York Association of the National Trust
Social Events Organiser: social@yant.org.uk
Private Visit to Nunnington Hall and Gardens
Monday July 8th 2024 1.30pm to 4.30pm
£22.00 which includes Coach, Tea and Scones
We are delighted to invite you to join us at Nunnington Hall for a private visit with tea and scones (inc gluten-free).
Nunnington Hall and Gardens are closed on Mondays but they have offered us a private visit to the house and garden and their catering team will provide tea and scones.
We will also be able to see the new art space which has been funded by our donation. There will be volunteers coming in to meet us and tell us about the house.
Numbers are limited to 30 and we expect all to travel by coach together.
The coach will be depart from Memorial Gardens at 1.30pm and will leave Nunnington at 4.30pm.
Report of Nunnington Hall Visit July 2024
It was a lovely sunny afternoon when our coach driver Matt took us to Nunnington Hall. The views from the higher seating position on the coach were so much better than when looking out of a car window.
We were met at Nunnington Hall by Linzi, the Property Operations Manager. She thanked us very much for the recent donation from YANT, which will be used for tracking lighting in a new gallery. The work has not yet been completed because planning permission had to be granted to drill holes in a Grade 1 listed ceiling. However, she informed us that the permission had just been granted so hopefully the new gallery will be open by the end of July.
Next, a volunteer, Robert, gave us a brief history of the Hall, from the old manor house built in 1249. It then passed through various families who redesigned the layout and was eventually passed to the National Trust in the mid 20th century. We were allowed to move through the house and visit the rooms at our own pace. There was a laptop with film of the house tour for those who did not wish to tackle the stairs. Many thanks must go to Robert, Christine and Roy, the volunteers who came into the Hall especially for our private visit.
At the top of the Hall is a large exhibition space for professional artists, but the room beyond the shop (which used to house the Carlisle Collection of miniature rooms) is to be the new Community Gallery. There will be space for 4 artists to exhibit simultaneously, for 6 weeks. Each artist will have a wall to show their work, illuminated by the new gallery lighting. A percentage of any art sales will return to Nunnington Hall, so our donation should generate more money for the hall in the future.
Afterwards we had tea/coffee and marvellous scones, cream and jam in the cafe. Chris, who made the scones, helped to serve us so he could see how much we appreciated them.
Thanks to Catherine Brophy, who organised the trip, Valerie Laud who took the bookings and Matt who drove us so smoothly.
Rosemary Anderton