Chiswick House Camellia Festival, London   

1 - 30 March 2014

Chiswick House Camellia Festival takes place annually in the spectacular setting of the 19^th Century Chiswick House Conservatory. The Camellias of Chiswick House are widely regarded as one of the finest Collections in the country and certainly the oldest Camellia Collection under glass in the west. It includes rare and historically important examples of these beautiful plants, with a fabulous array of blooms; pink, red, white and striped. It’s a fascinating day out for gardening and heritage enthusiasts, who will see rare and historically important examples of these beautiful plants in the glorious setting of the historic Chiswick House Conservatory.

The Conservatory at Chiswick House Gardens was designed by Samuel Ware for the sixth Duke of Devonshire and completed in 1813. Ninety-six metres long, with a glazed dome at its centre and glass pavilions at either end, it was a forerunner of those designed by Decimus Burton at Kew and Sir Joseph Paxton at Chatsworth. ''The Camellias of Chiswick House are a living legacy - and a welcome splash of colour in the urban winter landscape.  It is a day out that will reveal far more than a March shot of colour '' The Observer Magazine 

Information and Booking

Festival opening hours: 10:30 am –4:00pm everyday except Monday

Priority Early Booking for Groups

Group Admission Discounts

Groups 10 - 24 (10% discount)

Groups 25 + (20% discount)

Individual Admission Fees

Adult   £8.00             

Concessions £7.00  (Disabled visitors and carers, over 60’s, Students)   

Special member discounts £5:00*

*English Heritage, Chiswick House Friends and National Art Pass

Chiswick House: exclusive ‘Festival’ weekend only openings 10:00am – 5:00pm

Chiswick House re-opens 1st April 2014.  Normal entry fees apply (free for English Heritage members). 

                                                         Great Ideas for Groups

Pre-booked private tours include a visit behind the scenes to the Chiswick House Conservatory Potting sheds and the restored Italian Garden (Guide £50 per Group – max 25 per guide). Due to its location, it is easy to combine your visit to other local west London attractions including Hogarth's House, Kew Gardens and the Kew Orchid Festival (on until 9th March 2014).

Eating & Drinking

Enjoy delicious snacks, drinks, lunch or afternoon tea in the bright and airy Café (voted the best new building in London 2011 RIBA).

Shopping

The Camellia shop will sell a range of modern plants, an exclusive limited edition Peter Blake camellia print, postcards and a Camellia bag designed by the acclaimed designer, Marthe Armitage.  All funds are in aid of the continued preservation of Chiswick House Gardens.

For more information visit chgt.org.uk or call +44 (0)20 8742 3905.

Article supplied by Chiswick House

Afternoon Tea and Christmas Opening.....

The introduction this summer of 'Afternoon Tea in the Pugin Room as an add-on to guided tours of the Houses of Parliament has been extremely popular with visitors. The afternoon tea option is now available to book as an add-on to selected guided tours on Saturday afternoons through until 21 December.

Parliament's chefs have created a tempting array of savouries such as citrus marinated Scottish salmon with cream cheese, lemon curd and chive on a mini bagel, and free range egg mayonnaise with watercress on wholemeal bread. Sweet courses include sultana scones with strawberry jam and Devonshire clotted cream, and chocolate delice. Vegetarian and gluten-free diets can be accommodated if requested when booking. Afternoon tea sittings are at 2pm, 3.45pm and 5.15pm and tickets are £25.00 (in addition to the tour ticket). Discounted rates for the guided tours are offered to groups of 10 or more. Prices range between £9.00 and £1300 per person depending on the start time.

Looking ahead to Christmas, the Houses of Parliament will open for tours throughout the holiday period for the first time. Tours are available from 9.15am to 430pm, Monday to Saturday, between 21 December and 4 January (excluding public holidays).

Phone 0844 847 2498 or visit:- wwwparliamentuk/vlsiting

Tour The Great One.....

Home of the amazing Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge is a fascinating venue to visit. A tour must not be missed, it’s a fun, informative and unforgettable experience for sports fans of all ages. The fully guided tour will take you behind the scenes at one of the world’s greatest football clubs, providing access to areas normally reserved for players and officials.

Meet the press as you sit behind the desk in the press room. Soak up the atmosphere in the spectacular home dressing room and feel the excitement as you walk down the tunnel to the pitch side with the roar of a capacity crowd ringing in your ears. All tours include entry into the excellent Museum, giving you the chance to see how Chelsea has evolved on and off the pitch to become one of the greatest football clubs in the world. This is a highly interactive experience, bringing the club’s past alive through audio visual shows as well as a fascinating collection of Chelsea related memorabilia. Upgrade your tour to a Platinum tour and enjoy a VIP experience with private tour, tour guide and lunch. Prebook: online on www. chelseafc.com/tours or ☎0871 984 1955.

Chelsea Celebrates in Style…

This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show celebrated its centenary year with its usual inspirational style. This, the world’s greatest flower show is always a massive source of inspiration offering an amazing day out for gardeners, world-class or not so serious…and this year was no exception with magnificent show gardens, a breathtaking Great Pavilion and lots of tempting shopping opportunities.

