VISIT TO THE HOUSE, ART COLLECTION AND GARDENS OF NEVILL HOLT
Tuesday 27th May2025
By kind permission of David Ross, once again we are honoured to have an exclusive tour of the wonderful gardens at Nevill Holt, near Market Harborough, at the end of May, with the Estate's head gardener, Andy Bretherick, as our guide and on hand throughout to answer all our horticultural queries.
This year we are doubly honoured, as David has also granted us exclusive access to his stunning home which houses the UK's greatest private collection of British Art post 1960.
The tour of the house, which has work by all the greats of modern British art, including David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Sir Peter Blake, Gilbert and George, Terry Frost, Richard Hamilton, Allen Jones, R B Kitaj, Graham Sutherland, Eduardo Paolozzi, Sir Anthony Caro and Grayson Perry among many others, will be conducted by David's manager of collections, Albany Bell, who will provide expert insight into the works on display.
The house itself is also of great interest, having been built in the 13th century with major additions in each subsequent century. It was owned for more than four hundred years by the Nevill family and more recently the Cunards, owners of the world-famous shipping line. It was the childhood home of radical socialite Nancy Cunard and many notable musicians, writers and performers of the early twentieth century were often guests at the house.
As members who were lucky enough to visit Nevill Holt last year will testify, the glorious ten acre garden, parts of which dates back to the 17th Century, was designed by Chelsea Gold Medal Winner Rupert Golby and includes three distinctive walled gardens, magnificent herbaceous borders and a monumental, ancient Cedar of Lebanon. Dotted among the fabulous planting schemes is one of the most extensive private collections of contemporary British sculpture in England, including works by Sir Antony Gormley, Turner Prize winner Rachel Whiteread, Allen Jones and Nic Fiddian-Green.
Once more, the tour of the garden takes place just as it starts to reach its peak in time for the new Nevill Holt Festival which this year runs from May 30th to June 22. The festival has something to suit all palates, and further details can be found on the website https://nevillholtfestival.com. This year there is an amazing selection of cultural and historical talks, performances, exhibitions and shows as well as 6 nights of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte performed by Opera North.
Refreshments will be served.
Tickets for the garden tour from 12 noon - 13.00 are £25 per person. Numbers are strictly limited and tickets will be issued on a first come first served basis.
The same applies for the Art tour of the house from 13.30 to 14.30 at £45 per person.
If you would like to come please email Stephie Hutton on stephiehutton@gmail.com to make a booking BEFORE sending any money. When you have confirmation of your place from her please then send her a cheque or make a payment directly into our bank account, details of which she will let you know.
