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©The Edward Bawden Estate

FRIENDS' GUIDED VISIT TO ELTON HALL & GARDENS
Tuesday 5th August 2025 from 10.30am

Venue Elton Hall, near Peterborough, PE8 6SH.

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Elton Hall is nestled in the beautiful countryside on the Cambridgeshire/Northamptonshire border, lying eight miles southwest of Peterborough. It stands proud in unspoilt landscaped parkland where a house has stood since the 12th century.


The house has been the home of the Proby family since 1660, although previous generations held land at Elton from the time of Elizabeth I. Elton Hall is enchanting and there is something romantic and magical about the building with its gothic south elevation set at a right angle to the classical, French inspired, entrance wing. Successive generations have embellished both the house and collection, which contains many Old Masters and fine examples of English portraiture by Reynolds, Gainsborough and Romney. Your visit, which also includes the recently Award winning restored gardens, provides the Friends with a fascinating insight into British history and taste.


Alexandra Proby and her family continue to maintain and preserve the house and welcome visitors to the Hall. There is something for everyone to see, from the private chapel used by the family for christenings and special events, books from the library of over 10,000 volumes and portraits including ones of Oliver Cromwell, Charles 1 and Charles II, representing the tumultuous times of the 17th century.

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To guarantee your place(s) on this very privileged visit. Access your membership page https://membermojo.co.uk/mm/signin and sign in using your main member email address (or password if you have set one up). On your membership page ‘visit store’ and follow the instructions to purchase any number of tickets and tea or coffee choice. Then proceed to checkout and pay by card.
Alternatively,

Please pay £25 per person by bank transfer to our Friends Business Account:
Friends of the Higgins Art Gallery NatWest Bank
Sort Code 60-02-13 Account number 51215969
For us to allocate your place(s), it is essential that you add your name as the payment reference,
In either case please email Liz Elliott, eje016@gmail.com to confirm your payment and *specify tea or coffee on arrival therefore reserve your place(s).

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The payment is non-refundable but if you have to cancel, we will do our best to sell your place to another person. If, for any reason, The Friends need to cancel the visit a full refund will be made.
We recommend early payment to guarantee your place(s) and avoid the disappointment of being sold out.

Closing date for application is 18th July.

We are thrilled to present our Programme of talks

2025/26 New Season Programme of Friends Lectures and Events (subject to change)

Talks are free with Friends’ membership and members are encouraged to bring guests.  

For guests we currently operate an honesty policy and ask for a donation of £10 cash at the door or £8.00 min via our JustGiving web page.   

Tuesday 2nd September 2025
Richard Moon on Seizing the Skies

7.30pm Venue St Andrew's Church Hall

Tuesday 9th September 2025 
Harrison Goldman on Dogs in Art

7.30pm Venue St Andrew's Church Hall

Generously sponsored by Acorn House Veterinary Hospital

Tuesday 14th October 2025 
James Russell on Tirzah Garwood

7.30pm Venue to be announced

Tuesday 4th November 2025 
Hugh Belsey on Thomas Patch

7.30pm Venue St Andrew's Church Hall

Lunchtime Talk
Tuesday 11th October 2025 

Michael Hall on his forthcoming book 'A Queer Inheritance - Alternative Histories

This is a talk organised by the Higgins and Friends are invited. Book your free ticket here.

12.30pm Barbican Studio, The Higgins Bedford

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Michael Hall will be talking about his new book ‘A Queer Inheritance - Alternative Histories in the National Trust’. National Trust houses and landscapes might seem to embody conventional family values, but for generations some very different stories were hidden away. These belong to owners now considered queer for defying the norms of sexual orientation or gender identity – sometimes blatantly, occasionally as open secrets, but most often very discreetly.

 

Michael Hall is a former Architectural Editor of Country Life and Editor of Apollo, he was Editor of The Burlington Magazine from 2017-2024

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Tuesday 13th November 2025 
Private view of the upcoming Noel Carrington Exhibition

The Higgins Bedford, Time to be announced

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This exhibition, the first of its kind, will tell the story of unsung hero Noel Carrington (1895–1989), one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century in the commissioning, editing and publishing of children’s picture books. Eric Ravilious' High Street, Kathleen Hale's Orlando books, Mervyn Peake's Captain Slaughterboard, were all commissioned by Carrington. For these three alone Carrington merits attention, yet he also edited and commissioned the ground breaking Puffin Picture Book series. Curated by writer and publisher Joe Pearson (Design for Today), the exhibition will bring together well-known classics of children’s publishing as well as Carrington’s commissions by artists such as Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden.

Tuesday 2nd December 2025 
Cities of Culture to visit The Art of Venice

7.30pm Venue to be announced

Tuesday 16th December 2025 
Natalie Doig, from the award winning podcast 'Weird in the Wade', on The Milton Ernest Witches - Mary and Mother Sutton

7.30pm Venue to be announced

Tuesday 20th January 2026
Bernard O'Connor on Jasper Maskelyne, the illusionist who hid Tempsford Airfield

7.30pm Zoom lecture

Tuesday 3rd February 2026
Perry Straker on Norman Hartnell

7.30pm Zoom lecture

Tuesday 17th February 2026 
Mark Lewis on Graham Sutherland

7.30pm Venue to be announced

Tuesday 3rd March 2026 
Professor Paul Coldwell on Woodcuts, his new book

7.30pm Venue to be announced

Tuesday 24th March 2026 
Perry Straker on Women in the Civil War

7.30pm Zoom Lecture

Tuesday 27th April 2026 
Sarah Flynn on The Neiger Brothers and Egyptian Revival Jewellery

7.30pm Venue to be announced

If you want to donate or if you are interested in fundraising for us, please click here to visit our JustGiving page. Your support will help us to preserve and improve our wonderful museum.  Thank you!  

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Member of the British Association of Friends of Museums 

Registered Charity: 802508

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