Friday 6 September 2024
£40 each excursion including transport to and from Dartington Hall.
Greenway
9am-2pm
Group leader: Tracey Warr
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/greenway
At Greenway: 10.15am-1.00pm, guided tour
Greenway is a Georgian house with a large, romantic woodland drifting down the hillside to the River Dart estuary. It was purchased in 1938 by Agatha Christie who spent summers and Christmases here. The house was requisitioned during WWII and used for child evacuees and also used by the U.S. coastguard. The walled gardens include a peach house and a vinery. The Boathouse was the scene of the crime in Christie’s Dead Man’s Folly. The house has a large collection of artefacts from the travels of Agatha Christie and her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan. There is a second-hand bookshop. The onsite Barn cafe has a range of hot and cold drinks, light meals, cream teas and cakes. Hot food is served from 12-3. The shop sells the Greenway souvenir guide, items for the home and garden, gifts, local produce and Agatha Christie books and memorabilia.
Powderham Castle
10.00am-5.30pm
Meet the coach at Dartington Hall Archway at 10.00am. Coach will depart at 10.15am. Group leader: Richard Lee
At Powderham: 11.30am-4.00pm
12.00pm Guided tour with the Earl of Devon
2.00pm cream tea in the Coach House
Powderham Castle has had a colourful history since the Middle Ages. The manor appears in the Domesday Book. It came into the Courtenay family in the dowry of Margaret de Bohun on her marriage to Hugh de Courtenay, son of the first Courtenay Earl of Devon in 1325. The Courtenays came from France in the reign of Henry II and acquired considerable lands and power in south-west England by judicious marriages to wealthy heiresses. The building had the typical medieval long hall layout with six tall towers, only one of which remains today. Several members of the family were attainted, beheaded, died in battle, were restored, imprisoned and exiled during the Wars of the Roses and the turbulent reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Powderham was besieged by Roundheads during the Civil War. The house was restored during the Georgian period. Gothic renovations were carried out during the Victorian period. In the 19th century, Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed the South Devon Railway running through part of Powderham Park. The current earl Charlie Courtenay and his family are the 28th generation to live at Powderham. Price includes cream tea.
Exeter Cathedral
10.00am-5.00pm
Group leader: Katherine Mezzacappa
https://www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk
Please select one of the following tours:
1. Cathedral Ground Floor Tour
Experienced guides lead you on a journey through Exeter Cathedral. Discover the characters who have shaped its history, learn about the development of one of Europe’s finest cathedrals and uncover some of its fascinating secrets. 60 minutes.
2. Kings and Queens Tour
A tour following one-thousand years of royal connections to Exeter Cathedral. Learn about a princess baptised in Exeter, water conduits running with wine to celebrate a coronation and a king who came to pass judgement on murderous citizens. 60 minutes.
3. Stones and Bones: The Cathedral Precinct Tour
Delve into the history of the Cathedral Green and explore the surrounds of Exeter Cathedral, by tracing their history from Roman time to the present day. Discover the secrets of Exeter’s cemetery (you may be surprised) and uncover the medieval murder of a local priest. Learn about the buildings of the Close and the evolution of the Cathedral over the last 900 years, on this fascinating 90–minute tour of history and archaeology.
There will be free time in Exeter to have lunch and explore beyond the cathedral.
Self-Organised Excursions
Potential self-organised excursions include Totnes Castle, Totnes Museum, Exeter Walking Tours, Exeter Museum, Totnes-Dartmouth Boat Trip, Sharpham Vineyard, South Devon Steam Railway to Buckfast Abbey, The Mayflower Museum in Plymouth, Saltram (Georgian), Torre Abbey (Medieval), Compton Castle (Medieval), Coleton Fishacre (1920s), Cotehele (Tudor), Dartmoor Prison Museum.
Or you might need to find out about the history of gin and rum with the Devon Gin and Rum School at Dartington.
The nearby Devon coast has fabulous beaches and walks.
For further details and suggestions see https://hns2024.com/accommodation-travel/local-features-and-information/.
The Historical Novel Society UK 2024 conference 