THE GARDENS OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND GARDENS OF A PASSIONATE MIND JUNE 6-20, 2018 TOUR LEADER: MICHAEL TURNER

Overview ‘Gardens of a Passionate Mind’ is about the passionate men and women who, over the past three hundred years, have created or enjoyed some of the best-known and best-loved gardens in the south of England. It introduces a cast of professional garden designers – Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and Gertrude Jekyll among others; garden writers such as Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst and Christopher Lloyd at Great Dixter; artists and authors who were inspired by the gardens they were creating: the Bloomsbury Group’s Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell at Charleston. Our 15-day tour, timed to see the gardens at their peak, takes you across the south of England and back again. We will visit a superb selection of estates from the magnificent 18th century Arcadian Landscapes at Rousham and Stourhead with their temples, lakes and grottoes, to HRH Prince Charles’ 21st century idyll at Highgrove. From grand horticultural masterpieces such as Great Dixter and RHS Wisley to small and very personal gems such as Sir Roy Strong’s The Laskett and the Sethis’ Luctons. As well as fine gardens, stately homes, country houses and castles, the itinerary takes in a broad range of sites, including picturesque villages and museums. From the exquisite countryside of early summer England, to the tranquil woodland of Kent, the scenery on this tour is a major attraction. Your tour leader Michael Turner, who lives in Sussex, will provide detailed background information on the estates and accompany all the excursions.

Your tour leader Michael Turner is a garden historian and classical archaeologist. The former Senior Curator of the Nicholson Museum (2005-2016), now lives in Sussex. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in London and a member of The Gardens Trust. Michael has appeared regularly on television, radio, and in the press. In 2012, he was co-presenter of the 20-part ABC series

Extraordinary Curiosities and has been a featured guest on the ABC’s In Conversation with Richard Fidler and most recently on Classic FM’s Midday with Margaret Throsby about the 18th century English landscape architect Capability Brown. “Michael Turner was just great, his enthusiasm about all he showed us was infectious, we were excited every day!” Feedback from Academy Travel’s ‘Gardens of Southern England: Gardens of a Passionate Mind’, June 2016.

THE GARDENS OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND Tour dates: June 6-20, 2018

Tour leader: Michael Turner

Tour Price: $9,150 per person, twin share

Single Supplement: $2,350 for sole use of double room

Booking deposit: $500 per person

Recommended airline: Emirates

Maximum places: 20

Itinerary: Oxford (4 nights), Bath (3 nights), Royal Tunbridge Wells (3 nights), Lower Beeding (4 nights)

Date published: April 11, 2018

Enquiries and bookings

For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Kathy Wardrop at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email kathy@academytravel.com.au

Tour Highlights

HIGHGROVE GARDENS Over 35 years in the making, the organic gardens at Highgrove are some of the most creative and innovative in the United Kingdom. We visit Highgrove, the private gardens of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, for a guided tour followed by a delightful champagne cream tea.

BLENHEIM PALACE Blenheim Palace is home to the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. A true masterpiece of 18th century Baroque architecture, Blenheim delivers an awe-inspiring experience for visitors. We discover the beauty of this World Heritage site set amongst over 2000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown parkland and Formal Gardens.

STOURHEAD With hills, water and classical architecture overlaid by a collection of trees and shrubs, Stourhead was described as ‘a living work of art’ when first opened in the 1740s. Meandering paths offer vistas through trees to classical temples and surprises at every turn. The centre piece is the lake, which dictates the path you take and the views you enjoy.

SISSINGHURST CASTLE The gardens of Sissinghurst Castle in Kent are some of the best known in England. They are the creation of Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicholson, who arrived at the property in 1930. Over a period of 32 years they worked together on this gentle masterpiece, offering something new to see around every corner.

HEVER CASTLE There is much to discover at the magnificent award-winning gardens set in 125 acres of glorious grounds at Hever Castle. Marvel at the Pompeiian Wall and classical statuary in the Italian Garden; admire the giant topiary chess set and inhale the fragrance of over 4,000 rose bushes in the quintessential English Rose Garden.

Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the letters B, L , D and C for canapes

Wednesday June 6 Arrival

If you have booked your air travel through Academy Travel we will organise a transfer from Heathrow to our hotel. Please note that hotel rooms may not be available until early afternoon. In the early evening we gather in the hotel for welcome drinks and canapés. Overnight Oxford (C)

Thursday June 7 Oxford and the Botanic Gardens

After a talk in the hotel, we take a guided tour of the historic university town taking in the Ashmolean Museum and Christopher Wren’s superb Sheldonian Theatre. In the afternoon we visit the Botanic Gardens, situated in the heart of Oxford, a 5-minute walk from our hotel. They were founded in 1621 and are the oldest in Britain. Its monumental arched gateway was designed by Inigo Jones (1573-1652) and is one of the earliest Classical structures in Oxford. Today, with its nearly 5,000 different plant species, and in their delightful setting, the gardens are a source of inspiration for design, research, and conservation. This evening we celebrate our welcome dinner together at a local restaurant. Overnight Oxford (B, D)

Friday June 8 Blenheim Palace

The picture-perfect British stately home of Blenheim Palace is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture, sitting among more than 2000 acres of extraordinary landscaped Parkland and Formal Gardens. The inspired work of ‘Capability’ Brown has created a lasting legacy in the Park at Blenheim. The master landscaper constructed the Great Lake and planted thousands of trees in his ten-year tenure here. On our visit to Blenheim Palace today we explore the stunning UNESCO World Heritage site boasting a long and diverse history. It is the home to the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and the birth place of Sir Winston Churchill. Overnight Oxford (B)

Saturday June 9 Buscot Park AND Rousham

This morning we travel through the Cotswolds to Buscot Park, the much-loved and highly individual home of Lord Faringdon. Built in the 18th century as an Italianate country house in the style of Palladio, its magnificent gardens today include a Water Garden designed by the great Harold Peto (1854-1933) whose own home, Iford Manor we shall be visiting later in the tour. Afterwards we drive to Rousham, an 18th-century Arcadian Landscape garden. It is still lived in by the family who built the house and laid out the gardens, which remain largely as they

Above: Radcliffe Camera at Oxford University, the first rotunda library built in Britain Below: a view over the stately home of Blenheim Palace, sitting among more than 2000 acres of extraordinary landscaped Parkland and Formal Gardens; and the graceful grounds at Rousham House and Garden

were in the 18th-century. As well as its temples, glades and statues it has a Tudor/Stuart parterre, one of the largest dovecotes in the country, and the most perfect walled garden. Overnight Oxford (B)

Sunday June 10 Kiftsgate, the Laskett and Bath

We say farewell to Oxford as we head for Kiftsgate Court Gardens, the stunning creation of three generations of women gardeners. Created in the 1920s by Heather Muir, with help and inspiration from the great Lawrence Johnston at neighbouring Hidcote, it is today under the care of Heather’s grand-daughter Anne Chambers. Next stop on our way to Bath is The Laskett, the largest private formal garden laid out in England since 1945. Created over a period of forty years by the iconoclastic art historian Sir Roy Strong and his late wife, the designer Julia Trevelyan Oman. Early evening, we arrive in Bath, known for its natural hot springs and 18th-century Georgian architecture. Following check in we gather for dinner in the hotel. Overnight Bath (B, D)

Monday June 11 Iford manor and Stourhead

Our day begins with the Peto Garden at Iford Manor, one of the finest Italianate gardens in England. It was constructed and planted by architect, traveller and landscape designer Harold Ainsworth Peto between 1899 and 1933. In the Italianate manner, flowers play a secondary role to the more structural elements of cypress trees, statuary, broad walks and pools of water. The garden includes Peto’s delightful ‘Haunt of Ancient Peace’, a cloistered Italian style courtyard. We continue on to Stourhead is probably the most famous and most beautiful 18th-century Arcadian Landscape garden in England. Between 1740 and 1780, banker Henry Hoare (1705-1785) created an idyllic mix of the Classical and the Gothic. The walk around the lake, crossed at one end by its beautiful Palladian bridge, takes in Classical temples, a Gothic cottage, and one of the most dramatic Rococo grottos in England. Overnight Bath (B)

Tuesday June 12 Highgrove Royal Gardens

The morning is free to explore and enjoy the delights of Bath. In the early afternoon, a delightful drive through the rolling Cotswold countryside brings us to Highgrove and the private gardens of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Begun in 1980 and now run on the organic and sustainable methods of which the Prince is such a passionate advocate, the gardens include wild, formal and kitchen gardens. Throughout are busts of people who have inspired the Prince, including Sir Roy Strong of The Laskett fame who helped Prince Charles design the garden. Our exclusive guided tour is followed by a champagne cream tea. Overnight Bath (B, champagne cream tea)

Above: Kiftsgate Court Gardens, in the north Cotswolds; and Stourhead, probably the most famous and most beautiful 18th-century Arcadian Landscape garden in England

