Easter at Doddington
We have lots to enjoy at Doddington this Easter - including a new room, thousands of cheery daffs and a children's Eggs-sploration! Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday are the first days of the year that the House is open and this year there is a new room for inquisitive minds - young and old - to explore. The Forgotten Room shows a glimpse into the Hall’s past as it is full of hundreds of unusual, fascinating and eclectic items that have been collected over the years by both previous and the current occupants.
On Good Friday and the Saturday the Farm Shop & Cafe is open as normal plus it will be open Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. Please do give us a call on 01522 688 581 if you would like to reserve a table for lunch, Fish Supper Friday or Saturday Night Seven. On Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday the Littlehouse will be open 11am to 4pm serving hot drinks and cakes (reservations not available).
The Farm Shop is full of delicious seasonal produce as well as Easter treats such as Simnel Cake and Hot Cross Buns. Phipps butchery offers joints and meat perfect for Easter lunch. We also have lots of lovely gifts in stock that reflect the Easter period as well as some pretty floral gifts made by Rachel whose cutting garden is based in the Kitchen Garden.
Please click here for opening hours for the Farm Shop Cafe and here for the House & Gardens (opening hours and admission).
When the Gardens are open, the children are invited to do our very popular Easter Eggs-ploration. Our young vistors will be set fun tasks such as counting the unicorns, drawing shapes seen in the brickwork, finding the dinosaur’s egg, cracking the maze and naming veg growing in the Kitchen Garden! (£1 payable in addition to admission but children rewarded with a special prize when they have done the Eggs-ploration.) Thousands of daffodils – including unknown Edwardian varieties - are finally out in full bloom throughout the Gardens and look wonderful.
We look forward to welcoming you to Doddington over Easter!
More about The Forgotten Room: It's a magical and fun place for children to explore but offers plenty for adults to discover as well. This Easter Bank Holiday Monday children are welcome to come into the room and sit at a table to draw or discuss the objects that interest them*.
Here are some of the things you can discover: handwritten decanter tags from the 1800s sit alongside an egg carrying box made by current owner Claire Birch’s father Antony Jarvis. Old irons, a Victorian mortar and pestle and a butter churner from the 1950s remind us of times before labour-saving devices. A snake skin can be discovered near camel hooves, both reminders of other places as well as other times. A collection of antique and vintage hats are displayed on the wall, underneath some extraordinary Indian masks. Old boots are taking a well-earned rest from many marches whilst a toy wooden yacht dreams of being launched and nearby Noah’s Ark patiently awaits its animals. A huge pram used by Claire’s grandparents for her mother in the 1940s looks very different from today’s buggies.
The Forgotten Room was originally a bedroom and has a fireplace, high ceilings and a view of the West Gardens and parkland beyond. It has not been decorated for many many years so you can see the extent of maintenance that the Hall’s other rooms have received!
* The Forgotten Room at Doddington is open as part of the House & Garden’s open season from Easter Sunday and every Sunday, Wednesday and Bank Holiday Monday until the end of the season. The Forgotten Room will always be open for viewing on open days but full access and the discovery table is only available when the room is attended by a steward. There will be a steward manning the room this Easter Bank Holiday Monday.
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