22 June – 12 July 2014
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22 June – 12 July 2014 Open Palace Programme www.openpalace.co/ 2 Sunday 22 June – Saturday 12 July 2014 Welcome to the Open Palace Programme 2014 This booklet is will provide you with all the day to day details you need about the programme and the timetable. It also contains a few suggestions for eating and drinking and some useful websites Please note that small adjustments to the timetable may sometimes be necessary. Summary itinerary Sunday 22 June 2014 – Saturday 12 July 2014 Please note that some details may change 22 June Arrive in the incomparable Roman and Georgian city of Bath, meet your Open Palace Programme mentor and settle into your accommodation. 23 June Induction morning – a chance to get to know the city of Bath and find out more about the programme. 24-26 June Focused seminars at the Bath Preservation Trust sites, including No 1 Royal Crescent. There will also be free time to explore the sites of this World Heritage City – such as the Roman Baths, Fashion Museum and Jane Austen Centre. 27-29 June Travel to The Old Rectory in Dorset, one of England’s most beautiful 18th century rectories, where you will stay for three nights and share a home-made Regency meal on the Saturday night. During the weekend we will visit Lyme Regis and the Jurassic coast nearby. Lyme Regis is the setting for several famous novels and films, including Persuasion by Jane Austen. 30 June Travel on to the outstanding Stowe House, a fabulous 18th century house and garden with a fascinating history. The journey goes via the 4000-5000 year old World Heritage Site Stonehenge. 1, 3 & 4 July The group joins senior staff at Stowe House, to gain insights into the development of this palace and its magnificent setting. Participants will see conservation in action, learn about estate management, and consider the challenges posed by the development of the new visitor centre. Open Palace Programme Summer 2014 www.openpalace.co Sunday 22 June – Saturday 12 July 2014 3 On one evening everyone will enjoy a sumptuous formal dinner in the house itself. 2 July Visit to the magnificent Blenheim Palace, home to the 11th Duke of Marlborough, and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Participants will explore the palace and meet the award winning education team. 4 July In the morning we meet a paper specialist at Stowe and explore the remarkable garden, which is managed by the National Trust. Travel to London in the afternoon to stay in the very centre of this vibrant capital city. 5-6 July Free time in London 7-11 July Between Monday and Friday we have a series of participative sessions at three of the largest Historic Royal Palaces – Hampton Court, Kensington Palace and the Tower of London – involving different specialists from their education, curatorial, collections and buildings conservation teams. We will also take you to visit two other important heritage sites in London, the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, to meet key members of their staff. You will also have time to explore London for yourselves. 12 July Departure Day www.openpalace.co/ www.openpalace.co Open Palace Programme Summer 2014 4 Sunday 22 June Bath Programme mentor Alison Eckersley 07810 684 313 Archaeological evidence shows that Bath’s main spring was treated as a shrine by the Celts. The Romans occupied the spot shortly after invading Britain until 42AD. The town Image: visitbath.co.uk © Bath Tourism Plus/Colin Hawkins expanded massively in Georgian times and by 1801 it was Pultney Bridge one of the most significant centres in the country. This week you will benefit from the expertise of professionals at Bath Preservation Trust and will learn about the particular approach that Bath Preservation Trust takes to the heritage challenges it encounters at its unique sites. Bath Preservation Trust was founded in 1934 as a small pressure group, with the object of protecting the city’s architectural heritage. The Trust exists “to preserve for the benefit of the public the historic character and amenities of the city of Bath and its surroundings”. The city of Bath has been accorded the status of a World Heritage Site, recognised as a place of outstanding universal significance for its rare visual integrity, its 18th century architectural quality and its landscape setting, which forms a magnificent backdrop to the city’s architecture. In a city with such a wealth of heritage there are inevitably difficult challenges to be faced in reconciling the demands of a modern thriving city with the exceptional level of conservation care demanded in a World Heritage Site. The 21st century has brought with it the added pressures of encroachment