Exclusive Homes & Gardens: Compton Verney & the Cotswolds

Itinerary

DAY 1: SUNDAY 12 MAY

You will be picked up from Cobham in Surrey* (there may also be a pick-up from Richmond-on-Thames, times TBC, please get in touch for optional pick-ups). We then drive by executive coach to Rousham House and Garden in Oxfordshire (journey time approx 1½ hours). The house has been continuously in the ownership of the same family since its construction in the early 17^th century and it was remodelled by William Kent in the 18th century who also created the exceptional landscaped gardens which transport Italian classicism into the English countryside. Kent’s work survives virtually unchanged at Rousham and has been praised as the epitome of English Arcadian charm. Click here for a short video showing Rousham taken from “The Secret History of British Gardens” (2015), presented by Monty Don. 

The house is not open to the public but we will enjoy a private guided tour (by special arrangement with the family) following coffee and biscuits on arrival.

Afterwards we drive to Compton Verney, an award-winning art gallery housed in a Grade 1 listed mansion. Set in 120 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown parkland within the beautiful Warwickshire countryside, the house was built in 1714 by Richard Verney, 11th Baron Willoughby de Broke and later remodelled by Robert Adam for John Verney, the 14th Baron, in the 1760s. It contains a magnificent art gallery including a fine collection of British portraits including paintings of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and works by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir William Beechey, plus two celebrated views of London by Canaletto. Siân will give a short talk on the permanent collections en route.

On arrival we enjoy a 2-course lunch followed by a private tour of Painting Childhood: From Holbein to Freud, one of 2019’s exhibition highlights which will open at Compton Verney in the Spring. We are delighted that its curator Dr Amy Orrock will be our expert guide. Some of you will have met Amy last year when we visited the Bruegel exhibition which she curated at the Holburne Museum in Bath. This celebration of children, childhood and innocence brings together some of the most beautiful paintings, sketches and sculptures of children produced in the past 500 years. There will be major loans by many artists including Holbein, van Dyck, Jan Steen, Murillo, Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Zoffany, Millais and Lucian Freud. Many paintings will be paired with their preparatory sketches.

After the tour there will be free time to enjoy the permanent collection and gardens before we depart for our hotel, Ettington Park, just 10 minutes by coach.

Ettington Park is a splendid Neo-Gothic mansion set in 40 acres of parkland just outside Stratford Upon Avon.  This elegant 4-star historic country house boasts elegant furnishings, ornate Rococo plasterwork ceilings, marquetry inlaid wood panelling and fine paintings. Residents have exclusive use of a heated indoor pool, spa bath, sauna, steam room, tennis courts and croquet lawn. There will be time on arrival to enjoy any (or all!) of these or simply relax with a book in the elegant library

Dinner with wine is served in the Rosette Oak Room Restaurant

DAY 2: MONDAY 13 MAY

After a leisurely breakfast we depart for a private opening of nearby Upton House and Gardens, before it opens to the public. Upton House was built in 1695 and remodelled in the 1920s for the 2nd Viscount Bearsted, whose family founded the Shell Oil Company. The alterations to Upton were made in part to display the family’s magnificent art collections whose many masterpieces include works by Stubbs, Hogarth, Bosch, Bruegel, Canaletto, El Greco and Gainsborough.  After refreshments on arrival we enjoy a specially-arranged private guided tour, followed by lunch and some free time to enjoy the gardens.

We then depart for a private tour of the award-winning Bourton House Garden, a short drive away. Bourton House garden is one of the hidden gems of the Cotswolds, a 3-acre garden with a tranquil atmosphere and inspirational planting, set within beautiful Cotswold countryside. It is closed on a Monday but we have arranged a special out-of-hours opening and tour with Head Gardener Jacky Rae. The garden features magnificent wide herbaceous borders, imaginative topiary, a serene White Garden and many creatively planted pots. May is an excellent time to see the structure of the garden including repeating themes such as the ogee arch in hedges, metalwork and trellis work and the statuary, water features and shade house.  A must for all garden enthusiasts!

The day ends with afternoon tea (included) at Barnsley House, famous for its small but perfectly formed gardens. These were created by Rosemary Verey who then went on to design the famous New York Botanical Gardens, as well as gardens for Prince Charles and Princess Michael of Kent. It will be the perfect place for us to relax and enjoy a stroll before we head home. 

We return in the afternoon and should arrive home by 7.00.

* For those for whom Cobham is not so convenient and wishing to join us en route, optional pick-ups can be discussed – please get in touch. Pick-ups times are approximate and will be confirmed in writing approx 2/3 weeks before travel.