24 Sep 2013
Details of things to do, offers and special events in Norwich and Norfolk this Autumn and Winter including NORWICHRISTMAS - Star of the East. Highlights include tours of private gardens, the 'Ten Mile Dinner' menu, a boutique stay on the edge of the Broads and a gorgeous secret garden in the centre of Norwich. Two new major exhibitions launch; Masterpieces: Art & East Anglia at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and Curiosity - Art and the Pleasures of Knowing at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery.
HOLKHAM, NORFOLK
Autumn tours of the private gardens of
Holkham Hall
Sunday 20th October 2013
11am, 1pm & 3pm
Enjoy a wonderful opportunity to view the private gardens surrounding Holkham Hall, which are normally closed to the public. See the spectacular arboretum with its many unusual and rare specimen trees resplendent at this time of year with their foliage in an array of autumnal tones. Learn about the valuable work of the gardens department at Holkham and how they maintain the intricate patterns of the formal parterres on the terraces, designed by leading landscape gardener W.A Nesfield in the 19th century. Take in the idyllic atmosphere of the shell garden with its tree ferns and newly renovated shell house, the internal walls of which are beautifully decorated with an array of different shell patterns. Booking is essential as these tours are popular. Each tour will last approximately one hour. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. Tickets adult £8, child (5-16 yrs) £3.
Enjoy a bracing walk on Holkham beach, part of the Holkham National Nature Reserve and one of the most unspoilt and beautiful stretches of sand in the country.
Stay at the Beechwood Hotel - a country house hotel in the market town of North Walsham - an excellent touring base for North Norfolk. In October short breaks starting on either Friday or Sunday, for a minimum of 2 nights, complimentary Sunday night accommodation and breakfast is available for a third night provided guests book a table in the restaurant for dinner. The Beechwood offers warm hospitality, rooms of exceptional comfort, two lounges in which to relax, a beautiful garden to help guests unwind and a fabulous restaurant. The bedrooms are delightful; giant sized beds, squashy duvets, mounds of pillows, Molton Brown toiletries, fluffy bathrobes and free standing baths are featured in many of the rooms. The cuisine is Modern British. Each evening, Head Chef Steven Norgate prepares a 'Ten-Mile Dinner' menu, which celebrates local produce; ingredients are sourced, where possible, from within about ten miles of the hotel. Cromer crab, Morston mussels, Sheringham lobster, Thornham oysters and local meat and vegetables are all served in season.
THE NORFOLK BROADS
Stay at the Norfolk ead Hotel in Coltishall - a luxurious Georgian country house hotel in an idyllic riverside location, on the edge of the Norfolk Broads. Approached by a secluded tree lined driveway, it has 13 rooms which include a cottage in the grounds. Rooms start at £125 per room per night including a delicious and substantial homemade local produce breakfast. The hotel's eight acres of grounds include established landscaping with the property fronting onto the river Bure. With its own private moorings, the Norfolk Mead welcomes visitors to arrive by boat. Complimentary rowing boats are also available for those who wish to take to the water!
A member of the National Park family, the Broads - Britain's magical waterland is an intricate jigsaw of picturesque rivers and broads (small lakes) which stretch for 200km. They are a haven for wildlife and an incredible quarter of the nation's rarest species.
Hire a bike, a boat or a canoe, or simply take a walk. There are over 300km of footpaths - nature trails, circular walks and long distance footpaths suitable for anything from a gentle stroll to a strenuous hike.
Take a woodland walk at the beautiful Fairhaven Woodland & Water Garden at South Walsham where crimson berries and golden leaves provide magnificent autumn colours. Migrant and passage birds can be seen on the private Broad.
NORWICH, NORFOLK
Stay at The Old Rectory, a privately-owned grade II listed Georgian property in an acre of mature, secluded gardens overlooking the Yare Valley and just 2 miles from Norwich city centre. They're offering special Autumn short breaks (minimum 2 night stay) from £130 per room per night on a bed and breakfast basis or from £175 per room per night for dinner, bed & breakfast.
Norwich is the most complete medieval city in Britain, boasting the largest medieval street pattern in Europe, two cathedrals and an imposing Norman castle. Against this historic backdrop thrives a cosmopolitan city with a diverse mix of cultural and arts attractions for all the family to enjoy. Norwich is also is a top UK shopping destination offering some of the best independent shops and eateries in the region along with all the major department stores and two modern malls.
Norwich is surrounded by superb Norfolk countryside, but there are also over 150 green spaces within the city itself, including 23 parks, 59 natural areas and nature reserves and 10km of riverside walks which look simply stunning in autumn.
The Plantation Garden is a grade II English Heritage registered garden established over 100 years ago in an abandoned chalk quarry some 600 yards from the city centre. It comprises nearly 3 acres in all, and includes; a huge gothic fountain, flower beds, lawns, Italianate terrace, 'Medieval' terrace wall, woodland walkways, a 10 metre long Victorian-style greenhouse and rustic bridge. Autumn Planting Day - go along and join the group of passionate volunteers to get the planting on its way on Sunday 27th October.