to the city’s green belt setting. The role and influence of the Trust is needed now as much as ever. http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/ Open Palace Programme Summer 2014 www.openpalace.co Sunday 22 June 5 Welcome drinks There will be a welcome drink and nibbles at 7pm at: The Ring ‘o’ Bells 10 Widcombe Parade Bath BA2 4JT 01225 44887 Live jazz from 8pm from Dave Newton, award winning pianist. The UK is lucky in having many fine jazz musicians; pianist and composer Dave Newton is one of the most gifted of his generation and has been voted top best British jazz pianist nine times. We will walk from the hotel at 6.45. Arrival and accommodation Bath Spa train station is located in the centre of Bath. It is a short walk from the city’s shops and attractions. There are regular train services direct from London Paddington and London Waterloo to Bath Spa, with an average journey time of around 90 minutes. You will stay in an en suite twin room at Travelodge Bath Waterside Hotel. Image: Travelodge Directions to the hotel Travelodge Bath Waterside Hotel Turn left out of the station onto Dorchester St and walk west. Rossiter Road Follow the road which bends sharply left then right, and Widcombe Basin Bath BA2 4JP immediately turn left to cross a bridge over the River Avon. On the Tel: 0871 984 6407 other side of the river turn left again to walk east along the busy Rossiter Road. Breakfast The hotel is on the right, facing the river as it branches sharply to Breakfast is served every weekday the left. morning from 7am-10am. Choose as much as you like from the buffet Once you reach the hotel on Sunday afternoon Jean and Alison will including bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs and tomato, plus cereals, yogurts, be there to assign you a room. On Sunday evening we will meet fruit, croissants and toast. Help you in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby pub for a drink. yourself to tea, coffee and juice. Google maps www.openpalace.co Open Palace Programme Summer 2014 6 Monday 23 June Food in Bath Itinerary Bath has many good restaurants and cafes, and an excellent supermarket On Monday morning at 10.00 Alison will meet you in the where you can buy sandwiches for lunch hotel lobby and take you on a morning’s orientation. You will just walking distance from your hotel: be free from 12am to explore the city further for yourself. Waitrose, The Podium, Northgate St We would particularly recommend: 1 Bath Abbey 2 The Roman Baths 3 Holburne Museum 4 Museum of East Asian Art Google maps Bath city centre 4 3 1 2 Image: visitbath.co.uk Open Palace Programme Summer 2014 www.openpalace.co Tuesday 24 June 7 Itinerary On Tuesday Alison will meet you in the hotel lobby at 09.30 to walk to Number 1 Royal Crescent together. This restored Georgian town house and museum sits at one end of John Wood the Younger’s celebrated Royal Crescent. You will need to bring your lunch with you every day – see supermarket suggestions on the previous page. You will be free to explore the city from 14.00. Session leader Tom Boden Head of Museums Bath Preservation Trust Venue Number 1 Royal Crescent Times 10.00-14.00 Image: visitbath.co.uk Timetable/activity 1 Royal Crescent 10.00 Exclusive tour of No. 1 before public enter. Bath 11.00 Introductory talk about the Whole Story Avon BA1 2LR Project and BPT’s approach towards Tel:+44 1225 428126 interpretation. Set up visitor observation studies with structured guidance. 11.30 Observations in groups of four (who might then split into two pairs) to observe visitors’ interactions with people and objects in the following spaces: entrance atrium/information room, Brownsword Gallery, ground floor rooms, first floor rooms, kitchen and scullery. 12.30 Lunch and preparation of mini- presentations to show findings of observation studies. 13.15 Groups present to each other (5 minutes each). 13.40 Plenary: What have we learned from the observations, what could those at No 1 Royal Crescent take from these studies to inform future development. Google maps www.openpalace.co Open Palace Programme Summer 2014 8 Wednesday 25 June Itinerary On Wednesday Alison will meet you at the hotel at 9am and travel with you to Beckford’s Tower. Originally known as Lansdown Tower, it is an architectural folly built in neo- classical style on Lansdown Hill, just north of Bath. William Beckford commissioned Henry Edmund Goodridge to design the tower which was completed in 1827. Following a fire, the tower was restored in 1934. It was sold in 1972 and converted into a museum and two flats but in 1993 the Bath Preservation Trust became the sole trustee and after extensive restoration work the tower was repoened to the public in March 2001.