Tyne and Wear

Newcastle upon Tyne

Low Fell

A guided walk delving into the history of Durham

Join local history buff David Butler to explore Durham's captivating history, from its Anglo-Saxon origins onwards. The walk will take you around the city centre, before returning to Crook Hall Gardens. Approximately 2 miles/3.2km.

Free - donations welcome. There's no need to book, but places are very limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Children welcome, must be accompanied by an adult.

Meet at the admissions hut by the entrance.

Please wear sensible footwear and weather-appropriate clothing.

The route includes four flights of steps and a steep slope, plus five road crossings.

This walk lasts approximately 2 1/4 hours. Maximum stay in our car park is usually 3 hours. If you'd like to stay longer to visit the gardens or café before or after the walk, please leave your registration number at the admissions desk.

Crook Hall Gardens

Step into the gardens' past.

Join our gardening guru volunteers for a tour.

Have a go at outdoor games and mini-sports activities for all the family.

Meet some of our nocturnal wildlife.

Durham city walk

Mae Parkrun Iau wedi'i gynllunio'n benodol ar gyfer plant rhwng 4 a 14 oed. Fe'i cynhelir bob wythnos ar ddydd Sul am 9am.

Mae pob parkrun am ddim i gymryd rhan. Gallwch redeg, loncian neu gerdded y cwrs 2k ar eich cyflymder eich hun. Dewiswch redeg yn unigol, gyda ffrind neu'ch teulu. Mae'r cwrs 2km yn cychwyn ym mhen uchaf y gerddi. Mae dwy ddolen wrthglocwedd, yn gorffen yn y Tŷ ar waelod yr ardd.

Mae Parkrun yn gofyn i chi gofrestru ar-lein ymlaen llaw. Gallwch olrhain eich amser o wythnos i wythnos a gosod nodau personol eich hun. Cofiwch ddod â chopi gellir ei sganio o'ch cod bar i chi gael rhedeg.

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Junior Parkrun is designed specifically for children aged between 4 and 14 years old. It's held every week on a Sunday at 9am.

Each parkrun is free to take part. You can run, jog or walk the 2k course at your own pace. Choose to run individually, with a friend or your family. The 2km course begins at the top of the gardens. There are two anticlockwise loops, finishing at the House at the bottom of the garden.

Parkrun asks that you register online in advance. You can track your time from week to week and set your own personal goals. Please remember to bring a scannable copy of your barcode for your run.

Parkrun Iau | Junior Parkrun

The Stackpole Striders meet every Sunday for a free run or walk from Stackpole Quay at 9.15 am.

Stackpole Striders / Stackpole Striders

Pooch Passport

Displayed for the first time, this collection of watercolours and small black and white photographs will give you a glimpse into the the private lives of the Rawnsleys.

Discover a snapshot of genteel tourism in the mountain resorts of the Alps and the Dolomites, while the shadow of the first world war loomed over Europe.

Flower Time In The Oberland: The Holiday Watercolours Of Eleanor Rawnsley

Step into the fascinating world of Benjamin Disraeli, a remarkable British politician and storyteller. Disraeli knew that words held enormous power. Disraeli’s love for storytelling is reflected in his library and writings but also in his deliberate efforts to shape his personal narrative and legend, and in doing so attempt to influence public perception.

As you explore the mansion and grounds you will see how Disraeli wove together the art of myth making and storytelling to extend beyond the page to Hughenden’s manor, garden, and parkland.

Myths & Mythmaking

Sculpture Exhibition In Avebury Manor Garden

Coming to the Fox Talbot Museum on June 29, a diverse selection of contemporary photographs from across the globe.

For the past 170 years, the RPS's International Photography Exhibition has reflected how people see and think about things. The artworks selected for the Fox Talbot Museum exhibit a wide range of themes, subjects, techniques and aesthetics from 37 different photographers.

The International Photography Exhibition encourages photographers and image-makers of all ages, new, emerging and established photographers worldwide to submit work to the open call. For each edition of the exhibition the RPS invites a panel of leading voices in photography to bring an exciting mix of expertise to the final exhibition selection. The exhibition at the Fox Talbot Museum represents a selection from the last three years’ editions of RPS exhibitions.

International Photography Exhibition

Standing peacefully in rolling countryside, you do not have to look far to find stories from one of the most turbulent times in English history.

Find out more about this rare building's significance to history and religion during the English Commonwealth era.

Guided Tours Of Staunton Harold Church

Everyone is welcome to join us on a monthly social walk led by our volunteers. We'll have a different walk on offer, with varying lengths and difficulty. Children must be accompanied by an adult and dogs must be kept on a short lead. These social walks will take place on the second Sunday of every month.

Sunday 11 August

This mixed gradient, circular walk will take you to Hartwith Moor via Old Spring Woods. See views across Nidderdale, including Highfield Farm featuring the remains of a monastic grange uncovered by Time Team.

