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I write this at the end of last Sunday, with a glass of wine sat in the garden at Burgh House with the catering team having just closed the gates to the public.
We all look exhausted (and a little sunburnt). This has been only the second weekend we have had the café open again since closing the House and Grounds in March. I think we have got the hang of this new way of working- tables spaced, track and trace, obsessive cleaning and the rest. There were so many worries about reopening, and in particular how to make it feel relaxed and ‘normal’ whilst ensuring it was safe.
I can now say that the whole process has been an almost joyful experience. Everyone visiting has been so lovely and patient, interested in our work as a charity and generally just delighted to be able to sit outside and have lunch again, enjoying the garden. We have also been genuinely impressed by the level of courtesy and respect people have shown; this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as a rule we get a really lovely crowd in our café but knowing that so much is down to the individual to uphold social distancing and keeping each other safe, it has really felt that we are all in this together.
For me just being able to talk with our visitors again, and for Burgh House to be filled by happy chatter and laughter is enough to pull me through these days and to remind me how important the House is to the public. Hope you can come and say Hi over the next few weeks.
Mark Francis, Director
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The Burgh House Cafe
The cafe is serving a fabulous selection of homemade cakes, freshly made onsite everyday.
Enjoy a cup of tea (or a glass of wine!) in our beautiful cafe garden and help support a local business!
Opening hours:
Wednesday-Friday, 10am-5pm
Saturday & Sunday, 9:30am-5:30pm |
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Families Challenge:
Randolph Schwabe
If you missed our Randolph Schwabe challenge for families last May, you have another chance to share your creations with us on social media.
Randolph Schwabe was an artist who lived in Hampstead from 1928. Throughout his career he made paintings, technical drawings, book illustrations and etchings of architectural scenes, figures and landscapes. In this video you can learn more about how to use shadowing to enhance your drawings just like Schwabe did in his lovely etching Bank Holiday: The Swings
Tag us! @BurghHouse1704 #fromhouse2house #MuseumFromHome |
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Small Weddings at Burgh House
We are delighted to announce that since the 4th July 2020, we are holding wedding ceremonies again at Burgh House. It has been a very busy Summer of planning and waiting for Government guidelines, and we are now at the stage where small weddings can safely go ahead. We are getting a lot of enquiries at the moment for bookings this September onwards for ceremonies up to 30 people (hopefully this will expand as time goes on) during the week and on Saturdays. Please do not hesitate to email victor.hall@burghhouse.org.uk to discuss in further detail should you have a wedding in mind, and to schedule a meeting at Burgh House. Alternatively you can ring the office and speak to a member of the team on site 020 7431 0144 It definitely feels good to have a positive event to look forward to in the calendar! |
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Insiders/Outsiders online
For those of you that enjoyed the last series of events organised by Insiders/Outsiders for Refugee Week (15- 21st June), you’ll be pleased to hear that the team have announced their next series of free online events taking place between 20th July- 2nd August. The events include talks, discussions, screenings and musical performances exploring the contribution of émigrés to British culture. They will explore a range of topics, and the lives of extraordinary individuals including musicians, poets, artists and spies. Events are free of charge but registration is essential as places are limited. For further information about each event and to register follow the link below. If you didn’t catch all the events for Refugee Week you can now listen to recordings of them on the Insiders/Outsiders website. Image: On Thursday 23 July at 8pm, there will be a screening (in association with the Hungarian Cultural Centre) of The Animated World of Halas & Batchelor, a new film directed by Richard Shaw exploring the work of John Halas and Joy Batchelor |
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Burgh House Bookshelf:
A Walking Guide to Modernist Houses
We’ve just taken delivery of this cracking walking guide by @stefiorazistudio for the shop and had to give it a trial run. Stefi’s perambulation no.2 covers modernist houses in Hampstead. It’s just the right amount of info and is not too taxing. The walk starts at the overground station for Hampstead Heath and finishes at Hampstead Tube station (we did it backwards) and passes Burgh house so you can stop in for tea and cake. Although our cafe is open normal hours now, our shop is not, but we are very happy to post the guide to anyone who loves a bit of modernism as we do. They are only £4.50 plus the cost of a large letter (we will have to look the stamp price up!) if you are interested please drop us an email to info@burghhouse.org.uk |
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Buddha Bowls
We have a Buddha bowl on the café menu at the moment, and it’s proving exceedingly popular. You can tailor a bowl to meet your individual needs and likes. Start with a grain, preferably a whole grain – brown rice, spelt, pearl barley, giant cous cous. Add a roasted veg or two – entirely what you fancy, then some greens of choice. Make is look pretty, in 3 or 4 lines across the bowl and dress with this great peanut sauce – see recipe below.
And as always, enjoy!
Ingredients
- 150 g peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or any vinegar you lke
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon ginger root grated
- 2-4 tablespoons warm water
Method
Mix it all together (except for the water) with a whisk
Gradually add water to a consistency you like. Will keep in the fridge for a good week.
Image: © Del's cooking twist |
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Shop Local
We have been sharing some of the fantastic initiatives undertaken by groups and businesses in Hampstead over the last couple of months. Today we have a bigger appeal from the shop owners of Hampstead. Now open again, they really, really need your support to get back on their feet and keep our High Street alive. Photo: Hampstead High Street (1967) by John Gay (1909 - 1999) Collection of Burgh House. © John Gay Estate |
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How you can help
Closing the house has had a significant, detrimental financial impact on Burgh House.
As a self-funded charity, we rely on our events to keep the house open.
If you aren't already a member, please consider joining up!
We will be keeping in regular contact during the closure period and every donation no matter how small will make a huge difference to us. Thank you.
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