Out & About July 2017

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There are plenty of National Trust-owned places to visit within a 30-mile radius
of Newbury. To find out more visit
Ashdown House, Lambourn
Unusual Dutch-style house on the Berkshire Downs,
built by William Craven as a house fit for the queen
he loved, Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia, in 1662.
Access to the house is by guided tour only.
Pre-booking is not required, except for large groups.
The house is tenanted and access is limited to hall,
staircase (100 steps) and roof.
There is a lacemaker at work and also woodland
crafts demonstrations.
The grounds can be visited when the house is open
and the woodland is open all-year-round, Saturday
to Thursday.
The Vyne, Sherborne St John
Currently undergoing a major roof project, the history
runs from its royal Tudor beginnings. On the ground
floor, which is open to visitors, discover a rare pre-
Reformation chapel once visited by Henry VIII and a
classically-inspired 18th-century staircase hall.
Other NT sites include:
Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere
Home to large-scale murals by Sir Stanley Spencer
Basildon Park, Reading
18th-century house purchased by Lord and Lady
Iliffe in the 1950s
Frensham Little Pond
Bishops fish pond in stunning heathland and
abundant wildlife.
Long Crendon Courthouse
Medieval courthouse
Mompesson House, Salisbury
18th-century townhouse in Salisbury’s
Cathedral Close.
West Green House Garden, Hartley Wintney
A delightful series of walled gardens surrounds
the charming 18th-century house.
Great Coxwell Barn, Faringdon
13th-century stone barn.
Inside Lady Lever Art Gallery. Left
background is The Wedding Morning, 1892,
by John Henry Frederick Bacon (1866-1913).
Leverhulme bought this painting from the
1892 Royal Academy private view to use in
an advertisement for Sunlight Soap. In the
advertisement, bars of Sunlight Soap were
substituted for the clock on the mantelpiece
and for the cup and saucer on the table.
Crosby Beach. Antony Gormley’s 100, life-
size, self-replicating sculptures.
Beatles Statue. On Liverpool’s Pier Head.
Donated to the city by the Cavern Club, and
coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the
Beatles’ last concert in their home city when
they played at the Liverpool Empire.
H’Boro Scrolls and Medals. Inside Liverpool
Town Hall, the display in the main ballroom
on the first floor. The 100 Freedom of the
City scrolls and medals were awarded to the
families of the 96 Hillsborough victims and the
four key campaigners for justice.
Little Moreton Hall. Said to be the finest
half-timbered manor in England, it evolved
into a top heavy, irregular structure and was
described as “a fairy story, gingerbread house”
and a “a stranded Noah’s Ark”.
Anglican Cathedral. Visible in the distance
over the west doors is Tracey Emin’s
controversial pink, neon sign – in her
handwriting – “I felt you and then I knew you
loved me”.
In September 2016 , long-standing member of the Newbury National Trust Ian Hopper
kept a record of the group’s five-day trip to the north west of England.
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