Spring Flowers out at Hollycombe
One of the lesser known parts of Hollycombe is its Listed Woodland Gardens. These are located below the Fairground and provide a quiet place for visitors to walk and enjoy a bit of tranquility away from the buzz and excitement of the Steam Fair. The next couple of weeks are the best time to see the Gardens as the Azaleas and Rhododendrons are in bloom and the numerous trees still show the colours of their young leaves before the fulll summer sets in. At the opposite end of the grounds, the 400 yard long Azalea Walk is alight with colour and smells as the hundreds of Azalea Mollis Hybrids are in flower. Hurry, though, as the flowers don't last very long!
- 14th May 2012
Sun shines on Miniature gathering
The sun shone on the weekend of 12th & 13th May – the first time in many weeks! – for the annual 'Steam in Miniature' gathering at Hollycombe. Only open to the public on the Sunday, the day included a line up of many of the engines outside Hollycombe's visitor centre, and close to the Allen ploughing engine which was on display ot the public for the first time since being repainted. All Hollycombe's road engines were in steam as well, making this a truly 'steamy weekend'. A gathering of classic Riley cars added to the attractions on the Sunday.
- 14th May 2012
Allen ploughing engine repainted
Tuesday 8th May saw the unique 1913-built John Allen & Sons (Oxford) Ltd Ploughing Engine No. 67 emerge from Hollycombe's paint shop for a successful steam test after a complete repaint by Trustee Richard Hooker and team over the past few months.
Allens were originally agents for the major ploughing engine manufacturer John Fowler of Leeds, but later modified Fowler engines and built a few of their own. This engine is the only survivor of the make.
- 09th May 2012
Razzle Dazzle comes closer
Latest news is that the new centre pole for the Razzle Dazzle will soon be back at Hollycombe and the process of installation and then building up the ride can begin.
We are really looking forward to having the ride back after 18 months out of service and with luck it will be up and running during June. However, this will depend on a lot of hard work by our engineers and volunteers. Fancy joining us? We always need new volunteers and this could be a great way to start!
- 05th May 2012
Canterbury Tales comes to Hollycombe
A special performance of Canterbury Tales Made Modern will be held in the beautiful Woodland Gardens at Hollycombe in the early evening of Sunday 15th July, just after the end of steaming for the day. Tickets to the performance will be available shortly either from Hollycombe of from the production company. More details shortly.
'Canterbury Tales Made Modern' is a play that holds an annual 'Chaucer' story telling competition, the wittiest competition ever! Based on the stories of the Pilgrims from Southwark who are on their way to visit the shrine of Thomas A Becket in Canterbury, each tell a tale to entertain the others on their way.
The audience is encouraged to vote on the quality and substance of the stories and after each story is acted out, the audience are asked to vote and choose a winner! Chaucer's timeless stories are paralleled into modern life, with the pilgrims being played by Woodstock hippies, in search of 'enlightenment', horses are exchanged for campervans and romany caravans, medieval robes for flares and rose tinted sunglasses.
Bacchae actors cleverly portray the characters with truth of character and wit as expected with some skullduggery along the way!!!
The Pardoner's Tale - Cunning geezer meets his match!
The Miller's Tale - Philandering Nicholas tries his tricks!
The Nun's Priest's Tale - Fiesty fox meets cheeky chicken!
The Cook's Tale - The revelling thieving Peterkin!
The Wife of Bath's Tale - A deceiving knight tricks an old hag! and more.........................
A production for the whole family to enjoy together; bring your chair and your picnic and be ready to be entertained!!! 'Canterbury Tales will take the form of a competition. Each will tell a tale, and at the end you the audience will be asked to show your appreciation by means of the clapometer.................
Tickets are now available (Adults £10, Concessions £8, Children £5) are available from the Ticketscript website: https://shop.ticketscript.com/channel/web2/start-order/rid/GZ5D4D65/language/en
- 16th April 2012