This is a special opportunity to join an exclusive day visit to Welbeck Abbey, a fascinating house and home to the Dukes of Portland since the Reformation. Used by the Ministry of Defence as a Staff College from the last war until 2005, it has now been returned to, and restored by, the family who offer very limited access. The house itself is open only 28 days a year, and we are privileged to have been able to book a day exclusively for the Friends.

We will have three separate, timed, guided tours of the state rooms of the house and its wonderful collections at 10am, 12noon and 3pm. There will also be free access to the Harley Gallery which houses the Portland Collection, described by the Daily Telegraph as a ‘gigantic treasure chest stuffed with sparkling loot’. It includes paintings, porcelain, silver and sculpture amongst other things, many by the finest craftsmen and artists including Michelangelo and Van Dyck.

Lunch will be available in the cafe, or you can take a picnic. There is also a renowned Farm Shop selling local produce and a well-stocked Nottcutts garden centre. For the energetic, there is an interesting three mile walk through the estate.

Coach leaves at 8.30am from Vue Cinema car park, Stirling Road, Clifton Moor, York, YO30 4XY, where ample free parking is available. Our expected return is about 6.15pm.

(This event is available to members of the Friends, see our latest Newsletter)

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