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PROGRAMME 2026
Thursday 19th March 2026
and Spring Lunch
12:30pm for 1:00pm lunch
Confessions of an Am-Dram Tart
Presented by Jonathan Jones
Jonathan Jones is a well-known public speaker and former Town Crier for Farnham, Surrey. He retired from his role as Town Crier in 2019 after nearly 17 years of service. He has built a career as a public speaker and performer, giving talks and dramatic readings on a variety of topics, often with a literary or historical focus. His talks are frequently delivered at local clubs and societies, including a number to us in past years. We are delighted to welcome him back to entertain us with stories from his past.
Jonathan has also performed at literary festivals and special events, and he has a YouTube channel where he shares some of his readings. His background is in IT, Quality Assurance, and Process Improvement, and he took up public speaking after retiring from that career.
Spring Lunch
Spacing out our social events, we are going to continue to have a SPRING LUNCH. Having already experienced her excellent fare, we shall once more use the services of Nicola Leonard, from whom we shall order two choices of main dish and two desserts, and a vegetarian option, which you will be asked to select later after you have booked. Water will be provided on the tables, but please bring your own drink and glasses (wine is allowed) to accompany the meal.
This event is now fully booked. If you would like to go onto a waiting list for any possible cancellations please send a message via the Contact Us page.
Thursday 16th April 2026
North Hampshire National Trust Centre
Annual General Meeting
Thursday 14th May 2026
Visit to Kenwood House
This fine stately home on the edge of Hampstead Heath is surrounded by tranquil landscaped gardens and contains a stunning world class art collection, including works by Gainsborough, Vermeer, Hals, Reynolds, Rembrandt and many others.
Cost to include coach journey and a guided tour:
£45.00 Members
£50.00 Non-members
(Less £15.00 if guided tour not required)
Refreshments BYO or Brew House cafe
There are lifts to the upper floors
Wednesday 3rd June 2026
Visit to Chichester Cathedral Flower Festival and Fishbourne Roman Palace and Gardens
Bypassing the South Downs, our day will be divided into three parts:
Morning: Timed visit to the flower festival.
Lunchtime: Own arrangements – perhaps sampling the cathedral’s own café or seeing what ‘refreshment spots’ the city has to offer.
Afternoon: After rejoining our coach, we shall stop off at Fishbourne Roman palace.​
Join us for a wonderful day, visiting the famous flower festival in Chichester Cathedral in the morning and stopping off at the equally famous Fishbourne Roman palace and gardens on the way back.
Make sure you sign up right away, as we have to pre-book a specific number for our ‘slot’. Late bookers will incur an extra £4 cost and may have delayed entry.
Cost:£52 Members
[Possible refund of £5 for English Heritage members]
£57 Non-members
Refreshments: Own expense, but plenty of outlets in the city & the cathedral itself.
Accessibility: There should be no mobility problems.
Tuesday 23rd June 2026
Visit to Longford Castle and Salisbury
Longford Castle, the home of the Earls of Radnor, is one of Wiltshire’s most intriguing historic houses.
Rarely open to the public, this striking triangular castle rises from its parkland setting, offering a sense of discovery from the moment you arrive.
The tour will last from 10.30 to 12.30 after which we will drive to nearby Salisbury where we will be free to have lunch and visit such attractions as the Cathedral.
Cost: £50 members £55 Non-members
Refreshments:
You are free to get your lunch where you choose in Salisbury. The Cathedral café is very adequate.
Accessibility:
Expect uneven floors, stairs, and changes of level, as it’s an Elizabethan house. For those unable to go up stairs, a separate tour limited to the ground floor is on offer.
Monday 27th July 2026
Visit to Goodwood House
Guided tour of the state rooms and full afternoon tea
WHAT’S INCLUDED?...
A guided tour of the state apartments
Viewing the fine art collection of over 300 paintings
Traditional afternoon tea in the magnificent ballroom
A chance to buy award-winning produce from Goodwood home farm
Goodwood House have just let us know that they can accommodate a few extra visitors.
Please click on the Booking & Payment form to take advantage of these additional places.
Goodwood House combines the glamour of a great English country house with the warmth of a family home. It also provides a dramatic setting for one of the most significant private art collections in the country, which includes important works by Stubbs, Canaletto and Van Dyck.
Cost:
£55 members £60 Non-members
Refreshments:
Cost of full afternoon tea included
Accessibility:
All rooms are on the ground floor and wheelchair accessible.
Thursday 13th August 2026
2.00 for 2.30pm
CREAM TEA
and a presentation
by JONATHAN HUGHES (Hon. Sec.)
‘40 YEARS ON’ and 40 MEMORIES of the NHNTC
The CREAM TEA has been a recurring feature of the Centre’s programme over the years.
As we have to cater for a specific number, we must ask attendees to BOOK for this event. Tickets will NOT be issued, but we shall have to turn away those who attend on the day without having booked – sorry!
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Cost:
Members £6.50
non-members £7.50
Monday 14th to Friday 18th September 2026
The Historic Houses & Heritage of North Wales
Including Wightwick Manor, Welsh Highland Narrow Gauge Railway, Portmerion, Caernarfon Castle, Plas Newydd Country House & Gardens, Bodnant Gardens, Penrhyn Castle, Powis Castle & Gardens
Over the years, the Centre has sponsored an annual ‘holiday’ with Yorkshire, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man being recent examples. In the early days there was even a visit to South Africa.
Our survey indicated that North Wales would be a popular destination – provided it included Portmeirion! – so we have agreed the attached itinerary with the firm ‘tailored travel’, who arrange everything for us as indicated in the programme below.
We do need to recruit a minimum of 25 members (or other friends) to make the holiday financially viable, so we were pleased to note that our preliminary survey indicated enough YES responses to encourage us to publicise the event.
Now we need to secure the booking by sending a £100 deposit per person to ‘tailored travel’, so would all prospective participants please send a cheque without delay to Jonathan Hughes to the address shown in the Itinerary and Booking Form below.
Cost : £899. [Same for non-members, for whom there may be room]
£999 for single rooms
£38 ‘Tailored travel’ insurance, if required
Accessibility: No known hazards.
Wednesday 30th September 2026
Visit to Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a World Heritage Site and has 200 years of history, stories and treasures to be explored. Share the splendours of Baroque architecture and wonder at the collection, which includes art, tapestries and fine furniture.
Cost (incl. concessionary entrance fees):
£69 Members
£74 Non-members Accessibility: No known hazards
Optional train @ 50p each way
Refreshments at own cost:
BYO or take advantage of facilities on site