On Sunday 28th & Monday 29th August 2011 – August Bank Holiday Weekend the newly restored Gyllyngdune Gardens in Falmouth is hosting its very first two-day Tea Festival and celebrating the gardens’ historic links to the nation’s favourite beverage.
Since opening as a public Winter Garden in 1911, Gyllyngdune Gardens has hosted thousands of tea dances over the decades and was even once owned by the founderÂ’s son of the Horniman Tea Company.
GyllyngduneÂ’s Visitor & Education Officer, Sarah Spiegler-Williams has been organising the event as part of the new programme of activities which will be hosted in the newly restored gardens.
“Part of our ongoing development is to create interesting events which will draw even more people into the gardens. As the gardens and the Pavilion have always hosted tea dances and it’s a very traditional part of the heritage of the site, this seemed like a great opportunity to put together an event which celebrated the link to tea and the tea dances.
Like the band on the bandstand and the Cornish cream tea, tea is a quintessential tradition which fits beautifully with our gardens.
Visitors to the tea festival can enjoy a tea dance, listen to music on the bandstand, sit in on talks about tea and tea planting, enjoy taking part in creative workshops, browse stalls selling tea, arts and crafts and for younger visitors there will be tea trails and activities around the theme, with a variety of teas for visitors to sample during the event too.
This August the gardens re-open to the public following a £2.3M restoration project which has taken nearly a year to complete. Visitors will be able to take advantage of new facilities which include a new café / bar and education space, new pathways with step free routes throughout the gardens and beautifully restored heritage features. In addition, the gardens will be replanted to recreate the site as it was in its heyday, with a Victorian fernery in the quarry gardens, a recreated ‘rose walk’ and replanting of exotics in the reinstated Glasshouse.
Enjoy Tropical and traditional planting, stunning views of the sea and estuary, a secret sub-tropical quarry garden & tunnel, amazing shell grottos, an Edwardian bandstand, amazing flower displays, a site rich in heritage, an exciting programme of events for all audiences and delightful walks to nearby beaches, the harbour and town centre.
Tickets for the Tea Festival on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 August can be bought from the Pavilion Box office in person or by calling: 01326 211222. For more information about the Tea Festival including ticket prices go to: www.gyllyngdunegardens.co.uk.
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Didn’t realise that the subject of tea could be so interesting!
It is amazing what you can find has been written about it, quite fascinating really, I’m glad I started blogging on it 🙂
What would we do without our tea.xx
Miss it terribly :):)