Who doesn’t love the wonderfully versatile spud; chips, roasted, baked or in a salad.

But they’re no longer quite ‘as cheap as chips’ these days. So we’re on a mission to help everyone from 8 to 80 years to grow a plateful… in your garden, window sill or on your front step.

Whether you’re a seasoned allotmenteer or a curious young digger, join us at the Gardens on Sunday February 15th.

There’ll be a selection of different seed potatoes to buy in small quantities as well as a few ‘grow in a bag’ free kits.

Change Kitchen cic, the community food company, will be cooking up a range of savoury (and sweet) potato dishes to savour and there’ll be delish recipes to take away.

We’ll take the mystery out of growing your own too, with expert advice to find what on earth ‘chitting’ is and the difference between ‘earlies’ and ‘maincrop’.

We may also tackle whether there’s any truth in the traditional ‘potato planting day’. Now is it Good Friday or St Patricks Day ???

And we can’t have a Potato Day without some potato printing and Mr Potato Head….. free family activites

York Supplies Community Coop will be selling – at really reasonable prices -a range of seed potatoes – from earlies to maincrop. You don’t have to  buy load… dip in to growing by buying just one or two and see your single potato become a whole plateful of mash, roasties or chips later in the year.

Catch up  with what’s on here https://www.castlebromwichhallgardens.org.uk/calendar/we-love-potatoes/

The post ‘Grow it forward’ – the humble spud. appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

Cafe will be open if you and the children get peckish after school.
Hot and cold drinks, snacks and fruit available.
Shop open
We are NOT part of the WorldBookDay book voucher scheme - sorry.. but there wil be a range of books for sale at reasonable prices.

The post World Book Day – celebrate reading for pleasure with us appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

Every Day you can …welly wang… make pinecone birdfeeders… make a noise and explore why Percy the ParkKeeper’s shed is full of animals. Half Term fun from 16th – 26th, No need to book £5 adults £2 for children 3years+ #halfterm #schoolholidays #outdoorfun

Of course you can just come for a walk too (the Snowdrops are looking particularly lovely) and to have a cup of something at our outdoor courtyard Cafe.

As well as our 10 acre historic formal gardens dont forget to visit, explore and follow the Nature Trail on the adjoining Historic Parkland (free to use)

The post February Half Term 2023 appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

The post Fun and Frolics in the Gardens this August! appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

These were always planned for 2020 and even though they are starting later in the season we are making every Friday evening in August a stroll and picnic evenings for Members.

The Gardens are a subtly different place on summer evenings; the bees still buzz around the scented flowers, light grows softer in the sky and it’s still warm enough to kick back and relax before bedtime.

Every Friday starting on August 7^th members can use the Gardens from 5pm to 9pm.

We still ask members to prebook. This way you will know the Gardens will be safe for you and your family.

The car park will also be supervised throughout that time.

We hope to have the shop open for takeaway refreshments.

You can stay just for a stroll or hang out for the whole time for a picnic and chat.

As always, we just ask you to take home your rubbish and leave with a contented smile.

PS … It’s not too late to benefit from our covid-19 15 month membership deal. Join or  renew by July 31st and get an extra 3 months on your annual membership. See  HERE

The post Members Only treat…Friday evening open gardens appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

In the ‘New Normal’ we have revamped some of the way we do things and almost all activities now will be ‘pre-booked’.

So, in addition to normal Day Entry and our popular picnic takeaway ‘Cream Tea in A Box’ we have for visitors delight;

First Songs musical sessions for babies and their grown ups and Relaxed Concerts by the renowned  B’Opera who create  beautiful music for tiny ears.

Yoga sessions with Yogi Clair  – two sessions in the outdoors follow by a cream tea.

We have so many charming spaces in the Gardens and we are really pleased to be able to use them to enhance these sessions – what a memory to be made! Baby’s first ‘move and groove’ under the heritage apple trees.

The size of the Archery Lawn of course allows us to spread out and keep safe while still enjoying live performances from great local theatre companies.

Tread the Boards based in Stratford and Heartbreak Productions based in Leamington are bouncing back from lockdown with specially adapted performances for the family audience

Tickets for Wind in the Willows and Alice in Lockdown will go on sale on this site by the end of this week.

The post Staycations at the Gardens appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

Not only can we now provide some fabulous fun entertainment for eager visitors in our wonderful venue, but we can also support the return to work of some creative people and performers who have totally lost their livelihoods during lockdown.

Just as a taster, with yet more to come later….. we have 2 specially adapted performances for families:Wind in the Willows from Stratford based theatre ‘Tread the Boards’ and a super 2 person show ‘Alice in Lockdown’ played from a caravan by those stalwarts of Midlands open air theatre Heartbreak Productions.

Tickets will be on sale soon… but put these dates in your diary

Saturday 8th and 9th August for Wind in the Willows and
Friday 21st August for Alice in Lockdown

Many calculations and cogitations have gone into making sure these productions are safe and healthy for both players and audiences.

Audience members will be allocated self contained spaces; ‘bubbles’, across the Archery lawn and around the Gardens, where they can settle down for the show, properly socially distanced from everyone else –  a great picnic experience for families too.

Car parking, ticket checking and finding your own special ‘bubble’ will all be managed in timed and safe ways too.

More is planned for the rest of the simmer for adults as well as families.

After such a difficult time for so many people we are thrilled to be able offer our Gardens space for some warming, healing and reviving activities this summer.

Stay in touch for more news…coming soon

The post Theatre returns… appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

Last year’s popular Cream Tea in a carry out box is set to return to the Garden in the next week. Scrumptious locally made scones, oodles of proper Cornish cream and berry jams all ready for you to collect at our Orangery shop and take off to your favourite place around the gardens for your own summer picnic treat.

Just order your Cream Tea in a Box package online and collect it when you come to the Gardens.

The box and nearly all the packaging is made of totally compostable plant based materials – so nothing goes to waste. We are still offering never ending tea/coffee refills – but given current circs. these will be served in a new cup, so please help us by disposing of the packaging in the recycling bins.

With our 10acres of beautiful green space we are the ideal space for your staycation days out… pack a picnic basket, add an order for a Cream Tea in a Box and take a trip to 18th century elegance.

Check the website ticket page HERE

The post Cream Tea in a Box …. coming soon appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

There are times when the proximity of the motorway junction is a blessing!

Today 2 families chose the Gardens as a halfway house meeting place to see their grandparents/parents/children/grandchildren for the first time since lockdown.

One family came from west and east to meet here, another from north and south.

Although it was a blustery cool day they all made the best of their much waited for reunion.

(Us in the Gardens’ shed a little tear, we must admit)

The post “Journeys end in family’s meeting, Every wise man’s son doth know” appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.

The urge to be creative during lockdown has been fuelled, happily, by many tv programmes, blogs and online memes. Hopefully the creativity will not be lost as we emerge slowly from our hibernation.

The radio poet Ian Macmillan, the Barnsley Bard, works extensively with arts groups in Yorkshire. Attached is a document (.pdf) with some really useful prompts and exercises to get our poetry going – whatever age we are.

Creative Directions Resource Pack  wearedarts.org.uk

One of the styles of poem popular in victorian times was the ‘Acrostic’ .

We’ve had a go — how about you?

Here is Ian’s

Here is ours

What about …..?

The post Poetry resources from Ian MacMillan appeared first on Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens.