Brackley & District

National Trust Visits

National Trust Group

The purpose of this group is to make use of your National Trust membership to visit local National Trust properties and then those further afield. This is a group you can dip in and out of as you wish if the date of the visit is suitable and the property selected is of interest to you.

If you have National Trust membership this is a very good way of visiting properties in the company of other members. We have found that venues usually look favourably on groups and lay on a little something extra. In the case of Canons a private tour. Non National Trust members are also welcome but will need to pay for entry to each property.

To keep costs down we travel in our own cars so we are particularly interested in hearing from members who would be willing to take other members.

If you want to join this group or just want to know more please click here National Trust Visits Group Convenor. You will be placed on the circulation list for upcoming events.

Next Visit

Our first visit this year is to Charlecote Park on Friday 10th May.

Charlecote Park
Wellesbourne
Warwick
CV35 9ER

This is a Victorian home set in a landscaped deer park and overlooking the river Avon. The property is about 45 minutes drive from Brackley. The house is open and there is a cafe. As usual we travel in our own cars taking non drivers with us.

I have arranged 20 tickets for this event. Please let me know if you are interested in going to Charlecote Park.

More visits to National Trust properties will be organised through 2024.

Group Convenor: Andrew Goodchild. To contact Andrew click here National Trust Visits Group Convenor.

Visit Reports

2023

On Friday 1st December 23 members of the National Trust Group visited Chastleton, a Jacobean country house, situated near Moreton the Marsh. The house was decorated for a Christmas party held by the previous occupiers in the 1960ies complete with paper chains.

The property was built by a prosperous wool merchant and was owned by an increasingly impoverish family until 1991. The house has remained essentially unchanged for nearly 400 years.

Snowshill In May 14 members had an enjoyable day at Snowshill. This was the home of Charles Wade who was an eccentric collector and filled his house with a large number of interesting objects. He left his house and collection to the National Trust. The room guides were excellent and very knowledgeable. The visit started and ended with a visit to the excellent café and of course a visit to the gift shop. The view from the entrance to the house was over spectacular Cotswold countryside. For a change the group enjoyed excellent weather. The photo shows a number of members enjoying the gardens after visiting the house.

2022

In December a small number of members braved the cold and again visited Waddesdon Manor for the Christmas market and lights. The house was open again and decorated for Christmas. Members enjoyed the illuminated house at dusk set to appropriate music.

Coughton Court

Coughton Court
Eighteen members of the National Trust Group went to Coughton Court on Friday 9th September 2022. This is an excellent property with Catholic connections. Members were treated to a presentation concerning the Gunpowder Plot including the connection with the house and the family whose descendants still reside.

Baddesley Clinton

Seventeen Baddesley Clinton - March 2022 members of the National Trust Group enjoyed a visit to Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire on Friday 25th March. This was the first time that the group had visited this property. Baddesley Clinton is a moated Manor House with a very pleasant lake and grounds. The weather was warm and the group started with drinks outside the restaurant. Some of the members can been seen in the photo.

The house visit was interesting and the room guides were very helpful and informative. After our visit some members enjoyed a late lunch at the Hatton Arms pub on way back to Brackley.

Further visits to other national Trust properties will be organised for later this year. To receive an email about future events please click on the blue bird.

2021

Seventeen members of the National Trust Group went to Waddesdon Manor on the 26th November for the Christmas lights and market. Before the visit we all enjoyed lunch at the Nightingale pub in Bicester. Further visits will be organised for 2022

Earlier this year we visited Canons Ashby and Upton House. On both occasions we visited a local pub for a meal after the visit and this was appreciated by many members.

2020

Our visit to Chastleton on Thursday 26th March had to be cancelled because of Covid. This house is unusual in that it has been left in the condition it was acquired so we will be able to see how the occupants really lived. It is intended that this visit will take place in 2022.

Cliveden
26 members of the National Trust Group visited Cliveden on the 5th March. Although the weather was not kind to us we had an enjoyable day. The photo shows some members of the group in front of the house trying to keep dry. The icing on the cake was a visit to the house which is now an exclusive hotel. As usual the guides were excellent and provided an interesting history of the house and its occupants. The grounds were just coming into flower and we should visit this venue again later in the year hopefully when it is not raining.

Hughenden
On Wednesday 5th February 27 members of the NT group went to Hughenden Manor. This was an excellent day out to visit an interesting venue. We started with coffee and shortbread biscuits while being entertained with a very good talk from a volunteer guide. He explained about the house once being the home of Queen Victoria's favourite prime minister - Benjamin Disraeli and how the house was used during WW2.

2019

Waddesden
Members of the NT group visited Waddesdon Manor in December for the Christmas lights and market. This was a full day visit and both the market and lights were excellent. A further visit took place in early January for the light show. Waddesdon in January was a little quieter and this gave us a greater opportunity to enjoy the venue and the lights. On both occasions members enjoyed a visit to the house which was decorated for Christmas. This group has proved very successful and there are now more than 50 members.

Upton
Twenty members of the National Trust Group had a very enjoyable visit to Upton House in Warwickshire on Friday 25th October. Even the rain held off for most of the day. The room guides were excellent and helped make our visit. As usual we enjoyed refreshments in the café. The photo shows some of the members appreciating some of the excellent art works at Upton.

Canons Ashby 1
The National Trust Group paid a second visit to Canons Ashby on the 24th September. We again benefited from excellent volunteer guides both around the grounds and in the Church. As the tour of the grounds began it started to rain. Staff quickly came out of the house with additional colourful umbrellas as can be seen in the photo. We then visited the house which we nearly had to ourselves. The room guides were also excellent. One of our number was invited to play the piano and we enjoyed an accomplished impromptu performance. The guide then entertained us with her own recital. Many of us finished of in the day in the café.

Canons Ashby 2
Ten members of the group visited Cannons Ashby on the 9th September and had an enjoyable guided tour of the grounds before visiting the house.

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Canasta Cinema Group Coffee Morning Craft
Digital Photography Family History Italian Lace Making
Line Dancing Midweek Lunch Music Appreciation National Trust Visits
Past Times Petanque Philosophy Poetry
Poetry 2 Quiz Group Shakespeare Shakespeare 2
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More Group Pages
Afternoon Tea Book Club
Book Club 2 Bridge Duplicate
Canasta Cinema Group
Coffee Morning Craft
Digital Photography Family History
Italian Lace Making
Line Dancing Midweek Lunch
Music Appreciation National Trust Visits
Past Times Petanque
Philosophy Poetry
Poetry 2 Quiz Group
Shakespeare Shakespeare 2
Singing for Fun Spanish
Sunday Lunch Bunch Table Tennis for Fun
Table Tennis for Fun 2 Traditional Dance
Travel Victorian Literature
Walking