Your holiday summary
| Holiday type |
Art & archaeology Garden holidays Tours |
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| Country |
United Kingdom |
| Travel type |
Coach |
| Price range | From £475 |
| Travel partner | Brightwater Holidays |
| Duration | 4 nights |
|
Need help with your booking? 0330 333 6701 |
Arts & Gardens in Cornwall
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For more than one hundred years artists have been attracted to the far western tip of Cornwall and the beautiful Penwith coastline. The small fishing town of St. Ives has become famous world-wide for its art. Cornwall’s artists have been inspired particularly by the glittering range of light and colour and Falmouth houses one of the leading art collections in Cornwall. Within such a small area there is some of the finest art to be seen in Britain. We have included visits to The Tate Gallery in St. Ives, which was specially created to show a collection of work by twentieth-century painters and sculptors associated with St. Ives such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. We also visit the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden – Barbara lived and worked at Trewyn Studio from 1949 until her death in 1975 - and Falmouth Art Gallery which features major Victorian British Impressionists and leading maritime artists. Cornwall’s gardens are renowned the world over and our tour includes visits to some of the best in the area. Since it opened in early 2001 the Eden Project has been an unqualified success and has established itself as one of the foremost visitor attractions in the country. The Eden Project combines space age technology and a giant 50 metre deep crater to make a living theatre of plants and people. Eden Project explains the role plants have played and, most importantly, will play in the future from earliest agriculture to new technologies inspired by nature. Other garden visits include Hestercombe - one of Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens’ greatest masterpieces; the award-winning Lost Gardens of Heligan, the scene of the largest restoration project in Europe, and the formal courtyard garden of Lanhydrock, rich in flowering shrubs and trees. This combination of art and gardens will make for a most enriching short break for the discerning traveller.
Included
- 4 nights dinner, bed and breakfast at the comfortable Esplanade Hotel, Newquay (or similar).
- All rooms have private facilities
- Comfortable coaching to and from London. Coach can also pick up at Reading, Swindon and Bristol.
- Rail/air connections and/or overnight accommodation is available in London or Bristol before or after the tour Visits to the Tate St Ives and Falmouth Art Gallery, Penlee House Gallery, Trevarno Estate, Lanhydrock Gardens, the Eden Project, Hestercombe and the award-winning Lost Gardens of Heligan
- Services of a Brightwater Holidays representative
Day 1
We depart from London at 8.00 am approximately (coach will also pick up in Reading, Swindon and Bristol at 9.15am, 10.15am and 12 noon respectively) by coach and travel to our first garden - Hestercombe, one of Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens’ greatest masterpieces. The garden is home to a round pool in a round walled garden filled with wintersweet and roses, a Dutch garden of lamb's ears, lavender and the most beautiful orangery of the 20th century. Everywhere there are details of design and planting from which any gardener can learn. We continue to our comfortable accommodation where dinner will be served on arrival.
Day 2
This morning we will visit Falmouth Art Gallery, which houses one of the leading art collections in Cornwall, and features work by major Victorian British Impressionists, leading maritime artists, old masters and topographical watercolourists and printmakers. There is also a gallery shop, which sells a variety of ceramics, jewellery, hand-made cards, catalogues and books and paintings as well as fine crafts, original prints and paintings, many of which are made by local artists and are of the highest standard in craftsmanship. Following our visit we head for the exciting garden restoration project at the Trevarno Estate, near Helston. These beautiful Victorian and Georgian Gardens have an extensive collection of rare shrubs and trees, along with a fascinating Gardening Museum holding an intriguing collection of tools and implements. Please take time to walk down to see the splendid view over the lake with its exquisite Victorian boatshed. We will continue to the Penlee House Gallery. Built in 1865, the former home of wealthy Penzance miller and merchant, J.R. Branwell, Penlee House and its surrounding park were purchased by public subscription in 1946 as a War memorial for the town. Since 1949 it has been home to the town and district’s historic collections. Completely refurbished and extended in 1997, Penlee House offers visitors a unique experience - a modern gallery and museum with the gracious setting of a Victorian House and park in Penzance. We return to the hotel for dinner.
Day 3
After breakfast we travel to St Austell for a visit to the Eden Project, which has become one of Cornwall’s star attractions. The Eden Project is a 50 metre deep, 34 acre china clay pit which has been reclaimed and transformed to house 2 controlled environment plant conservatories, the larger of which recreates the climate of the Tropics and displays some of its plants such as cotton, rice, rubber, orchids, bamboo and rainforest flowers. At its highest point it reaches 50 metres, taller than Nelson’s Column. The second conservatory recreates a warm temperature climate and houses plants from Southern Africa, the Mediterranean and south western America, with orange trees, olives, grape vines and hundreds of colourful flowers. Our next visit will be to the Lost Gardens of Heligan. The award winning gardens, asleep for more than seventy years, are the scene of the largest garden restoration project in Europe. In the spring of 1991, the Gardens of Heligan lay under a blanket of bramble, ivy, rampant laurel and fallen timber. A year later the restoration team opened the gardens to enable the public to share in the excitement of their discovery. Once again dinner will be served at the hotel.
Day 4
Following our full English breakfast we visit the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives. Dame Barbara Hepworth lived and worked in Trewyn Studio from 1949 until her death in 1975. The small house, her working studios and the lush and secluded garden she created are open to the public as a museum devoted to her life and work. We continue to the Tate Gallery, which was specially created, to show a collection of work by twentieth-century painters and sculptors associated with St Ives. The collection includes work from 1925 to the present day based around major figures of mid twentieth-century art in Britain such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. We return to our hotel in time for dinner.
