Around the houses
14th May 2025
Sandringham House
North Norfolk’s stately homes are pulling out all the stops this summer, from fascinating exhibitions and alfresco theatre to behind-the-scenes garden tours and brilliant trails. Harriet Cooper and Amanda Loose share a few of the highlights
Wolverton Hall
This 18th century Palladian hall is set to open 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 esearchers dedicated to exploring locally sourced ceramic materials. Both groups will create new artworks from materials found onsite. Alongside expect workshops, musical and theatrical events over the summer.
Holkham Hall and Estate
A Holkham summer is always a fun-packed affair. There are too many events to mention, but a highlight is the arrival of Adventure Cinema, with alfresco screenings in the Walled Garden including The Greatest Showman (Sing-a-long) on 23 May and Queen Spectacular on 25 May. During half-term (24 May to 1 June), you’re invited to harness your detective skills on the Holkham Whodunnit Trail. A real crime took place at Holkham in 1772, when money was stolen, and now you can follow hidden clues in the Walled Garden to crack the centuries-old mystery. Or if crafting is your thing, a series of workshops in May, June and July covers candle-making and willow weaving to oil painting and lino printing.
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 archaeology tours – recent investigations have revealed evidence of Roman and medieval settlements within what is now the estate (both tours on selected dates). 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?
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 (11 June, 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.
For all times and ticket prices, visit the individual websites
