My it’s a scorcher!
Whilst the hot weather certainly brings out the suntan lotion and Pimms, it’s often a challenge for us. Dead-heading, weeding and watering are the order of the day for our gardeners in summer, who usually start an hour earlier than usual in such heat. This is to say nothing of the decimating box moth caterpillar, which has already stripped us of much of our signature box hedging, and continues its advance with merciless persistence. Sometimes kept in check by freezing temperatures this particularly invasive creature has thrived in the warmer winters we’ve been having. As we continue to experience changes to our climate, all the jobs of maintaining these heritage gardens become all the more challenging.
Nevertheless, July is a month to enjoy long days of sunshine on our Archery Lawn, or in the dappled shade of the Claire Voie. It is the season of swallows and swifts and, in the light of the fading sun, bats can often be seen flitting across the grass walkways. Join us across this month for a great number of events, and our continuing Golden Hour Late Openings on Fridays.
Mrs Barbara Nice
Back for an evening of jollity and japery on 19th July, Mrs Barbara Nice joins us once more for fundraising bingo, bringing her own unique brand of comedy for you to enjoy. Her legendary generosity means she’s dropping by the Gardens during the ONLY gap in her sell-out nationwide tour to help our charity raise much-needed funds. We never quite know what Barbara will get up to, but we know you’ll leave having had a proper good laugh – priceless!
So this is your chance to see the legend, win prizes and help the Gardens. It’s Bingo, but not as you know it…
Troubadours and Thespians
‘All the world’s a stage’, and the Gardens are a particularly special one. We know the Gardens, with its long Archery Lawn, and shaded Claire Voie, is the perfect place for touring troupes to tread the portable boards, so this summer will see theatre return.
On 29th July, we invite you to venture on a musical journey of plotting and scheming with folklore’s most notorious villain – the Big Bad Wolf. Following the success of their 2024 production of ‘The Secret Garden’, The Plandits are back on the road with this brand-new outdoor rock and roll musical! Ideal for the whole family, following the scheming life of Fairytale Land’s most notorious baddy…
Living in exile in the Deep Dark Wood, he parties and plays rock music every night with his cronies, far away from the goody-goody townspeople of Fairytaleville. But whatever happened to Little Red Riding Hood? Did the Three Little Pigs go on to have a successful music career? And is the Wolf really as bad as he seems?
Here’s hoping for sunny weather, but our large stretch tent will be available for cover if the Heavens threaten. Some chairs and blankets will be available, but do bring your own if possible.
Summer Story Quest
Encouraging reading, especially in a heritage site such as Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens is always something we want to support. If you are looking for a summer adventure, where books are the treasure, then Sundays across the Summer Holidays are the days for you.
Join us for the Summer Story Quest where we will be giving away FREE books to those who are lucky enough to find hidden tokens around the Gardens. Keep a weather eye on our website for further details. We’re not the only ones to think that early reading experiences are a positive thing: all the books that are given away this summer have been sponsored by local businesses We are super grateful to their support.
Music for the Soul
Soul Sessions Brum returns to the Gardens for the third year in a row. Experience an evening of live music featuring performances from some of the best kept secrets across the West Midlands music scene.
Special guests this year are Jack Mac’s Funk Pack, a New Orleans inspired big band funk collective, other guests include Kezia Soul, Priscilla Cameron and Collective Sleep. It is a wonderful opportunity to experience an evening of upcoming and different music, inspired by the greats of soul and R‘n’B. The Gardens are pleased to be able to host these young musicians – not many can say they’ve performed in an Eighteenth-century formal gardens surrounded by flitting bats and under cover of tulip tree and holm oak!
We really are keeping busy!
VISIT HERE FOR MORE INFO.
