� IN FOCUS l HERITAGE TOURISM


Oxford attractions unite to woo groups


England’s heritage attractions see strongest growth in 2017


NEWS IN BRIEF


w Historian Starkey works with Hever Castle


The childhood home of Anne Boleyn in Kent is working with historian David Starkey on a new exhibition to tell the story of the Tudors.


Opening in autumn 2018,


Kate del Nevo (Bodleian Libraries) and Steve Reed (Steve Reed Tourism)


The Bodleian Libraries in Oxford has teamed with other heritage attractions to host a trade showcase (November 12). Arranged by Steve Reed


Tourism, the trip will include overnight accommodation on November 11 at Hawkwell House Hotel in Iffley near Oxford. The Oxford Group Showcase will begin in the Old School Quad at the Bodleian Libraries where guests will learn about top attractions in Oxford. City Sightseeing Oxford


will provide transport for the group, including a tour of the Oxford sights. bodleian.ox.ac.uk


Live the high life at Eltham Palace


Eltham Palace and Gardens in south east London will open its Art Deco doors to the trade this winter for a new ‘Millionaire Package’. Operators and group travel


organisers can book the whole attraction so clients and group members can experience the 1930s high life (November 1- January 31).


Up to 50 people can be hosted on a 1.5-hour personalised tour of the Art Deco mansion, to hear about the decadent lifestyle of society millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, who transformed the site of the medieval palace into a 1930s


22 TravelGBI | September 2018


Hollywood-style party house. The English Heritage package also includes tea or coffee and cake served in the Eltham Palace Orangery.


The cost is £500 to open the house, plus £25 per person for the tour and refreshments – for a group of 50, that is £35 per person.


w English Heritage has introduced a new guided tour at Kenwood in


Hampstead. Called ‘Slavery and Justice’, the tour looks at the slave trade and


Stonehenge


VisitEngland’s Annual Attractions Survey shows historic properties experienced significant increases in visitor numbers in 2017. Of the 1,400 English attractions


surveyed, historic properties such as mills, monuments, boats and burial grounds saw the largest rise in visitor numbers, up 8% on 2016. Visits to farm attractions also experienced strong growth in 2017, up 5% year-on-year.


Historic houses and palaces along with visitor and heritage centres and places of worship all saw increases of 4%. Tourism minister Michael Ellis said: “Our world-class attractions


have once more proven to be a huge draw for both UK and overseas visitors.


“Whether it be our unique historic places like Stonehenge, museums like Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, or cultural hubs like NewcastleGateshead – home to the Great Exhibition of the North this summer – we have attractions that are the envy of the world.” The British Museum was the most visited ‘free’ attraction in England in 2017 for the 10th consecutive year, and the Tower of London topped the list as the most visited ‘paid for’ attraction. visitbritain.org


the impact Lord Mansfield – late 18th-century owner of Kenwood – had on its abolition in his role as Lord Chief Justice. It delves into the story of Dido Belle, Lord Mansfield’s great niece, a woman of mixed heritage who grew up at Kenwood. Tours of Kenwood’s art


collection, which includes works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Dyke, Constable and Turner, are also available. english-heritage.org.uk


the exhibition in Hever Castle’s Long Gallery will depict the entire saga from the War of the Roses to the Reformation


through its art collection. hevercastle.co.uk


w Winterfell is coming to Castle Ward


The National Trust is holding a ‘Winterfell Festival’ (September 16) at Castle Ward in Northern Ireland – a


filming location for TV series Game of Thrones. Visitors can watch theatrical


re-enactments of scenes, with jousting at the King’s Tournament Games, along with film-set stunts, sword-fighting


displays and falconry. nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-ward


w Car S.O.S revs up at British Motor Museum


The British Motor Museum has a new exhibition featuring vehicles restored on the TV show Car S.O.S (until February 28, 2019). The Warwickshire museum


houses the collections of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, with more than 300 cars spanning the classic, vintage and veteran eras, plus an archive of film, photographs, personal papers


and business documents. britishmotormuseum.co.uk/ carsos


travelgbi.com


©VisitEngland/English Heritage/Iain Lewis


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