This route is approximately 6 miles long and will last around 2 and a half hours, starting and finishing at the refreshment kiosk for a well earned hot drink.

This walk is perfect if you're visiting via the 825 Eastern Dales Bus. Visit the 'Getting Here' section on Brimham Rocks' home page to find the timetable.

This route takes you through woodland and moorland, across a mixture of uneven gravel paths, narrow, muddy and wet sections. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a short lead. Please bring refreshments and plenty of water.

Keep an eye on this page as we will update it with details about each months walk.

Guided Social Walk

Before the Industrial Revolution, making clothes was slow. People would make their own clothes, in small quantities and would wear them for a long period of time, repeatedly repairing them. They were patched, resized, remade, and handed down until there was nothing left to use.

The Industrial Revolution saw a rapid change in the pace in the production of textiles, the growth of cotton and technological advancements within mills, and faster transport. This meant there were more options for people in all levels of society and is the starting point in the story of how we consume clothes today.

In this exhibition we will explore the story of the past, present and future of the cotton textile industry in the North West and the world, the human drive for fashion and ‘faster, easier, cheaper’ clothes, and the global, environmental and societal impacts that had and continues to have today.

Admission charges apply. Free entry for National Trust Members.

Exhibition: For The Love Of Cotton

'Playing by the rules: Childhood, dress and imagination' will delve into the world of children's clothing within the Killerton collection, many of them part of the Margaret Bodley collection which was acquired by the National Trust in the early 1980s.

Five local Brownie and Guide units have worked with us to create future fashion designs, along with becoming young curators for one of the displays.

Opening 10 February 2024, the exhibition will open with the house, daily 11am to 4pm (last entry 3.30pm).

For more details visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/killerton/killertons-fashion-collection

Playing By The Rules: Fashion Exhibition In The House

Child workers lived in the Apprentice House, often sent from workhouses far away. They laboured for long hours in the Mill, before returning to chores including gardening and sewing.

Discover how the children lived, where they slept, what they ate, what care they received, and hear the stories of Margaret Magin and Thomas Priestly.

When you arrive at Visitor Reception you can book onto a tour of the Apprentice House.

Tour times vary on week days and on weekends and during school holidays. Please ask for more details at Visitor Reception.

Tours are very popular so book your tickets early on the day of your arrival to avoid disappointment.

Tickets for tours cannot be pre-booked. Admission charges apply. Free entry for National Trust members.

Apprentice House Tours

Elizabethan England was a material world. Power, identity and virtue were all expressed though what you owned and what you built.

Elizabeth Shrewsbury designed Hardwick Hall to shout about who she was and how far she had come. From the solid stone ES initials on the roof to the magnificent tapestries and textiles she hung inside, everything was a material statement about Bess.

The stories on the wall:

Tapestries and textiles were more than just interior decoration, they were a form of art used to make a statement. Their size, expensive materials and the stories they told made them the perfect medium to publicly project the power and status of the owner.

Discover the symbolism and hidden meaning in the images and stories which don the 400- year-old walls. See if you can spot Bess’ devotion to Penelope throughout the hall, a beacon of virtue dedicated to her husband.

Conservation:

It took 24 years for the 13 Gideon tapestries to go through cleaning and conservation and a whopping £1.7 million to restore them back to their full glory.

Find out more about the painstaking work of the specialist cleaning team in Belgium and the people behind the hand stitched repairs at the National Trust’s Conservation Studio.

Taking in the tapestries:

Let the textiles do the talking in the Long Gallery as you uncover new stories in the Gideon tapestries through ‘slow looking’. Accompanied by a magnificent soundscape, this really will be a treat for the senses!

Material Power: Let The Textiles Do The Talking

With a display in the old castle and a trail in the garden, 'Changed Priorities Ahead' showcases the work of nature artist, Nessie Ramm. Nessie paints our native wildflowers with exquisite detail as they thrive undisturbed on roundabouts, slip roads and laybys. With metal road signs as her 'canvas', her large-scale art renders visible the wildness and value of these unloved spaces. This display is a call to put away our strimmers and re-evaluate our relationship with the natural world. Entry to the display and trail is included in the general admission.

'Changed Priorities Ahead' Exhibition (1 June-20 October)

Discover the story of Vita Sackville-West’s life at Knole through to her wedding and bittersweet departure in 1913. This story will be brought to life around you with a new multimedia tour guiding you through key moments in Vita’s life.

Explore the Great Hall, where you'll see wedding presents that were gifted to Vita and Harold alongside a marriage album assembled by Vita. A portrait of Vita by Philip de László, usually found in the Long Library at Sissinghurst, will also be on display.

Around the showrooms you’ll find delicately detailed paper sculpture recreations of the dress worn by Vita at her wedding, as well as outfits worn by other members of the wedding party. The mannequins are designed and created by artist Denise Watson, of Delicarta, 'bringing paper to life'.

