Strawberry Hill House & Garden - Strawberry Hill Tea Garden with Alan Titchmarsh and Fortum & Mason

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Strawberry Hill Tea Garden with Alan Titchmarsh and Fortnum & Mason FRIDAY 22 SEPTEMBER, 2PM – 4.30PM

Strawberry Hill's Woodland Walk has been recently redeveloped and we would be delighted if you could join us at our opening celebrations.  The afternoon will begin with an opening ceremony led by Alan Titchmarsh. Alan and the gardening team will then join us for a short stroll through the enchanting garden, restored to its 18th Century heyday. You will enjoy music from Manontroppo Clarinet Quartet, followed by an 18th century-style Tea Garden. During tea, which will be taken in a marquee on the garden, you will hear extracts of wit and wisdom by Horace Walpole the ‘man of letters’, edited from his book On Modern Gardening and his 7000 letters.  To cater for such growing popularity of tea, tea gardens were established from the 1730s to allow people to stroll and take tea - the fashionable thing to do. At the opening of Ranelagh Gardens, Horace Walpole said it attracted ‘everybody that loves eating, drinking, staring and crowding’! With their rich 300-year history, we’re thrilled that for this event we’re partnering with Fortnum & Mason, who will provide guests with their Royal Blend tea and Fortnum’s Eau de Nil gift bags for everyone to take away. Tickets for this unique occasion are £50 and include an afternoon with Alan Titchmarsh, Fortnum & Mason Royal Blend Tea, finger sandwiches, cakes, sparkling wine and a special Fortnum’s gift bag  This event is part of Horace Walpole’s Tercentenary celebrations and will raise much needed funds for the ongoing care and maintenance of the House & Garden. Book Here

ALISON WEIR TALKS ABOUT HER NEW BOOK SIX TUDOR QUEENS WED 18 OCT, 7:30PM The lives of Henry VIII’s wives make for dramatic stories. In her current and forthcoming series of novels, Alison Weir offers new insights into the real lives of these six queens, evoking the world of a court dominated by the will of an egomaniacal, suggestible king, and the power politics and ruthlessness that were the reality behind its magnificent façade. She will relate how Henry’s six queens lived a hair’s breadth away from disaster – and how it frequently overtook them. Theirs are grim and tragic stories, set in a lost world of splendour and brutality: a world in which love, or the game of it, dominated, but dynastic pressures overrode any romantic considerations. In this world, one dominated by religious change, there are few saints.   Book Here HORACE WALPOLE'S GRAND BIRTHDAY PICNIC!  SUN 24 SEP, 11AM- 3PM We’d like to invite supporters of Strawberry Hill from near and far to celebrate this milestone and join us for a grand birthday picnic in the beautiful garden Horace created. Bring your hamper and blanket and enjoy an afternoon in gorgeous surroundings, with performances by community musicians and a cake and bake stall selling tasty creations by Strawberry Hill’s volunteers and friends. There will also be crafts, face painting, a bouncy castle and a BBQ for those that forget their lunch! Mini bakers are also invited to celebrate Horace Walpole’s big 300th birthday and create him an amazing birthday cupcake! There will be a PRIZE for the best birthday cupcake in each age category; 3-6 years, 7-10 years, 11-14 years. Admission is FREE but please donate to keep Strawberry Hill going for the next 300 years!