Events & lectures
Our planned events for 2024 ... please note costs to be confirmed and may be subject to change
Contact Jenny Burt (01933 353076) for more information
Visit to Boughton Estate Woodland
March weekend daytime ─ the date to be confirmed nearer the time as this is a ‘nature-dependent’ event
Join us on a walk around areas open to the public, as well as areas not normally accessed by the public. A double act between the Boughton Estate and the Boughton Estate Honeybee Conservation Project ─ learn from those leading the walk how the Estate manages to run a commercial enterprise, whilst balancing the needs of a complex ecosystem that needs protecting and developing. The Boughton Estate honeybees are currently the subject of scientific research ─ find out why as we walk and talk and visit the trees in which the bees, and other species, nest.
Members £10 | Guests £12 | Numbers limited to 15
Annual General Meeting
Thursday 18 April at 7.30pm
Great Houghton Village Hall
Join us as we put into place trustees for the following year, and other business matters, followed by a talk about the Billing Road Cemetery Project ─ which the Northamptonshire Gardens Trust (NGT) helped to launch. This is a good example of how the NGT makes an impact in the local community, after the NGT was awarded the first National Gardens Trust Community Grant. Although the cemetery closed for burials decades ago, it remains one of the most significant heritage assets within the Billing Road Conservation Area.
Members free | Guests £2
Campbell Park Walk and Talk
Wednesday 15 May
The Park resides in the heart of Milton Keynes and connects the City Centre to the wider landscape and the expansive linear park network. Awarded a Grade II status by Historic England in 2020, it is one of the largest parks to be laid out in England in the 20th and 21st Century. The design takes on elements from the 18th and 19th Century and fuses them into a contemporary design fitting for the pioneering new City.
Members £10 | Guests £12
June ─ our Summer Party
Date and venue to be confirmed
Join us for our Summer Party in a picturesque part of Northamptonshire for friendship, fun, and memory making. It will include a garden tour, two course supper with wine, and a fund-raising raffle.
Stonyfield Wine Vineyard in Blisworth
Tuesday 18 June
Join us on a Summer's evening for a tour of the vineyard. Hear the story of how the construction of a tunnel through the landscape unexpectedly enabled a vineyard to be developed!
We shall have a tour of the vineyard, followed by a platter of food from local suppliers and, of course, a glass or two of the award-winning sparkling wine.
Members £20 | Guests £22 | Numbers limited to 30
Visit to Billing Road Cemetery
July (date awaiting confirmation)
Join us as we visit Billing Road Cemetery. The cemetery was laid out to a design by Robert Marnock (1800─1889), a renowned 19th Century horticulturalist and garden designer. The Northamptonshire Gardens Trust and the Friends of the Billing Road Cemetery work collaboratively to conserve and enhance the Cemetery to create a safe, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable place for the benefit of all.
Members £10 | Guests £12
Fotheringhay Walk and Talk with David Bond
Saturday 10 August
Fotheringhay was at its most important at the end of the 15th Century and it was the home of the Yorkist line of the Kings of England. Apart from the church, not much remains obvious of that era but if you walk around the village and surrounding landscape, there is much to be seen ... if you know where to look. Join us as David shows us just that.
To include tea and cake in the Village Hall.
Members £12 | Guests £14
Islamic Gardens lecture with David Bond
Thursday 14 November 7.30pm
Great Houghton Village Hall
Join us as we hear David talk about this tradition of gardening. Growing out of an older garden tradition in Persia, it has had a considerable influence in Europe ─ the Alhambra being just one example. We have some examples in the UK and, with an increase in multiculturalism, interest has grown with some modern gardens attracting much attention for their beauty and atmosphere.
Members free | Guests £2
December ─ our Christmas Gathering
Great Houghton Village Hall
A chance to get together, enjoy some food and wine, and listen to a speaker who will conclude our lectures and events for 2024!
Do come along to one of our events – see what you have been missing …
Our visit to Coton Manor gardens
Friday 4 September
We were delighted to invite members to enjoy the much acclaimed Coton Manor gardens. The Nation's Favourite Garden as voted by garden visitors in conjunction with The English Garden magazine and the National Garden Scheme.
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“Through the series of lectures and visits I learned a great deal more about the man (Lancelot Capability Brown) and his ideals and in turn this gave me a greater understanding and appreciation of the history behind what we take for granted, as the ‘English’ landscape." Gwen