Airing weekly from Sunday 23 August 2020, a new six-part Channel 4 series presented by George Clarke offers a behind-the-scenes look at some of the National Trust’s most remarkable properties during their closure to visitors. Featured in the show are 11 houses, gardens and coastal sites in the South West, including Hidcote, Tyntesfield, Kingston Lacy, Studland Bay, Corfe Castle and Killerton.
‘George Clarke’s National Trust Unlocked’ sees George discover some of the UK’s most impressive historic homes; finding out more about the fascinating architecture, design and stories behind...
Last month the National Trust reopened seven properties in England and Northern Ireland as part of a phased reopening of its 200 houses. which were closed as part of the national lockdown in March.
On Tuesday 11th August, the National Trust in the South West will see Killerton House open their doors daily, for the first time in more than four months - with several new safety measures in place.
One-way systems and limited numbers inside houses will ensure that social distancing is possible, while enhanced cleaning and hand sanitising stations will be made available....
The National Trust is calling for people around the UK to share their letters with the conservation charity and its followers and members, about their lockdown experiences. The Trust plans to add a selection to its historic collection of letters.
In the two-week period from 11-25 March, the charity saw a 1,000% jump in visits to the notecard category of its online shop, suggesting people were anticipating that traditional handwritten notes and letters would be a key way to keep in touch during the lockdown.
The National Trust’s Head Curator, Sally-Anne Huxtable, says: “...
On Saturday 29 February, keen visitors and volunteers joined Killerton rangers to plant trees at Ellerhayes.
Over 200 trees were planted alongside the River Culm to contribute towards the variety of wildlife habitats at Killerton, helping to support animals and plants on the estate. At the same time, visitors were encouraged to make a promise for nature to plant along with their tree.
The growing trees will not only create a new nature haven but will also provide natural flood management by slowing water flow into the river, easing the burden on existing flood defences....
The National Trust will be lighting beacons across the South West on Thursday 9 January as part of a national network of beacons to celebrate 125 years since the conservation charity was founded.
They will be lit at dawn to mark the moment that the charity was founded by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley to give people access to nature, to beauty and to history.
Locations where the beacons will be lit include Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. Chapel Carn Brea in Cornwall will be the most south westerly beacon lighting location in the UK, with beacons...
Castle Drogo will be open for Christmas for the first time since a major conservation project began seven years ago to make the building watertight.
Although the building work now has the end in sight, there is still much work to be done to restore the castle’s grounds and interiors back into the Drewe’s family home, which is likely to continue into 2020. However, the building is now watertight, meaning that Christmas can return to the castle once again.
From Saturday 30 November until Monday 23 December, Castle Drogo will be open and decorated for Christmas, inspired by...
A dedicated team of Christmas volunteers have spent over 3,000 hours creating a range festive displays and decorations bringing to life this year’s theme, which has taken inspiration from the well-known poem by Clement Clarke Moore, ‘Twas the night before Christmas.’
It’s all thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers at the National Trust’s Killerton, near Exeter, who start planning the theme, design and decorations at the start of each year.
Throughout 2019 the team have been busy creating festive decorations including stockings to hang by the fire in the Drawing Room and...
In celebration of National Tree Week, there will be tree planting in conjunction with the Tiverton Tree Team at Knightshayes this November to help boost the impressive tree collection that calls Knightshayes its home.
The planting, taking place on Saturday 30 November will help to replace the three mature oak trees which were taken out from the bottom of the driveway in October last year due to tree disease being identified at their base. The disease known as Ganoderma, a tree fungus, degraded the tree from the base upwards, and from the outside can be hard to detect, as the trees...
The National Trust has announced plans to release Eurasian beavers at two sites in the south of England next spring to help with flood management and to improve biodiversity.
The beaver reintroductions will be the first made by the conservation charity, linking to its ambitions to create priority habitats for nature and to increase the diversity of species and wildlife numbers on the land in its care.
Having once been an important part of the ecosystem, beavers became extinct in the UK in the 16th century due to hunting for their fur, meat and scent glands.
The tree planting event at Killerton on Sunday 17 November is cancelled due to the weather forecast and potential flooding of the event site. Please check Killerton’s social media for updates on future events
**********************
To conclude 2019’s celebration of the centenary of the Forestry Commission, Killerton will be hosting a tree planting event at Ellerhayes on Sunday 17 November.
The estate’s rangers need your help to plant 400 trees alongside the River Culm. The trees are being planted to contribute towards the variety of wildlife habitats at Killerton,...
