helen Mort.  For information contact the Events Office on 01246 432310 or enquiries@renishaw-hall.co.uk.  To keep up to date with day to day goings on, follow us on Twitter  or like us on Facebook.

 

We look forward to welcoming you soon!