There are also some major events happening in Norwich this autumn and winter:
Masterpieces: Art and East Anglia at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich
Saturday 14 September 2013 - Monday 24 February 2014
One of the most ambitious exhibitions in the region's recent history, celebrating the artistic heritage of East Anglia, from antiquity through to the present day. The exhibition comprises over 250 masterpieces across the media, including painting, furniture, sculpture, design, jewellery, textiles and a wealth of stunning treasures. This exhibition has been made possible through generous loans from over sixty major public and private collections including the Royal Collection, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery. Must-see items include Queen Alexandras Dormouse by Faberge, head of the Emperor Claudius or Nero, Lotus Type 72 and the King John Cup. Tickets £8 (£6 concessions), family
ticket £20 http://scva.ac.uk/masterpieces
Curiosity - Art and the Pleasures of Knowing at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
Saturday 28 September 2013 - Sunday 5th January 2014
Presenting a spectacular world of wonder and inquiry, this fascinating exhibition will showcase drawings of emblems, puzzles and curious objects by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as Albrecht Dürer's celebrated woodcut of a rhinoceros from 1515 alongside work from leading contemporary artists,
Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery is only the second venue in the UK to host this exhibition.
Autumn literary festival at the University of East Anglia, Norwich
Wednesday 2nd October - Wednesday 20th November 2013
The University of East Anglia's first literary festival took place in 1991 and over the last twenty two years they have welcomed a host of award-winning authors, journalists, illustrators, scientists, economists, broadcasters and more. This Autumn, to mark the University's 50th anniversary, the festival celebrates literary and academic achievement at the University of East Anglia with a glittering line-up of writers (including Charlie Higson, Ian McEwan, Rose Tremain and Kazuo Ishiguro) and Nobel Prize winner Sir Paul Nurse, all of whom have studied or taught at the University at some point in their careers..Most events will run 7pm-8pm (doors open 6.30pm) and are priced at £7 per ticket. www.uea.ac.uk/litfest
In 2012 Norwich became the first English city to be awarded the permanent accolade of UNESCO City of Literature in recognition of its sensational literary past, present and future.
Spooky City, Norwich
Monday 28th October - Thursday 31st
October 2013
It's Halloween in the Spooky City of Norwich! At Norwich Castle explore the spooky and supernatural, with fun activities including stories from when the Castle was a prison and scary dungeon tours. Watch giant pumpkin carving, get your hands on some gruesome objects and watch out for spiders in the creepy Keep. Free Halloween activities for children including mask making, pumpkin crafts and face painting at The Forum. Explore local myths and legends in the Fusion Digital Gallery and in the Millennium Library. Enjoy spooky cakes in Marzanos cafe bar.
Dress up for the Spooky City Parade on All Hallows' Eve (Thursday 31st October). Win a prize for your carved pumpkin. Spooky music and entertainment at the Castle and The Forum. Carved Pumpkin Competition at Norwich Castle (open until 7pm) - bring your own carved pumpkins to the Castle, between 2-5pm and make them part of the big display. You could win of the many great prizes, including a family museum pass for a year and tickets to see Cinderella at Norwich Theatre Royal.
Spooky City Parade - Norwich Castle Mound (7pm) to The Forum. Join the fancy dress parade of bats, ghosts and all things creepy, as it winds its way from Castle Mound to The Forum. The pumpkin competition prizes will be awarded at The Forum and there will be gifts for the best fancy dress costumes. Music, food and fun until 9pm.
http://www.theforumnorwich.co.uk/events/spooky-city
Norwich Christmas Lights Switch On
Thursday
21st November 2013
Norwich city's Christmas lights will look more spectacular than ever in 2013 with the inaugural festive theme; NORWICHRISTMAS - Star of the East. As well as modern filigree star-ball suspensions and cool blue up lighters in trees across the city, the illuminations will be complemented by garlands of shimmering rays draped across some of the main shopping streets and winding narrow alleys of Norwich.
Giant light projections will further enhance the city's festive decor. The Norman castle facade will erupt with dazzling flurries of shining stars whilst at City Hall, more drama and theatre will include spotlights of colour and art deco brick columns wrapped in hundreds of tiny bulbs sparkling gloriously in silver and gold. City Hall Tower, standing proudly overlooking the 11thC Castle, 15thC Guildhall and the 900 year old market place will be grandly crowned with yet more seductive Christmas lights splendour.
The fun starts at 6pm at Norwich Castle. Join Father Christmas, his magical sleigh and lantern parade as they meander through the snowy streets to City Hall. Make a wish with the Christmas fairies at The Forum and City Hall and enjoy hot festive food, snowballs, dancing elves and singing cherubs.
At 7pm the lights switch on takes place followed by a fireworks display bursting from Jarrold and City Hall. Following the fireworks, why not visit the Feast on the Street market outside The Forum for delicious street foods to keep you warm as you enjoy the festive atmosphere around the city.
www.norwichristmas.co.uk
MEDIA ENQUIRIES TO:
Melanie Cook melanie.cook@visitnorwich.co.uk
or 01603 727939
