Around the houses
9th July 2025
Sandringham House
North Norfolk’s stately homes are pulling out all the stops this summer, from fascinating exhibitions to behind-the-scenes garden tours and brilliant trails. Harriet Cooper and Amanda Loose share a few of the highlights
Blickling
Blickling is playing host to ‘Inspired by Nature: Mary, Maria, Marianne’, an installation by Rebecca Stevenson in the hall’s Upper Ante from 19 July to 22 October, featuring three busts depicting imagined portraits of artists and botanists Mary Delany (1700-1788), Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) and Marianne North (1830-1890). These three pioneers made important contributions to the world of science, recording plants and insects at a time when it was difficult for women to receive formal training in either art or science. The resin busts, with wax floral details referencing their work, will be on display along with Blickling’s copy of Maria Sibylla Merian’s book Dissertation sur la generation et les transformations des insectes de Surinam, 1726.
The National Trust’s Summer of Play is back throughout the school summer holidays at more than 175 of its places. There will be much play to enjoy at Blickling from 23 July to 2 September, such as self-led activities, with different ‘zones’ including nature, construction, sports (think hula hoops and parachutes) and art, or put on a show with fancy dress and a stage. Older children can test their skills at tennis, badminton and football. Head into the house for a botany and insects trail, inspired by Rebecca Stevenson’s sculptures. Be an artist and add to the growing installation artwork of flowers and insects extending down the Long Gallery. Summer of Play activities are included within standard admission and are free for National Trust members and under-fives.
Wolterton Hall
This 18th century Palladian hall opened to the public for the first time in a generation on 11 June, with its inaugural Arts & Culture Programme. Expect a contemporary art exhibition – ‘Sea State’ – a site-specific show featuring the work of Maggi Hambling and Ro Robertson; an artist residency for Dutch artist collective De Onkruidenier in collaboration with the Sainsbury Centre, as part of the latter’s Can the Seas Survive Us? season. Wolterton is also hosting the Norwich-based Clay Research Group, a collective of artists, lecturers, potters, and researchers dedicated to exploring locally sourced ceramic materials. Both groups will create new artworks from materials found onsite. Alongside, you can see the stunning house (with its Breadsource cafe in the library) and grounds and enjoy workshops, musical and theatrical events over the summer. Find out more here
Holkham Hall and Estate
A Holkham summer is always a fun-packed affair. There are too many events to mention, including tours galore – from exploring the Hall’s attics or cellars, to learning more about Holkham Village, or getting expert insight into the walled garden. Or head to the park, where children can climb, swing and zip through the huge woodland play area, take on the ropes course, or hop aboard a tractor-trailer for a deer safari. Pick up a free summer spotter sheet, go pond dipping (select dates) or book onto the ‘Bat Chat and Trek’ event, where, accompanied by an expert, you’ll see these fascinating creatures in flight in the woodland (select dates). Keep your eyes peeled, too, for a colourful GoGoSafari sculpture waiting to be found somewhere on the estate.
Feast in the Park is back on selected weekends from 19 July to 25 August and this summer, Holkham is also celebrating being open to the public for 75 years. After opening its doors in 1950, Holkham has been welcoming visitors ever since and as a nod to that bygone era, until 29 September there’ll be music, film, ceramics and radio from the 50s throughout the Hall (open select dates) and even Lady Glenconner’s coming out ball gown! Little ones, meanwhile, can pick up a spot the difference sheet and see all the ways the state rooms have evolved over the years.
Sandringham House and Gardens
You’ll be royally entertained at Sandringham, the country retreat of Their Majesties The King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The House is now open until 10 October and visitors can wander around the main ground floor rooms, admiring the fine interiors and objets d’art. This year’s exhibition in the Ballroom is ‘Royal Signatures Through the Years’, an insight into the British Royal Family’s ongoing relationship with the Royal Horticultural Society, showcasing royal signature paintings by botanical artists and signed by royal patrons. The Gardens are a joy, with ornamental lakes, rare trees and pretty planting – look out for the new Sundial Garden. Keen to explore further? There are waymarked trails and woodland paths criss-crossing the Royal Parkland.
Oxburgh Hall and Estate
Built by the Bedingfeld family in 1482, there’s much to enjoy at this moated National Trust property near Swaffham over the summer. Take a tour, for instance, of the hall’s formal gardens, or step back in time on Oxburgh’s fascinating history and archaeology tours over the summer on select dates – recent investigations have revealed evidence of Roman and medieval settlements within what is now the estate. July sees Frozen Light bring ‘Night Out in Nature’ to the estate from 16 to 19 July, an outdoor sensory installation performance for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Four scientists have lived inside a biodome for over a decade, waiting for the Blostma which flowers every 12 years to bloom – but will it?
The National Trust’s Summer of Play is back at Oxburgh from 23 July to 2 September. Experience and take part in a range of fun-filled activities within the grounds, including giant chess, hobby horse races, a dress up stage, music stations, wild weaving and so much more. Summer of Play activities are included within standard admission and are free for National Trust members and under-fives.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/oxburgh
Hindringham Hall
North Norfolk is home to many horticultural hotspots, but Hindringham Hall is particularly picturesque. The gardens and medieval fish ponds are a kaleidoscope of colour and wildlife at this time of year; the roses are standout and there’s now a chart available in the Coffee Shop for visitors to identify the different types in bloom. Book onto a behind-the-scenes garden tour with owner Lynda Tucker on 18 June; or join a house tour where you’ll learn about the hall’s 500-year history (9 July, 6 August, 10 September). For a quintessentially summery evening, pack a picnic and bag a spot on the East Lawn for Moving Parts Theatre Company’s alfresco performance of Vanity Fair on 25 July.
Houghton Hall
Houghton has been hosting major exhibitions of contemporary art and sculpture since 2015, showcasing artists such as Antony Gormley, James Turrell, Damien Hirst and Chris Levine. This year, the focus is on Stephen Cox in what is the largest display of the British sculptor’s work ever shown. ‘Stephen Cox: Myth’, which runs until 28 September, includes around 20 marble and stone sculptures dotted around the parkland and in the Stone Hall, smaller pieces in the Palladian mansion’s State Rooms and works on paper on show in the South Wing. Afterwards, make sure to swing by the exquisite five-acre Walled Garden with its double-sided herbaceous border, Italian garden, formal rose parterre, and extensive fruit and vegetable gardens. Find out more here
For all times and ticket prices, visit the individual websites
