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Ragley Hall re-opens for the 2016 season on 19 March!

7th February 2016 Print
ragley hall

Ragley Hall, Warwickshire’s most popular and stunning stately home, is preparing to open for the season on Saturday 19 March. The Palladian mansion, designed by Robert Hooke in 1680, is the home of the 9th Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford and their family.

With a new House Manager supporting the team, visitors can look forward to a number of exciting events and initiatives including the ever popular children’s playground, Game Fair, Classic Car & Motor Show, Battle Proms Concert, Great British Food Festival and Camper Calling, a brand new family festival held over the August bank holiday. In addition there will be regular garden open days and tours of the stately home plus sporting events such as the avenger triathlon, open water swimming and extreme cross country running as well as boat hire on the lake during the summer.

With the appointment of a new Head Gardener, visitors can enjoy guided walks and talks about the gardens including its links to the famous landscape designer, ‘Capability Brown’ which is timely as 2016 celebrates the 300th anniversary, the tercentenary of Brown and his work in this region. The gardens display a spectacular array of tulips and daffodils in the spring and a Rose Garden and Prairie Garden throughout the summer months.

As part of the Government higher level stewardship scheme and in partnership with Natural England, Ragley has entered a scheme to improve the parkland by £250,000 this year. The team are replanting 4,000 trees, a mix of 80% oak and natural broadleaf, to the original park design. Together with re-instating 1,000 metres of paling fencing, restoring the lake cascade, the Victorian Pump House and original bathing hut, together with the clearance and restoration of a Victorian decoy pond. This will return the area to the original plan from the ordnance survey 1st Edition of 1881. On-going works will continue over the summer months.

Ragley Hall is also joined by a talented Head Chef (and former Pastry Chef), to create delicious home-cooked dishes for visitors in the Terrace Café. These will include light lunches, afternoon teas, cakes, and ice-cream as well as preparing for Corporate Lunches, Events and Wedding breakfasts in the Hall.

Visitors can also enjoy guided tours of the state rooms which are adorned with impressive art, ceramics and furniture. The tours take in the Great Hall, Red Saloon, State Dining Room, Prince Regent’s Bedroom, the Mauve Siting Room, Music Room, Breakfast Room and Green Drawing Room as well as the South Staircase Hall and its spectacular mural, ‘The Temptation’ by Graham Rust.

2016 entrance costs to Ragley Hall, Park and Gardens are: - Adult day ticket £10.50, Child aged 5-16 £6.50, Child under 5 – Free, Senior Citizen £9.00, Family Day Ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) £33.00, Family Membership (2 adults and up to 3 children) £75 per season. Guided Coach Tours are available priced £12.00 per person for a pre-booked Tour and Tea (driver refreshment and entrance cost is free). For Corporate Events, Celebrations and Children’s Party’s in the lakeside marquee, costs are available on request.

For more information on Ragley Hall & Gardens, visit ragley.co.uk.

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ragley hall