SCULPTURE, ART & LANDSCAPE IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND

• Discover exceptional contemporary sculpture parks in southern England and Cornwall

• Encounter two of England’s greatest modern sculptors, in the studios and gardens of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth

• Admire exceptional private collections in delightful country settings, at Hauser & Wirth and Messums West in Somerset and Houghton Hall in Norfolk

• Delight in iconic English gardens, including Sandringham, Sissinghurst and the Eden Project

• Enjoy the best of British, from traditional country fare to select contemporary fine dining

FRIDAY 29 AUGUST 2025 – ARRIVAL (D)

An arrival transfer from Cambridge railway station to the hotel is included for all participants; contact us for more details. The tour commences at 5.00pm in the lobby of our hotel, as we meet for an orientation stroll with tour leader Fiona McIntosh. Afterwards, there is the opportunity to get to know one another over drinks and a welcome dinner near our hotel. Overnight Cambridge.

SATURDAY 30 AUGUST – ART AND THE ENGLISH LANDSCAPE (B, L)

The modern idea of a contemporary sculpture park has its roots in Italian ideas about how humans can shape their relationship with the natural environment. In England, these were manifested in grand seventeenth- and eighteenth-century aristocratic building and landscape projects, involving the designs of Andrea Palladio and of locals such as Capability Brown. We begin the day by exploring Houghton Hall, a stunning Palladian mansion that was constructed in the 1720s for Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first prime minister. The Marquess of Cholmondeley, David Rocksavage, and his wife Rose Hanbury, the present incumbents, have a particular interest in contemporary art, and we admire their sculpture collection on a guided tour. Afterwards, we enjoy lunch together before visiting nearby Sandringham House. Set in 60 acres of gardens, this residence of Charles III was once described as the most comfortable house in England. We return to Cambridge for an evening at leisure. Overnight Cambridge.

SUNDAY 31 AUGUST – HENRY MOORE (B, L)

Henry Moore is one of the modern era’s greatest sculptors, with a technique and history grounded in a classical appreciation of Michelangelo and a personal inspiration from the human body and the undulating and organic forms of the landscapes. Today we travel to Hertfordshire’s Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, to explore the more than 70-acre estate that Moore and his student-turned-muse-and-wife Irina Radetzky transformed after leaving London during the Blitz. The collection of Moore’s sculptures here is so great that it is on a permanent rotation, as we discover on our guided tour. Afterwards, there is lunch together in the museum café before we take a private tour of Hoglands House, the farmhouse that was Moore and Radetzky’s initial residence and studio – before the sale of his Reclining Figure (1939) allowed them to purchase the entire estate! We return to Cambridge for an evening at leisure. Overnight Cambridge.

MONDAY 01 SEPTEMBER – IN CAMBRIDGE (B)

We commence today with a guided tour of modern sculpture in Cambridge. This historic city has, in recent times, been transformed by a sculpture trail that sees over forty sculptures – some by titans such as Moore, Hepworth and Antony Gormley – set in the market square, university colleges and tranquil gardens. We then continue to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden for an expert-led guided tour of this heritage-listed botanical park. Founded in 1831 by the mentor of Charles Darwin, it is an important centre for the study of British native plants. After lunch at leisure, the afternoon is free for independent explorations. Overnight Cambridge.

TUESDAY 02 SEPTEMBER – SISSINGHURST (B, L)

Today we check out and make our way to Tunbridge Wells, stopping in the Weald in Kent to explore one of the United Kingdom’s most important gardens. We break our journey in Tunbridge for lunch at The Rose & Crown Hotel, before continuing to Sissinghurst village. Sissinghurst Castle was in a ruinous state when writer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat husband Harold Nicolson purchased it in the 1930s, and transforming its gardens became Sackville-West’s life project. From an outstanding collection of old roses to the impact of the so-called White Garden, Sissinghurst continues to inspire garden and landscape designers today, as we discover on a self-guided tour. After we check in to our hotel in Tunbridge Wells, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Tunbridge Wells.

WEDNESDAY 03 SEPTEMBER – THE SCULPTURE PARK & JANE AUSTEN’S HOUSE (B)

Today we check out and journey into Hampshire, commencing with a visit to Britain’s most atmospheric sculpture park. Simply known as The Sculpture Park, it is evocatively set in ten acres of woodland, with works by over 200 sculptors dotted along its pretty lakes and streams. This pleasant landscape provided a backdrop for the last eight years of Jane Austen’s life, as we discover after time for lunch at leisure. In nearby Chawton is Jane Austen’s House Museum, where this literary giant wrote or revised for publication all of her six novels. Jane’s mother and sister Cassandra, both of whom outlived her, continued to reside here for many years after her death in 1817. Continuing into Wiltshire to Salisbury, we check in to the hotel. The evening is at leisure, with your tour leader at hand to assist with independent dining options. Overnight Salisbury.

THURSDAY 04 SEPTEMBER – IN SALISBURY (B)

Salisbury is a delightful medieval town on the edge of the Salisbury Plain. We begin the day with a guided walking tour, learning about the ancient history of hilltop Old Sarum, a crossroads for early trade, before the thirteenth-century relocation of its cathedral into the plain at New Sarum. Unlikemost medieval cathedrals, Salisbury Cathedral was built swiftly, and its Early Gothic architecture is uniquely well preserved. An original manuscript of the Magna Carta – only four survive in total – is just one of the treasures preserved inside. At the parish church of St Thomas’s, we admire a rare surviving Last Judgement of the late fifteenth century. After time at leisure for lunch and independent explorations, we meet again for Evensong at Salisbury Cathedral. Generations of the cathedral’s choristers have sung the service here for more than 700 years. Overnight Salisbury.

