Category: National Trust

On a beautifully sunny and warm day the National Trust group left Hucknall for the journey down to Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire.

The Hall itself was built on two storeys in the early eighteenth century as a country retreat for the wealthy Vernon family.

Timed guided tours of the Hall were available to our group but members could also tour the Hall independently at any time.

The well maintained Hall gave an insight to the life of the wealthy at the turn of the eighteenth century.

The grounds covered over 400 acres of beautiful Worcestershire countryside and many members enjoyed walking one or more of the well marked routes.

Some members also took time to visit the beautiful church situated in the village of Hanbury.

The cafe proved to be a popular venue over the day with the outside seating being well used.

The extensive gardens were also  popular with some members enjoying a guided tour around.

After a lovely day in which we were bathed in sunshine throughout we returned to the coach in time for a 4.00pm departure back to Hucknall.

After travelling along some narrow country lanes and then the very busy motorway network around Birmingham we arrived back in Hucknall at 6.15 pm.

All fifty three members were on board the coach at Hucknall Market before our depature time of 9.30 am on Monday, 27th March, 2023.

As a result we were at Calke Abbey just before 10.30 am.

The weather was dry and mainly sunny making the conditions ideal for  the various activities.

Over the day members enjoyed visiting the main house, the church, the gardens, the cafe, the shops and enjoying the well signposted walks of varying length.

A broken down van at Nuthall Island on the return journey caused some delay but did not take the gloss off a lovely day.

Next month will see the group venture further afield to Upton House near to Oxford.

                                     

 Barrie

I can now confirm the dates and prices for the first three National Trust visits which were previously notified.

The first visit is to Calke Abbey on Monday 27th of March, 2023. We will be leaving from the bus stop on Hucknall Market Place at 9.30 am and returning from the venue at 4.00 pm. The cost of the coach is £10 per person. We are repeating this visit from 2022 due to many requests from group members.

Bookings will be taken by email at nationaltrust@hucknallu3a.org.uk from 27th February, 2023. Payment can be made at the March monthly meeting or by posting/dropping off a cheque to my address at 8 Hadley Close, Sherwood Gate, Linby, Nottingham. NG15 8LD. Please put cheques in an envelope with the names of all the people being paid for on the outside. Please note that as per u3a rules monies can only be refunded if I am able to resell your seat. We will again be travelling with JB Tours.

Tuesday, 25th April, 2023 a visit to Upton House in Oxfordshire. We will leave Hucknall Market Place at 9.00 am, with bookings being accepted from March 25th.

Wednesday, May 24th, 2023 will see us visit Hanbury Hall in Warwickshire again leaving Hucknall Market at 9.00 am with bookings accepted from April 24th.

Both these visits cost £15 for coach travel.

National Trust members obviously gain free entry to the venues but non-National Trust members may pay for entry on the day with costs averaging out at about £10.

New members are always welcome so please get in touch if you wish to be added to the group list.

Barrie

Following a meeting between Sue and myself with Anne and Steve Lawrence we have put together the following programme of visits for the National Trust group for 2023.

Monday 27th of March, Calke Abbey.
Tuesday 25th of April, Upton House.
Wednesday 24th of May, Hanbury Hall.
Thursday 22nd of June, Wimpole Estate.
Monday 31st of July, Quarry Bank Mill.
Tuesday 29th of August, Belton House,
Wednesday 27th of September, Dunham Massey.
Thursday 26th of October, Charlecote Park.

All visits will leave Hucknall Market Bus Stop and exact times will be given later but will always be between 8.30 am and 9.30 am depending on the distance to the venue.

Bookings will again be taken by email or telephone from one calendar month before the visit. So for Calke Abbey on March 27th bookings can be made from February 27th.

Contact details for Sue and myself are via the contact form below:-

Prices for each visit will be notified in the New Year.

We have had a total of 25 members express an interest in completing an overnight visit to visit National Trust properties over two days but sadly this number is not enough to make it viable so we will revisit this idea at a later date.

Anyone wanting to join the group for 2023 please contact me and also anyone with any questions also please feel free to contact me.

We will update the group members each month by using Beacon and putting information in to the monthly Newsletter and on to this Website

Barrie and Sue

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Members set off on Monday, 10th of October, at 9.00am from Hucknall Market in bright sunshine for the two hour journey up to Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire. The journey itself took us through the beautiful Peak District, making a lovely change to the views generated on the M1!!!’

On arrival the Quarry Bank staff were all organised to start a day that many members enjoyed more than any other visit this year. We were split into three groups and led on a lengthy tour of the preserved Cotton Mill which gave a wonderful picture of the history of the cotton mills. From hand weaving, to the Spinning Jenny all the way through machines produced later, we got a great first hand view of the history of the cotton industry.

Leaving our guides behind most members headed to the cafe for some lunch before then having a forty five minute tour of the Apprentices’ House where the kitchen, dining room and bedrooms were viewed along with some wonderful stories about some individuals who effectively lived in the Workhouse.

These organised tours left limited time for visits to the gardens, walks and shops. The day seemed to pass quickly and at 4.00 pm departure time was upon us. The journey home again passing through the Peaks in the sunshine completed a lovely day out.

We arrived back in Hucknall for just after 6.00 pm with many members saying that they would like to revisit the venue on another occasion.

National Trust Group 2023
Just to confirm that the group will operate again next year from March to October. Venues and dates will be sent out as soon as possible. Sue and myself are very pleased to say that next year Anne and Steve Lawrence will be helping us to plan and organise the visits, something that we really appreciate. If members have any particular places that they would recommend for our visits, please let us know.

Thank you to all of you who have supported the group this year.

Barrie and Sue