From the Capability Brown Festival, which celebrates the 300th anniversary of ‘Capability’ Brown, to the anniversary of literary legends including Shakespeare, Beatrix Potter and Charlotte Brontë, it’s set to be another exciting year in England. Here, VisitEngland looks at some of the highlights to look forward to in 2016…
Anniversaries
1. 300th anniversary of Lancelot ‘Capability Brown’, Countrywide (30 August)
Arguably England’s greatest landscape gardener, known for stripping back overly-manicured lawns to naturally desirable, green and pleasant lands, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown will be celebrated throughout 2016, which marks the 300th anniversary of his birth. More than 200 sites across England are associated with Brown, and green-fingered travellers can take their pick from a whole range of celebrations at various locations. Bowood House in Wiltshire will offer special ‘Capability Brown’ guided tours, whilst Blenheim Palace will run an exhibition, Blenheim Palace and the Landscape of Blenheim Palace (13 February – 2 May), as well as launching a new trail of Brown’s views of the garden. In March, Burghley House will launch a brand new exhibition, self-guided ‘Brown’ tours and for the first time, the original views and vistas will also be restored for visitors to enjoy his landscaping vision in all its glory. www.visitengland.com/gardens
2. 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Warwickshire (23 April)
William Shakespeare – arguably England’s most renowned playwright – will be commemorated in his home county in 2016, to mark 400 years since his death and to honour his timeless legacy. His family home in Stratford upon Avon, New Place, will be transformed and reimagined for a 21st century audience in April, telling the missing story of Shakespeare’s mature years as a successful writer and citizen of his home town. The RSC will also open a major new exhibition, which is set to immerse visitors in its history. Work has also started to restore the Grade II listed Swan Wing of the theatre, which dates back to 1879. King Edward VI School will reopen Shakespeare’s school room and Guildhall (where Shakespeare was educated and watched his first piece of professional theatre) to the public in April. http://shakespeares-england.co.uk/stratford-upon-avon
3. 200th anniversary of Charlotte Brontë’s birth, Yorkshire (21 April)
2016 marks the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Brontë, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels have become classics of English literature. Visitors to the village of Haworth, where the sisters grew up, can discover more about the authors at the Brontë Parsonage Museum. The ‘Brontë’ programme will comprise exhibitions, publications, musical performances and more to celebrate the life and work of Charlotte Brontë. Highlights include ‘Celebrating Charlotte’ – an exhibition of treasures that will go on tour to the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Morgan Library and Museum in New York. Tracy Chevalier, author of The Girl With The Pearl Earring, will be guest curator for ‘I Shall Go Off Like A Bombshell: Charlotte Brontë, Great And Small’ – an exhibition of artefacts, oddities and specially-commissioned contemporary art. The first ever Victorian Summer Fair will also launch – a free festival of performances, revelry and fun for all. www.bronte.org.uk/
4. 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s birth, Cumbria (28 July)
Born in London in 1866, Helen Beatrix Potter is famed for her imaginative children’s books, most notably The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and spent the majority of her adult life on her farm, Hill Top in the Lake District. Special events will take place at various National Trust venues in 2016, including a children’s literary festival at Wray Castle, the first place Beatrix visited in the Lake District, with a brand new guide to tell the story of her life, story-telling events and of course a special birthday party on the 28th July. Willows Activity Farm, near St Albans, will unveil a brand new ‘Peter Rabbit™ Adventure Playground’ on 2 April, featuring a Peter Rabbit Secret Treehouse, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle Kitchen and Lily Bobtail Nature Discovery.
Other key literary anniversaries for 2016 include the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s birth, with a film of the BFG directed by Steven Spielberg due out in July, and the 90th anniversary of the first volume of Winnie the Pooh, set in the Ashdown Forest in Sussex, in October.
