From The Archives: Memories of Hestercombe

The Hestercombe archives are bursting at the seams with facts, pictures and accounts of the history of Hestercombe and those who lived and worked here. In this installment of Memories of Hestercombe we hear about the Grand Ball which took place in January and the star studded Taunton guest list in attendance. _Written by Kim Legate, Archivist_ On Christmas...

The Hestercombe archives are bursting at the seams with facts, pictures and accounts of the history of Hestercombe and those who lived and worked here. In this installment of _Memories of Hestercombe_ we take a step back almost 300 years and explore the Hestercombe estate as it was in 1720. _Written by Kim Legate, Archivist_ Fig. - John Bampfylde's Georgian...

Rediscovering and Restoring the Octagon Summerhouse:by Assistant Archivist, Ben Whitworth_ The restoration of Hestercombe's Landscape Garden calls for a wide range of skills. For example, an Octagon Summerhouse is known to have existed in 1761 when someone listed it among the seats and alcoves within the Garden. However, it was subsequently demolished...

1940-42:In July 1940, the British Army established 8th Corps to take responsibility for all British troops in the South West of England, and Hestercombe became the division's rear HQ. In early 1941 the first six barrack blocks were built with brick bases, concrete block walls and roofs covered with asbestos slates.1943-44:The British 8th Corps departed...

Are you a creative looking for your next opportunity?:Are you a creative looking for your next opportunity?Hestercombe Gallery aims to present the best in contemporary arts practice, whilst focusing on the relationship between art and landscape. We aim to be a place in which art is not only shown but where artists and designers can explore, collaborate,...

WELCOME TO WINTER WONDERLAND AT HESTERCOMBE A sparkling winter woodland walk, skating, Father Christmas and 3 unique Carol concerts combine to make the festive season at Hestercombe exceptional._For the first time, from November 30th until December 24th, from 4.30pm each evening (check website for exact times) an enchanting Winter Wonderland woodland walk...

'Choristers from Wellington School Chapel Choir entertained a packed audience to a magical evening of Carols By Candlelight in Hestercombe House on Saturday.' The event took place in the grand Victorian hallway of the House, with the choir positioned on the impressive staircase which was festooned with festive garlands.The picture shows 4 of the choristers:...

Help for heritage as Hestercombe receives lifeline from Government's Culture Recovery Fund:Help for heritage as Hestercombe receives lifeline from Government's Culture Recovery FundHeritage sites protected: More help for heritage in need with £14 million investment in England's historic sites Hestercombe among 162 organisations receiving lifeline grant from...

First paper to pick up the skating story The Western Daily Press.Have a look at their lovely photo here: WesternDailyPress And guess who's dressed as an elf? "The new Face of Somerset, Megan Bessell, with Father Christmas, elves Helen Barsby and Emily McCoy, enjoy the Hestercombe Christmas Skating Rink near Taunton last night, where they were skating with...

Welcome to our new website which we hope you'll agree is rather lovely. The site is packed with information and articles both serious and fun. Like Hestercombe, the website will continue to grow and develop. We hope you enjoy using the site as a resource and to interact with us. Do give us your feedback on all we do. It's only by talking to each other that...

On the 'blog' section of our website there are regular updates about what's growing on In the gardens Claire (Head Gardener) and Jo do reports on what's happening, with Claire's plant ID***and find out about the history of Hestercombe from Kim, our archivist, who quietly works away reading old manuscripts or discovering who's who in black and white photos....

Welcome to the festive season We're now officially in the mood for Christmas after a very successful annual Christmas Market. Filled with beautiful stalls and friendly, local producers and craftspeople we were bursting at the seams with decorations, food and lots of lovely gift ideas. A great way to kick start the festive season.We're now in a thoroughly...

The National Lottery Open Week returns for 2021, offering free entry and discounts at hundreds of venues across the UK this June, including Hestercombe Gardens:Hestercombe is proud to be taking part in National Lottery Open Week 2021 to help say thank you for support received from the LotteryTo say thank you for the £30million raised for good causes every...

an amateur artist whose talents were far from amateurish- ~ Huon Mallalieu, Country Life art writer_Coplestone Warre Bampfylde, :2020 gained significance as we celebrated the 300th anniversary of the birth of Coplestone Warre Bampfylde, former owner of Hestercombe, and designer of the impressive Landscape Garden that greets you after walking through the...

Head Gardener, Claire Greenslade, shares tips on how we're saving water at Hestercombe:As you can imagine in the high temperatures we've experienced recently the gardens are beginning to suffer from heat exhaustion - just like the rest of usAt Hestercombe we are very conscious of our water consumption and use. We recognise that water is such a valuable...

The Hon. Mrs Portman with her dog at Hestercombe_Celebrating International Women's Day at Hestercombe:From the moment Constance Portman gently suggested to her husband Teddy that she have a small amount of extra garden for herself at Hestercombe, women continued to play a significant part in the running of the Formal and Landscape gardens.Mrs Portman's...

The Hestercombe Gardens Trust was established in 1996 to oversee the restoration of the gardens and to protect them for the future:The Trust's Objectives:The Trust's charitable objective is: to reclaim, restore, preserve, enhance and develop for the education and benefit of the public, the landscape, gardens and buildings of heritage, horticultural or...

Philip, our Chief Executive here at Hestercombe, joined the list of names honoured with an MBE last weekend in recognition of his services to Historic Garden Restoration. It is a well deserved appreciation of the 20 years of work he has devoted to recovering Hestercombe Gardens. It's a really exciting moment for Philip and for Hestercombe as a whole and we...

Come and visit our new Gallery Shop in Hestercombe House, as well as our Gift Shop and Plant Centre on the Marquee Lawn:An overview of the new Gallery ShopGallery Shop:Visit Hestercombe's new Gallery Shop for beautiful local handmade gifts. With a mix of high quality pieces, local artists showcase their work - a diverse selection of materials including...

National Tree Week is the perfect time for celebrating trees.Did you know that our sweet chestnut on Hestercombe's Orangery Lawn is over 500 years old?: The Oak tree in the East Orchard at HestercombeNaturally, we're tree mad here at Hestercombe, and as it's National Tree Week from 27th November 5th December, we want to shout about some of the trees we're...