FRIDAY 05 SEPTEMBER – ROCHE NEW ART CENTRE & MESSUMS WILTSHIRE (B, L)

The ancient landscape of Wiltshire now hosts some of England’s most important contemporary art centres. We commence our explorations today at the Roche New Art Centre, a 60-acre estate that hosts a sculpture park and gallery. On a guided tour, we admire the New Art Centre’s rotating display of significant works of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It represents the estates of Barbara Hepworth and Ian Stephenson, as well as emerging contemporary sculptors. After lunch in a historic pub, we continue to Messums Wiltshire. This stunning gallery is located inside a thirteenth-century tithe barn, a large structure used for storing the tithes of produce that medieval farmers were obliged to contribute to the Church. At Messums, it offers an evocative backdrop for innovative works of sculpture and painting. Returning to Salisbury, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Salisbury.

SATURDAY 06 SEPTEMBER – SCULPTURE & PARKLANDS OF SOMERSET (B, L)

We check out of our hotel this morning and travel into Somerset, stopping first to visit one of England’s most important contemporary explorations of sculpture and landscape. Hauser & Wirth Somerset is an outpost of a prominent Swiss commercial gallery that represents modern and contemporary artists and their estates, from Philip Guston to Phyllida Barlow, Louise Bourgeois and Pipilotti Rist. Occupying Durslade Farm in the village of Bruton, it is as much a collaborative art centre as it is a showcase gallery. Its Piet Oudolf-designed gardens are a triumph, with the looseness of his perennial meadow setting off the sculptural geometry of the Radić Pavilion, designed by the Chilean architect of the same name for the Serpentine Gallery in 2014. After lunch at a local restaurant, we continue to Stourhead, another iconic example of the England landscape style. The garden here takes its cues from Palladio again, its temples, follies, bridge and lake a Renaissance reinvention of Classical styles and mythologies. Continuing to Taunton, we check in to the hotel. The evening is at leisure, with your tour leader at hand to help with independent dining arrangements. Overnight Taunton.

SUNDAY 07 SEPTEMBER – FORDE ABBEY & THE EDEN PROJECT (B, L)

We check out of the hotel this morning and travel into Cornwall, stopping first at Forde Abbey in Dorset. A former Cistercian abbey, it is now a private residence with 30 acres of award-winning gardens under the care of the owner and head gardener, Alice Kennard. We enjoy a private tour of the stunning grounds, which set the Gothic residence off to great advantage. After lunch in a local restaurant, we continue to the Eden Project, one of Cornwall’s most fascinating sites. This experimental garden, situated in a reclaimed china clay pit, boasts the world’s largest biomes, sustainably recreating a number of different world environments and offering a venue for innovative art projects directly inspired by nature. After checking into our hotel in Truro, outside of Padstow, the evening is at leisure. Your tour leader will be pleased to assist. Overnight Truro.

MONDAY 08 SEPTEMBER – ST IVES (B, D)

St Ives, a pretty seaside town, has long been a preferred destination for creatives, from writers to sculptors, potters, painters and garden designers. We get to know the town today on a guided walking tour, commencing at Talland House. It was here that Virginia Woolf was inspired to write her groundbreaking work, To the Lighthouse. After time to admire St Ia’s Church and to enjoy a Cornish pasty, we continue to Tate St Ives. The collection here, established as an outpost of the London gallery in 1993, primarily focuses on artists with a connection to the region. Its works are exhibited in a picturesque beach location. The complex also includes the Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden, a monument to the sculptor’s influence on the artists’ colony here. Gathering together again this evening, we enjoy a farewell dinner at Rick Stein’s Padstow. Overnight Truro.

TUESDAY 09 SEPTEMBER – DEPARTURE (B)

Tour arrangements conclude this morning after breakfast in our hotel. For those departing St Ives, there is a transfer (contact us for more information) from the hotel to Exeter Station, where regular services depart for London Paddington. Our partners at Mary Rossi Travel will be pleased to advise on all aspects of your onward travel, including flights, accommodation and international travel insurance.

Clayton Hotel 4* Cambridge, 4 nights

https://www.claytonhotels.com/cambridge

Modern hotel conveniently located for our activities.

Hotel du Vin 4* Tunbridge Wells, 1 night

https://www.hotelduvin.com/locations/tunbridge-wells/
A historic mansion in a spa town, lovingly converted into a modern hotel.

Merchants House Hotel 4* Salisbury, 3 nights

https://themerchantshousehotel.co.uk/
Modern amenities in a fifteenth-century merchant’s house in central Salisbury.

Corner House Hotel 3* Superior Taunton, 1 night

https://corner-house.co.uk/
A modernised hotel in a Victorian building. As with most hotels in historic buildings, rooms vary in size and some are smaller than others.

Hotel Vara 4* Truro, 3 nights

https://www.hotelvara.co.uk/
A historic townhouse in a leafy town, converted into a hotel.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• 11 nights’ accommodation at 4* hotels and 1 night in a 3* Superior hotel

• All breakfasts and 8 lunches or dinners

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Talks by and expertise of an Australian tour leader

A $1,500pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 15 June 2025.

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