Stately Homes Day
In the morning, we’ll visit Ragley Hall, a Palladian masterpiece designed by Robert Hooke in 1680, with gardens by the famous Capability Brown. Ragley has been, and remains, the family home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford. We will take our lunch in the private library of Ettington Park. (There’s a picture of this room on the Details page). Later we will visit the gardens of Hidcote Manor. Our tour guide in Stratford used to be the head gardener here and has promised to use some of his contacts to get us a very special tour. Our guide, Anne, is a director on the few days a year that some of the private stately homes are opened for a charity event. When she saw what we accomplished in Monaco she got very excited about bringing us (and our entertainers) into some of her favorite places that are not usually open to the public. So, for now, our plans for this day remain slightly flexible, to leave open the possibility of some surprises.
