First Ever Traditional Summer Fete

The gardens at Hestercombe are finally taking on their beautiful late spring mantle after some better weather! Don’t forget what fun the gardens are for children over half term, when butterfly experts will be in the garden giving free talks! And for some traditional style english summer enjoyment come and try our first ever Hestercombe Summer Fete on June...

All our Summer Events are now up on the events section of the website. There's something for everyone - whether it's educational (charcoal burning or our stone walling course) or entertainment (our Summer Fete will be full of fun and games plus Folksy Theatre are back in August).

**At last! The good weather is upon us, for now at least. So enjoy it whilst you can. And there were hundreds of you who did just this on Saturday at our Summer Fete which was a storming success and I can’t be too pleased that the sun shone for the day.** So here’s a few photos **Thank you to all involved**, the event wouldn’t have been the same...

Woo hoo! Another long weekend... it will be great to see some more people at Hestercombe this side of half-term. And in true Hestercombe style, Kevin's putting on a BBQ in the courtyard on Bank Holiday Monday. Freshly cooked meat over the Hestercombe charcoal and a delicious variety of crispy salads. And as May draws to an end we're all getting busy. Herb...

**Head Gardener, Claire Reid and her team have worked tirelessly to create the new summer bedding for the Victorian Terrace. Historically, the bedding has alway been changed twice a year so keeping true to this tradition, the formal Garden Team have a new sceme on the Victorian Terrace to enjoy for the summer.**: **Head Gardener, Claire Reid and her team...

Hestercombe is a wonderful garden venue and regularly listed amongst the top 20 gardens in Britain. Many activities are offered in the garden, a good number of them are free with garden entry such as the butterfly walks and the charcoal burning days. Special emphasis is also given to children as it’s a great place for them to engage with nature and enjoy...

To my worldly blog followers, sorry for my absence over the last few weeks, it’s been a busy time in the kitchens. A little belated I know but I wish Liz our old pastry chef good luck in her new venture. The weeks that passed after Liz left were busy ones but (would you believe I was making cakes?!) but were made easier by the support of a great team in...

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE To support the day-to-day running of either the Junior or Senior Summer School through providing administrative and pastoral support. To work with the Summer School team to deliver an exceptional experience for international students attending the summer School showcasing what Taunton School has to offer. HOURS OF WORK Working hours...

If you wander up to the far reaches of the Landscape Garden here at Hestercombe, you’ll stumble upon our kiln. It’s not for firing clay and it’s not for heating glassit’s for the hot, dirty, smoky work of making charcoal. Tucked between the trees, close to the Cascades, stands the Charcoal Burner’s Camp, in an area once used for quarrying. For the...

**Part 2 - Sport, Eating, Hospitals and Tragedy.**: - Mr. and Mrs. Edward Portman will give a ball about January 11 to celebrate the coming of age of Mr. Ivo Vesey, Mrs. Portman’s eldest son by her first husband, Captain Eustace Vesey... To Mr. Portman, indeed, everything connected with dancing is more or less of a bore. He prefers hunting, shooting, or...

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Unlock Your Potential with Ann SummersWe're on the hunt for a talented Sales Consultant to join our dynamic team in Taunton!As a Sales Consultant, you'll be the face of our brand, delivering exceptional customer service and driving sales growth. You'll work closely with our customers to understand their needs and provide personalized solutions, ensuring a...

Another wet and dreary day! Where on earth IS the Summer? I was everso pleased to see lots of waterproof visitors walking the gardens, regardless and enjoying cups of tea and hot teacakes dripping with butter in the restaurant. A warm welcome to tiny wee 'Teddy' the Jack Russell puppy on his first outing!

**On a balmy summer's evening - yes we have had a few of them - Folksy Theatre burst on to their makeshift stage in front of the Orangery in the heart of Hestercombe's formal gardens with their adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'. It's my favorite Shakespeare and I was not disappointed. The Folksy group was full of energy, colour and skill...

The forest kiln in the 1990s Tomorrow is Charcoal Burning Day at Hestercombe. It means an early start for our Gardens Team who will light the kiln at 5am and stay up at the Charcoal Burner’s Camp in the woods until it gets dark and the charcoal is made. We’re also open a little later than usual tomorrow - you can explore the gardens until 8pm and also...

**Novelties in NOVEMBER AT HESTERCOMBE.** **Fungi, Fiction and Festive Fayre!** November at Hestercombe kicks off with a Historical Writer’s Association Day as part of the Taunton Literary Festival. Throughout the day a range of authors including Anthony Riches, Karen Maitland Romans, Historical Crime and Naval Fiction. Combine food for the mind with...

Apple pruning confuses a lot of people and it doesn't matter how many times you look at that diagram in the book, your tree just looks nothing like it! Here is my simple version of how to prune your apple tree. First you need to be aware of the reasons for pruning. - To maintain the health of the plant/tree - To control the shape or size - To encourage...

The little daisy you see dotted around the stonework in the formal gardens is Erigeron karvinskianus. Once you get it to settle in it will easily self seed all over your garden. if flowers from early summer through to the first frosts. If left it can get a bit leggy and woody so every autumn (after it has started going to seed) it gets a big hair...

**Premium Pub - Full Time (18+) + Tips + 70% off meals + Training + Flexible shifts...** Wonderful World's End Part of the Hall & Woodhouse family of exceptional destination food pubs and located just outside Taunton on the A38 and just off the M5, the World’s End is a perfect example of a friendly, quality English village pub. Steeped in history it still...

This trusty old container first arrived at Hestercombe many years ago. It served several years as a mess room for the garden staff - boiling hot in summer and freezing in the winter - but it became 'home'. Then as the charity progressed we built a fancy new mess room with windows and toilets and all sorts of mod cons. The container started its next life as...