Below: Sir Roy Strong in his garden at The Laskett

Wednesday June 13 RHS Wisley AND Royal Tunbridge Wells

This morning we say farewell to Bath and head east for the great gardens of Sussex and Kent. On the way we stop off for a guided tour of the Royal Horticultural Society’s masterpiece at Wisley, the second most visited paid entry garden in England (the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew is the first). Founded in 1878, Wisley is now a large and diverse garden covering 240 acres. In addition to numerous formal and informal decorative gardens, several glasshouses and an extensive arboretum, it includes small scale ‘model gardens’ which are intended to show visitors what they can achieve in their own gardens, and a trials field where new cultivars are assessed. This evening dinner is in the hotel restaurant. Overnight Royal Tunbridge Wells (B, D)

Thursday June 14 The Bluebell Railway and GRAVETYE Manor

Our day begins at Sheffield Park with a thirty-minute trip through the Sussex countryside on the Bluebell Steam Railway. Operating since 1960, the Bluebell is the oldest preserved standard gauge, steam-operated passenger railway in the world to be still operating a public service. On our arrival at Kingscote station, our bus will be waiting to take us ten minutes up the road to Gravetye Manor. Nestling on a hillside on the edge of the Ashdown Forest, the 16th-century Gravetye is the quintessential English country house. Its most famous occupant, until his death in 1935, was the garden designer William Robinson. A contemporary of Gertrude Jekyll, Robinson was the guiding light of what was to become known as the Wild Garden. Today, Gravetye remains almost as he planted it, a romantic evocation of woods and garden. Our visit includes a private tour of the gardens with head gardener Tom Coward. Now an exclusive hotel, Gravetye boasts both a Grade I Heritage listing and a Michelin star. Overnight Royal Tunbridge Wells (B, L) Friday June 15 Hever Castle and Chartwell

This morning we head to Hever Castle, the romantic childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife. Hever’s 13th-century moated castle acts as a dramatic backdrop for the gardens laid out for William Waldorf Astor between 1904 and 1908. The Italian Garden includes Astor’s large collection of mainly Roman classical sculpture. We spend the afternoon at Chartwell, the family home of Winston Churchill. Filled with treasures from every aspect of Churchill’s life, the house provides an opportunity to explore the home of one of Britain’s greatest leaders. We also visit the studio to see a collection of Churchill's paintings, before heading out to admire the wonderful walled garden, several of whose bricked walls were famously laid by Churchill himself. Overnight Royal Tunbridge Wells (B)

Above: looking through the white garden to the Elizabethan Tower at Sissinghurst Below: the historic house and garden at Great Dixter; and stunning topiary at Hever Castle - the romantic childhood home of Anne Boleyn

Saturday June 16 GREAT DIXTER AND SISSINGHURST CASTLE & GARDENS

First stop today is the world famous Great Dixter for a private tour of its stunningly rich and diverse garden made famous by the gardener and author Christopher Lloyd (1921-2006). Now under the stewardship of Fergus Garrett, the garden was originally designed in 1910 by Sir Edwin Lutyens for Lloyd’s father in the Arts & Crafts style. The tour also includes the family house, parts of which date back to the 1400s. In the afternoon we make the 30-minute drive through the rolling Kent and Sussex countryside to Sissinghurst Castle. Its gardens were created in the 1930s by the poet and garden writer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat and author husband Harold Nicholson, both of whom were heavily influenced by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. The garden is laid out in the Arts & Crafts style as a series of rooms, each with its own distinctive theme and colour. There is a wonderful view of the garden and the surrounding countryside from the top of the Elizabethan Tower. This evening’s dinner is in the hotel restaurant. Overnight Lower Beeding (B, D) Sunday June 17 Arundel Castle and Garden

Today we leave Royal Tunbridge Wells and head deeper into the Sussex countryside and our final stop at Lower Beeding. On the way, we stop at the beautifully situated, one-thousand-year-old Arundel Castle, the largest occupied country house in England. After touring the Castle, we move out to see the gardens, especially the Collector Earl’s Garden. This new garden, named after Thomas Howard, the 14th Earl of Arundel (1585-1646), was designed by two of England’s greatest contemporary designers, Isobel and Julian Bannerman. Conceived as a Jacobean formal garden, it is in fact an imaginative re-creation of what Howard’s early 17th century formal garden may have been like at Arundel House, his town palace overlooking the Thames in London. The grand centrepiece is a rockwork ‘mountain’ on top of which sits a green oak version of ‘Oberon’s Palace’, a fantastic spectacle designed by Inigo Jones for Prince Henry’s Masque on New Year’s Day 1611. It contains a shell-lined interior with a stalagmite fountain and gilded coronet ‘dancing’ on top of a jet of water. Overnight Lower Beeding (B) Monday June 18 Charleston and Nymans

This morning we see Charleston, the home of the Bloomsbury Group’s Duncan Grant (1885-1978) and Vanessa Bell (1879-1961), the sister of Virginia Woolf. The garden is a delightful mix of Mediterranean influence and cottage garden planting. Following a private tour of the house and of the garden with head gardener Fiona Dennis, we drive to the nearby village of Berwick for lunch at a local pub and to visit the village church, famous for having been decorated by Vanessa Bell and Duncan

Above: Sir Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, at Chartwell; and borders of perennials and annuals line an intimate garden at Nymans

Below: The southern frontage at Nyams today – the ruined house remains a garden feature

Grant during WWII. In the afternoon we visit Nymans. High on a hill looking out across the Sussex Weald, Nymans was created by the banker Ludwig Messel, with help from close neighbour William Robinson. In 1915, his son Leonard knocked down the Regency house and built an extravagant mock Tudor palace. This was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1947 leaving a now romantic Gothic ruin that acts as a spectacular backdrop to the garden. Overnight Lower Beeding (B, morning tea) Tuesday June 19 Standen, Luctons and the Priesthouse

Our final day begins with a visit to Standen, one of Sussex’s finest Arts & Crafts houses. Following lunch, we will be taken on a tour of the recently restored gardens by head gardener, James Masters, before moving into the house itself. In the afternoon we travel 10 minutes by bus to Luctons in the small village of West Hoathly, where a warm welcome awaits us from owners, Hans and Ingrid Sethi. Here you will have the chance for a very personal chat with them about the joys and pitfalls of creating and maintaining one of the loveliest private gardens in Sussex. Leaving Luctons, we cross the lane for a brief visit to the tiny Priesthouse and its garden, once owned by Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, Anne of Cleves, Mary I, and Elizabeth I! And so to the 16th-century village pub, The Cat for well-deserved drinks and our farewell dinner. Overnight Lower Beeding (B, D)

Wednesday June 20 Departure

Gatwick Airport is close to Lower Beeding, and there will be a transfer for those departing from Gatwick. Depending on group members’ travel plans, there may also be transfers to the centre of London and/or Heathrow Airport. (B)

Hotels These four-star hotels have been selected principally for their central location. Oxford, Mercure Eastgate Hotel (4 nights)

https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6668-mercure-oxford-eastgate-hotel/index.shtml

Bath, Francis Hotel (3 nights) www.francishotel.com

Tunbridge Wells, The Spa Hotel (3 nights) www.spahotel.co.uk

Lower Beeding, South Lodge Hotel (3 nights) https://www.exclusive.co.uk/south-lodge/

Above: the quintessential English country house - Gravetye Manor Below: the historic Bluebell Steam Railway; and a portrait of English landscape architect Capability Brown, which can be found in London’s National Portrait Gallery

Tour Price The tour price is $9,150 per person, twin share (land content only). The supplement for a single room is $2,350 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required to secure a place on the tour.

Tour Inclusions Included in the tour price All accommodation in selected four star hotels All breakfasts, lunches and dinners as indicated in this

itinerary Land travel by air-conditioned coach Extensive background notes Background talks Services of a tour leader and a tour manager throughout

tour All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary Qualified local guides Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels

Not included International airfares (competitive quotes available) Travel insurance Meals and activities not stated as included in this

itinerary Personal expenses

Air travel OPTIONS The tour price quoted is for land content only. Emirates offer daily flights to London. Please contact us for further information on competitive Economy, Business and First Class airfares. Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel. These may be group or individual transfers.

Enquiries & bookings For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Kathy Wardrop at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email kathy@academytravel.com.au

Weather on Tour June is a great time to visit England. The days are long, rainfall is low and temperatures are mild to warm. Nevertheless, you should bring a light jacket and jumpers for the evenings. As we all know, English summers can sometimes be a bit damp, so bring an umbrella!

Fitness Requirements of THIS tour

GRADE TWO

It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a star grading. Academy Travel’s tours tend to feature extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater fitness than coach touring. We ask you to carefully consider your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.

Participation criteria for this tour

This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of physical activity per day on most days, including longer walking tours, challenging archaeological sites, climbing stairs, embarking and disembarking trains and/or boats, and a more demanding tour schedule with one night stops or several internal flights. You should be able to: keep up with the group at all times walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only

short breaks stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and

museums tolerate uncomfortable climatic conditions such as cold,

humidity and heat walk up and down slopes negotiate steps and slopes on archaeological sites,

which are often uneven and unstable get on and off a large coach with steep stairs, train or

boat unassisted, possibly with luggage move your luggage a short distance if required

A note for older travellers

If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. You will have to miss several activities and will not get the full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until after you have contacted Academy Travel to discuss your situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour. While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition.