Oxhill News

www.oxhill.com / www.oxhill.org.uk

South Warwickshire, England.

The Oxhill News

October 2014

This months News

Contents

 

Garden Club

Following our ‘stop-over’ visit to Salisbury Cathedral (see Sept. Oxhill News), the coach took us on to Wilton House – home of the present 18th Earl of Pembroke and his family.  The house and its contents survived the vicissitudes of the Civil War and is famous for its tradition of continuous artistic patronage – William Shakespeare being just one beneficiary.  Wilton houses a collection of Classical Greek and Roman sculptures and a truly remarkable ‘wall to wall’ display of fine paintings by the Old Masters – a dozen or so Van Dyckes, a Rembrandt, the odd Breughel or two included.  Yet, despite the grandeur and being spotlessly clean, the house has a homely feel – the coverlet of the bed in one of the master bedrooms was obviously the regular resting place of one of the family’s sharp clawed cats!

Wilton was once the capital of Wessex and the present site was home to a Benedictine nunnery.  Following a re-build some time after the Norman Conquest, the buildings together with several large estates were granted in 1544 by Henry VIII to the Herbert family – who have been in continuous occupation to this day. Ancillary exhibitions at the time of our visit included a tribute to Cecil Beaton and a classic car display.  The gardens were pleasant but had little of interest for the keen gardener.  The house and its contents, however, made the visit very worthwhile.

Club meetings are held 7.30pm on the third Thursday of every month in Oxhill Village Hall. The talk on October 16th is by David Whitehead on ‘Edible Hedgerows’.  All are welcome.

The next extra curricular event in the Garden Club’s calendar is at 7pm on October 2nd at the Old Chapel when Angie Butler and Carolina Martella will give an illustrated talk on their "Ice Tracks Expeditions".  Angie & Carolina guide tours to the Antarctic and are passionate about explorers such as Shackleton - the evening should prove to be colourful, exciting and entertaining.

Members £2.00, Guests £3.00. Both prices include a free glass of wine.

Places limited.  Please contact Reg Gethin on 680453.

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Last modified: October 08, 2014