Looking back to 1913, the year of the first Chelsea Flower Show, planning and planting up a garden was a very different story. Although gardeners were just as passionate about plants, there were no garden centres and class and the social scale were prominent factors. The wealthy lady of the house would visit the Chelsea Flower Show with her head gardener to source plants and place orders. Plants would eventually arrive in the autumn in boxes via the railway station. For the not so wealthy, perennials, annuals, fruit and vegetables were traded from house to house, a reason that you still see similar planting patterns along a row of cottages. Things changed when FW Woolworth and Sutton & Sons arrived in the early 1900s bringing quality seeds and plants to the High Street and after the Second World War, Chelsea broadened its social appeal. The first recognized garden centre opened in London in 1961 and the slow spread across the country surely changed the nature of the annual visit to SW3.
The RHS Chelsea Show, always spectacular, entertaining and colourful, thankfully continues to thrive offering huge inspiration to even the most casual garden lover. Plan to take your group next year 20-24 May 2014. Best Show Garden this year went to the innovative and sustainable Trailfinders Austrailian Garden presented by Fleming’s. This lovely relaxing and inviting space used native Australian plants from lush ferns to bright kangaroo paws and bottle trees.

Best Artisan Garden award went to the Japanese garden, an alcove garden with traditional tatami room. After the Fire took the Best Fresh Garden award with their interpretation of a forest regeneration. In the Great Pavilion, the Diamond Jubilee Award went to Warmenhoven for their display of alliums and amaryllis. The President’s award went to Blackmore & Langdon for their delphinium and begonia display.

There’s still time to visit one of the 2013 RHS Flower Shows.
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show takes place from 9th-14th July
RHS Flower Show Tatton Park is from 25-28 July.
The Malvern Autumn Show from 28-29 September.
RHS Harvest Festival Show from 8-9 October.
RHS Shades of Autumn from 22-23 October.
www.rhs.org.uk

New Packages at Ripley's Believe It or Not.......

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! London, the capital’s most bizarre attraction has a host of new all-inclusive day out packages for groups of 10 or more people, designed to make the most out of a visit to London’s West End and creating an unforgettable day out. The central London attraction has teamed up with some of the capital’s most popular restaurants including Planet Hollywood, Café Rouge and Bella Italia to offer a delectable day out. Visitors can measure up against Robert Wadlow, the world’s tallest man, or see how many people it takes to match the weight of the world’s heaviest man, lose themselves in the Marvellous Mirror Maze or test their speed in the Impossible LaseRace before heading to one of five restaurants to refuel.

Bookable by telephone or email, visitors in groups of 10 or more can speak to a member of the new dedicated in-house group reservations team who can also help to create a bespoke personal package for their group. Group visits to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! London start at £17.95 per adult and £13.95 per child, with one free ticket offered per 10 paid. In addition, the Group Travel Organiser and Coach Driver will also receive free entry and a free cup of tea or coffee in the Ripley’s Cafe. For more information and to book call ☎+44 (0) 20 3238 0022 (9am to 5pm, weekdays) or email groups@ ripleyslondon.com. Guided tours can be arranged for groups on request for a small additional supplement. For those who would rather enjoy the attraction at their own pace, audio guides are also available.

Home to the unusual, the wonderful and the plain bizarre, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! London is the only place in the UK where guests can check out a life-sized knitted Ferrari, take a peek at 75 million year old dinosaur eggs, come face-to-face with an albino alligator and marvel at the original ‘Toot Sweet’ machine featured in the film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Kids will also love the portrait of the attraction’s founder, famous explorer Robert Ripley, which is made entirely out of colourful bubble gum balls. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! London is open seven days a week, 365 days a year from 10am until 12 midnight. Visit www.ripleyslondon. com for further information and for groups-specific information

CPT & TfL launch 2013 London Coach Parking Map

CPT, the trade association representing the UK’s bus, coach and light rail industries, and Transport for London (TfL) have launched the 2013 version of the London Coach Parking Map.
The map, now in its tenth year, has been produced jointly by CPT and TfL, and details information on the location, availability, cost and booking requirements of coach facilities in central London (also Docklands, Greenwich and Woolwich). It also features the locations of the parking facilities near London’s main tourist attractions.
Speaking at the launch, which took place in the Churchill War Rooms, Westminster on Thursday 21 March, CPT President Malcolm Robson said:
“I am delighted to launch, with our partners TfL, the tenth edition of the London Coach Parking Map. The map provides coach operators and drivers - both UK and foreign - with a wealth of coach parking and drop-off and set-down information.
“It is a great example of what can be achieved when organisations
work in partnership, and I firmly believe that by working together towards joint aims and goals real success can be achieved. I see this map as a must-have for all involved with the coach industry.”
Peter Bradley, Chair of the London Coach Forum added:
“The London Coach Parking Map continues to help operators and drivers gain a better understanding of how to use and access the many coach parking and driver facilities in the capital.
“The UK’s coach industry opens up London’s rich cultural offerings to over 3000 coach movements a day and contributes over £300 million into London’s economy each year. It is vitally important that we do our utmost to ensure safe, easy and efficient operations whilst providing a tool to help drivers better plan and execute their journeys.”
An interactive version of the map, which includes real time information on planned roadworks, details of public events, traffic updates, CCTV images and images/ accidents, can be accessed online at www.tfl.gov.uk, with hard copies available from CPT.