Day 5
After your full English breakfast we head for home. En route there is still time to visit Lanhydrock Gardens. Now the property of the National Trust, Lanhydrock was the home of the Robartes family from 1620 until 1953. The magnificent seventeenth century house is surrounded by nineteeth century formal terraced gardens which formed part of a scheme of improvements overseen by George Gilbert Scott in 1857. Beyond the terraced gardens are areas of informal pleasure grounds which were developed from the mid nineteenth century with many choice trees and shrubs. The parkland with the famous beech avenue was first enclosed in the mid seventeenth century, and remains one of the finest examples in Cornwall. Lanhydrock Gardens feature a formal courtyard garden, beds of modern roses and a woodland garden, rich in flowering shrubs and trees, especially rhododendrons and magnolias. Lanhydrock is also home to the National Collection of crocosmias. Arrival back at your original departure point is expected in the evening - your driver will be able to confirm a more precise return time en route.
We depart from London at 8.00 am approximately (coach will also pick up in Reading, Swindon and Bristol at 9.15am, 10.15am and 12 noon respectively) by coach and travel to our first garden - Hestercombe, one of Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens’ greatest masterpieces. The garden is home to a round pool in a round walled garden filled with wintersweet and roses, a Dutch garden of lamb's ears, lavender and the most beautiful orangery of the 20th century. Everywhere there are details of design and planting from which any gardener can learn. We continue to our comfortable accommodation where dinner will be served on arrival.
Day 2
This morning we will visit Falmouth Art Gallery, which houses one of the leading art collections in Cornwall, and features work by major Victorian British Impressionists, leading maritime artists, old masters and topographical watercolourists and printmakers. There is also a gallery shop, which sells a variety of ceramics, jewellery, hand-made cards, catalogues and books and paintings as well as fine crafts, original prints and paintings, many of which are made by local artists and are of the highest standard in craftsmanship. Following our visit we head for the exciting garden restoration project at the Trevarno Estate, near Helston. These beautiful Victorian and Georgian Gardens have an extensive collection of rare shrubs and trees, along with a fascinating Gardening Museum holding an intriguing collection of tools and implements. Please take time to walk down to see the splendid view over the lake with its exquisite Victorian boatshed. We will continue to the Penlee House Gallery. Built in 1865, the former home of wealthy Penzance miller and merchant, J.R. Branwell, Penlee House and its surrounding park were purchased by public subscription in 1946 as a War memorial for the town. Since 1949 it has been home to the town and district’s historic collections. Completely refurbished and extended in 1997, Penlee House offers visitors a unique experience - a modern gallery and museum with the gracious setting of a Victorian House and park in Penzance. We return to the hotel for dinner.
Day 3
After breakfast we travel to St Austell for a visit to the Eden Project, which has become one of Cornwall’s star attractions. The Eden Project is a 50 metre deep, 34 acre china clay pit which has been reclaimed and transformed to house 2 controlled environment plant conservatories, the larger of which recreates the climate of the Tropics and displays some of its plants such as cotton, rice, rubber, orchids, bamboo and rainforest flowers. At its highest point it reaches 50 metres, taller than Nelson’s Column. The second conservatory recreates a warm temperature climate and houses plants from Southern Africa, the Mediterranean and south western America, with orange trees, olives, grape vines and hundreds of colourful flowers. Our next visit will be to the Lost Gardens of Heligan. The award winning gardens, asleep for more than seventy years, are the scene of the largest garden restoration project in Europe. In the spring of 1991, the Gardens of Heligan lay under a blanket of bramble, ivy, rampant laurel and fallen timber. A year later the restoration team opened the gardens to enable the public to share in the excitement of their discovery. Once again dinner will be served at the hotel.
Day 4
Following our full English breakfast we visit the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives. Dame Barbara Hepworth lived and worked in Trewyn Studio from 1949 until her death in 1975. The small house, her working studios and the lush and secluded garden she created are open to the public as a museum devoted to her life and work. We continue to the Tate Gallery, which was specially created, to show a collection of work by twentieth-century painters and sculptors associated with St Ives. The collection includes work from 1925 to the present day based around major figures of mid twentieth-century art in Britain such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. We return to our hotel in time for dinner.
Day 5
After your full English breakfast we head for home. En route there is still time to visit Lanhydrock Gardens. Now the property of the National Trust, Lanhydrock was the home of the Robartes family from 1620 until 1953. The magnificent seventeenth century house is surrounded by nineteeth century formal terraced gardens which formed part of a scheme of improvements overseen by George Gilbert Scott in 1857. Beyond the terraced gardens are areas of informal pleasure grounds which were developed from the mid nineteenth century with many choice trees and shrubs. The parkland with the famous beech avenue was first enclosed in the mid seventeenth century, and remains one of the finest examples in Cornwall. Lanhydrock Gardens feature a formal courtyard garden, beds of modern roses and a woodland garden, rich in flowering shrubs and trees, especially rhododendrons and magnolias. Lanhydrock is also home to the National Collection of crocosmias. Arrival back at your original departure point is expected in the evening - your driver will be able to confirm a more precise return time en route.
Esplanade Hotel, Newquay
This holiday is booked by phone. Click 'book now' to make a reservation request to our travel partner who will call you back to confirm your booking details and take payment. To speak to a representative now please call 0330 333 6701.
2 results
2 results
The tour, with its superb choice of differing gardens proved excellent for both of us. Friendly service - helpful and knowledgeable
Jan 2010
Mrs T
Mrs T
