Hestercombe Is Still Here, As Tranquil and Peaceful

**Nestled in tranquil countryside and boasting sweeping lawns, three stunning historic gardens and the iconic Ham Stone Lutyens-designed Orangery, it’s no wonder Hestercombe, near Taunton, is one of the most idyllic wedding venues in Somerset.**: Explore the venue As a couple getting married at Hestercombe you’ll get access to the entire grounds during...

**Seats still available on the Hestercombe Express for 11th, 18th, 25th July. Book now! Stopping at a station near you.... Book direct with the West Somerset Railway.**: **Seats still available on the Hestercombe Express for 11th, 18th, 25th July. Book now!** Stopping at a station near you.... Book direct with the West Somerset Railway.

**‘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...

**Nestled in tranquil countryside and boasting sweeping lawns, three stunning historic gardens and the iconic light-filled Orangery, it’s no wonder Hestercombe's Somerset wedding venue is one of the most idyllic wedding venues in the Southwest.**: **Venues**: With a selection of gorgeous venues from grand and formal to small and intimate, all situated in...

**Creative Director, Tim Martin, updates on what has been happening at Hestercombe Gallery.**: - Credit: Jem Southam, Winter Walks Three Ducks.In February this year, as part of the ‘Expanding Landscapes: Painting after Land Art’ exhibition programme, we held an event entitled ‘Landscape Resonances’, where co-curator Joy Sleeman explored the ‘after...

**A regularly updated statement from Hestercombe Gardens regarding steps taken on site to help protect customers and staff from the Covid-19 pandemic.**: **Latest update: Friday 30th April 2021**: **Hestercombe Gardens is open daily for visits**: We are delighted to return to being fully open for visits from members and non-members. Bookings for the gardens...

Did you see Hestercombe on the BBC? Inside Out South West did a special feature about thedevelopments of Hestercombe House. We are all thrilled to hit such a wide audience and loved watching some of our staff on the telly! The programme was excellent so a big thank you to all involved. If you missed the programme catch up on the BBC iplayer and let us know...

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. This post is the first of a series called 'Memories of Hestercombe', where we uncover lost and forgotten characters of the estate. - Written by Kim Legate, Archivist_ - Figure 1 - Thomas ‘James’ Tooze &...

This is the last week you can see 'Leaping the Fence' featuring many world famous artists including Mark Wallinger and Tracey Emin. But fear not! On 14th October we re-open with the Tania Kovats show 'Oceans', a wonderful collection of drawing, sculpture and multi-media. Here's a great review from it's last outing in Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery: The...

**Hestercombe Shop Blog!! (a little message from Hannah - Shop Manager)** The shop is changing with the new wintery season........there's lots of new and exciting gifts arriving weekly, from stocking fillers to that extra special gift for someone in your life. Locally produced items available to support the area and community, all our cards are personally...

We were treated to a lovely still evening at Hestercombe last night for the first Illumina of 2013. We seemed to miss the rain that got the rest of the area - people do say we have a Hestercombe micro-climate! We're all set for another beautiful evening tonight. If you've not got your tickets yet don't panic there are still some available either **online,**...

Have you spotted our exciting new Dogs of Hestercombe exhibition in the Long Gallery, which celebrates Hestercombe's patrons with paws? We love to welcome visitors and their dogs for walks in the garden and a spot of canine ice cream in the Stables Cafe. Earlier this year, volunteer and photographer Daniel McCarthy captured these charming photos of visitors...

**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...

**UPDATE, 7th January 2021: *Please note: in line with the national lockdown, Hestercombe House and Gallery is temporarily closed. Read our full coronavirus statement for opening information.**: To visit Hestercombe House and Gallery (when reopen), you will need to book a gardens admission ticket, which also gives you entry to _Open-Up_, a new series of...

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...

Yesterday's Independent contained a lovely summary of Hestercombe Gardens in it's 'Top 10 Best Gardens To Visit'. We are very pleased to be featured in such a revered newspaper and look forward to seeing many more visitors this summer! Read the whole article online **here

**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...

When it's cold outside and the days are short, it can be all too tempting to hunker down, cosy up and stay indoors. But we're here to convince you to throw on a jacket, pull on your wellies and head outside. Visiting winter gardens is a great way to do this. And while there won't be quite so many blooms, the colder months bring their own unique treats. ...

Hestercombe has several **charcoal burns** every summer to help with the sustainable management of our woodland. Fallen trees are chopped up and packed into the kiln at the charcoal burners camp up in the Landscape Gardens and the charcoal burn spreads over four days. The kiln is lit and then as the wood slowly burns down it becomes charcoal. The kiln is...

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 1897 - and the star studded Taunton guest list in attendance. _Written by Kim Legate, Archivist_ - On...