Burghley House
Festival of Surprises at Burghley House
Keeping your little ones entertained in August is sometimes a challenge, so this year Burghley is going to help you with the Festival of Surprises from Monday 3rd to Sunday 16th August 2009.
A whole fortnight of special events in the Gardens of Surprise, especially designed to keep the kids (and you) entertained during the summer holidays. They are a must for local families, as well as a great day out with something for everyone from tours of the historic State Rooms to a celebration of fun in the gardens with children’s workshops and activities.
The weekends are a time for all the family with The Family Carnival taking place on the 8th and 9th of August including face painting, bouncy castles and a barbecue in the Sculpture Garden. The second weekend (15th and 16th August) will be all about the fun of the fair, with some great, traditional fairground stalls and games.
Children’s workshops and Activities during the week include:
Wacky Creatures: Make wire sculpture animals or paint animal masks in the Sculpture Garden Classroom.
Paws & Pellets: Learn to identify animal tracks in the park, cast them in plaster and examine owl pellets. Led by our Director of Education.
Tudors & Victorians: Make Tudor jewellery or write a Victorian letter complete with seal and a penny black!
Sculpture Workshop: Local sculptor and teacher Rob Fogell will teach basic techniques and they will be able to create their own little master piece. (over eights only).
Circus Skills Workshops: Learn from the experts how to juggle, plate spin, tight rope walk and many other skills.
All activities run from 12-4pm, for dates and more details please visit www.burghley.co.uk. For the Paws & Pellets and the sculpture workshops signing in at the ticket desk on arrival is essential, all of the other workshops will operate on a drop in basis. All activities and workshops are free with a Gardens only or House and Gardens ticket and free to season card holders.
-end-
Note for Editor
The house is open daily (excluding Fridays) from Saturday 28th March to Thursday 29th October (with the exception of the 3rd-6th September during the Horse Trials) from 11am to 5pm. The last admission to the house is at 4.30pm. The house has guides throughout the State Rooms. Please note that the house will be closed on Fridays.
Admission Charges:
For House & Gardens: Adults £11.30, Children (aged 5-15) £5.60, Retired Visitors/Students £9.90, Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children) £29.00.
For the Gardens only: Adults £6.50, Children £3.15, Family Ticket £17.00
Season Card Holders: £80 (family including house), £48.50 (family garden only)
Burghley, near Stamford in Lincolnshire, has been the home of the Cecil Family for over 400 years and is one of the largest and grandest houses of the first Elizabethan Age. It houses a huge collection of great works of art, including one of the most important private collections of 17th century Italian paintings, the earliest inventoried collection of Japanese ceramics in the West, exceptional 18th century furniture and wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons and his followers.