This is a rare chance to see the original manuscript of ‘Orlando’, which is on show in the Ballroom. Seldom displayed due to its fragile nature, the manuscript has Virginia Woolf’s handwritten notes on.

In the Cartoon Gallery a copy of Chatterton, the first work that Vita Sackville-West published, is displayed.

Continue your journey to the Orangery to see the contemporary art installation by artist Lorna Johnson. The piece consists of 150 hand sewn scented ruffles that symbolise strong female figures who ruffled feathers to move society forward, just like Vita.

This event is included with normal admission to Knole (showrooms, outdoor and tower ticket required) - there is no separate ticket.

Vita: Discover A Story Of Love And Life At Knole

Piecing together intricate painted glass in vibrant colours, the stained-glass conservators on this project needed keen eyes and a steady hand to dismantle, conserve and reassemble sections of the Tomb Chamber’s stained-glass windows.

Test your eye for detail with a 500-piece jigsaw for grown-ups and a 40-piece jigsaw for children each featuring a design from one of the Tomb Chamber stained-glass windows. Together with their families, younger visitors can enjoy brightly coloured wooden and acrylic puzzles suitable for ages 3+.

Seizing a ‘window of opportunity’, we’re showcasing the work of local art therapy charity artWell, by displaying a community painting created during a wellbeing workshop at The Camrose Centre in Basingstoke.

The painting of a window features a breath-taking flurry of flowers that appear to adorn the windowpane. Each bloom was painted by, and represents, a person who attended the workshop at the centre and so the work is essentially a group portrait.

Based in Basingstoke, artWell is a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to improve mental health and positive use of imagination and creativity across sectors of the community who, for a variety of reasons, often feel excluded. The Camrose Centre provides support for anyone who is sleeping rough, homeless or vulnerably housed within Basingstoke and Deane Borough.

Subject to volunteer availability.

Tomb Chamber Stained Glass Display

'Radical Relationships: Uncovering Connections on Sissinghurst's Bookshelves' opens Saturday 1 June.

A new display of objects, letters and books – many on show for the first time - puts Sissinghurst Castle Garden at the heart of a 20th century network of culturally influential people.

Many of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson's guests to Sissinghurst, including figures of the Bloomsbury Group, are now seen as significant figures in LGBTQ+ history.

'Radical Relationships' reveals the works and lives of these fascinating individuals as told through Sissinghurst's bookshelves.

Standard admission applies.

Please note that our closing times will change in October to reflect our Winter Opening Times.

Radical Relationships: A New Display (1 June 2024 - 30 March 2025)

Trace the footsteps of Ickworth's residents over the years in our house exhibition and learn just how the Rotunda came to be. Beginning with Ickworth's visionary curator, the 'Earl-Bishop', step through time to learn the stories of those who helped bring his ideas to life - and those who changed it. From quality craftsmanship to pioneering design, we invite visitors to discover why Ickworth is designed the way it is. Visit daily from 29 March from 11am. Last entry to the House 3pm.

Ickworth - A Design Masterpiece

Explore the depictions of classical myths at Hughenden to understand their meaning to Disraeli. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of his storytelling. As you journey around the Manor ponder the timeless significance of myths in shaping human stories and the enduring legacy of Hughenden Manor as a testament to the power of imagination and invention. Please note the top floor of the exhibition is subject to volunteer availability.

Manor Exhibition: 'Who Are You And What Are You?'

“By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.” - Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I

In 1888, the Lyceum Theatre company launched a new production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The production had a vast cast and sumptuous costuming, and was led by two of the most beloved Shakespearean actors of the day, Ellen Terry and Henry Irving.

This new exhibition will bring together mementoes from the production for the first time in several decades, including the beautiful Banqueting dress. This will be the first time the dress is on display following a long period of conservation.

Our Macbeth museum guide will allow visitors to delve further into the story of the exhibition, and of Shakespearean theatre at this time, by highlighting other items in the remarkable collection at Smallhythe Place.

Wed-Sun, including bank holidays. Runs until 3 November.

Standard admission applies.

'Dressing Lady Macbeth': An Exhibition (25 May - 3 Nov)

Watch our farm team distribute food amongst the pens and see the pigs use their snouts to root through the fresh straw and soil to find their meals. This method discourages food hogging and ensures every pig gets their fair share as well as encouraging their natural eating behaviours.

Pig Feeding At Home Farm

This tour will give you an overview of the history of waterpower, from the first wheel installed in 1784 to the present-day Kaplan turbine today. Visiting the Hydro house and the water gallery.

Tours daily at 11:30am and 2:00pm. The tours will last between 30-45 minutes. Tickets available from the Mill entrance.

Admission charges apply. This is a free event. Tickets cannot be pre-booked.

Daily Hydro Tours

National Trust

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Durham city walk

National Trust

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