Due to staff shortages in our catering team (congratulations to our Head Chef who has just gone on paternity leave), over the weekends of the 11th/12th and 18th/19th May we will be serving BBQ food only from outside our Stables Restaurant, as well as cakes, sandwiches and ice cream in our cafe. A limited menu will also be available from Monday to Friday over the next two weeks. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Soon the trees in the landscape garden will start to change from shades of green to predominantly yellow, reflected in the Pear Pond and transforming the garden into a romantic Claudian painting.
We continue to work on a number of exciting projects in the house and gardens which will come to fruition in the new year.
The trust was recently successful in gaining planning permission to reinstate Lutyens and Jekyll's avenue of twenty Holm oak trees on the west side of the formal garden. This long hoped for restoration has become possible as the trust has also acquired vacant possession of the land, enabling the avenue to be replanted as originally designed in 1904.
In addition, we are working on a number of proposals that aim to continue to reunite and restore the historical Hestercombe estate. In the Landscape garden we are busy planning the restoration of the historic West Path Seat for visitors to enjoy. While in Hestercombe House we have identified a number of projects that will restore historically significant features in addition to improving accessibility. I look forward to updating you in the winter newsletter.
Philip White, Chief Executive