5. 250th anniversary of The Old Vic, Bristol
One of the country’s most beautiful and important theatres will celebrate its 250th birthday in 2016. A special anniversary programme will feature five world-class productions – one from each century of the theatre’s life – as well as a production of a Shakespeare play to mark the 400th anniversary of his death. The next phase of redevelopment works will start in summer 2016, which will reveal more original features of the historic building, and will see the return of the Grade I listed Coopers’ Hall to its original 18th century use as a ‘Grand Hall’. www.bristololdvic.org.uk
6. 50th anniversary of England winning the World Cup
A series of events will take place across the country in 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the English football team winning the World Cup. It’s been half a century since the tournament, hosted in England, resulted in Bobby Moore lifting the trophy on 30 July 1966. The commemorations will celebrate the cultural aspects of the Football World Cup, with a major event being planned. www.thefa.com
7. 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings
The towns of Hastings and Battle will be celebrating the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings with a programme of cultural events and Norman-based activities throughout the year, including a special edition of its annual re-enactment of the battle, which takes place every October on the battlefield lying behind Battle Abbey (English Heritage). www.visit1066country.com/events/1066-battle-of-hastings-abbey-and-battlefield-p530451
8. 150th anniversary of Blue Plaque Scheme
Founded in 1866, the Blue Plaques scheme is believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world, commemorating the link between notable historic figures and the buildings in which they lived and worked. The first plaque to Lord Byron has been demolished, so the oldest surviving one is for Napoleon III standing at London’s King Street. To mark the anniversary of the scheme, which has been run by English Heritage since 1986, there will be a number of new unveilings throughout the year. www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/
Hotel openings
9. Brimstone Hotel, Lake District
Since its launch in 2013, the Brimstone Lodge has been renowned for its style and luxe décor. Now this luxurious boutique hotel will launch two significant additions to its offer, with a 200 seat restaurant, Stove, and Brimstone Spa. Stove Restaurant will offer modern British food, delivered exquisitely, with guests being welcomed in evening attire or exhilarated and covered in mud from the fells, making it unlike anything else in the Lake District. Brimstone Spa will offer 10 treatment rooms plus an indulgent double treatment room. The Restaurant will launch in March, with Brimstone Spa following in July. www.brimstonehotel.co.uk
10. The PIG at Combe, Devon
The PIG hotels group has announced a fifth addition to its expanding portfolio, set to open in 2016. Located at Combe House in Devon’s Otter Valley, it will feature 33 rooms in the main house (a Grade-I listed Elizabethan Manor) and a characterful stable block. A 600year-old thatched longhouse will provide further private accommodation for up to eight guests. www.thepighotel.com/at-combe/opening-2016/
Attraction Openings
11. Magic Garden, Hampton Court Palace, London
Set to be an innovative and sensory experience, Hampton Court Palace has teamed up with a Chelsea-winning gardener to help plan the new Magic Garden, due to open on the 24 March. The garden will be an adventure playground with history at its heart and will feature a jousting arena, five tiltyard towers and a fire breathing dragon. www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/
12. Harley Gallery, Wellbeck, Nottinghamshire
A new gallery space is set to be opened at the Harley Gallery in Wellbeck in March 2016. The new building will display historic works from The Portland Collection, the fine and decorative arts collection of the Cavendish-Bentick family. The new building will be situated next to the existing Harley Gallery, within the walls of the Victorian Tan Gallop, which was originally used for storage. www.harleygallery.co.uk/portland-collection/new-gallery/
13. ArcelorMittal Orbit slide, London
The world’s longest and tallest tunnel slide is set to open at the ArcelorMittal Orbit in London’s Olympic Park next spring. Starting at 80 metres high, it will spiral around the tower five times before a final 50 metre stretch down to the ground. The ride will cost £5 and the descent will take about 40 seconds, with transparent sections on the ride for visitors to enjoy the view. arcelormittalorbit.com/
14. Re-opening of Hastings Pier
Following repeated fire devastation, Hastings Pier was finally closed in 2008 due to structural concerns. Now, after an £11.4 million donation from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Hastings Pier is set to be completely transformed into “one of the coolest-looking piers in the world”. A Gala opening will take place in summer, following its early opening in March, and the pier will host circuses, plays, concerts, film festivals, farmers’ markets, urban sports, a restaurant and more. www.hpcharity.co.uk/
15. Etches Collection, Dorset
A brand new multi-million pound museum is under construction in Kimmeridge, housing a collection of Jurassic Coast fossils. Set to showcase the life’s work of local collector Steve Etches, it will tell the story of the life and death under the seas of Kimmeridge over 150 million years ago. The state-of-the-art space will include an exhibition gallery, with CGI projections, transforming it into an aquarium in the blink of an eye. It is due to open in early summer 2016. www.theetchescollection.org/home
16. Brighton i360
At 162 metres high and with an observation pod rising to 138 metres, the i360 will be Britain’s highest observation tower outside London – taller even than the London Eye. Built on the axis of the Grade II* Regency Square, the site will also have a large beachside cafe/brasserie and an exhibition space focused on displaying work by local artists. It is due to open in summer 2016. www.brightoni360.co.uk/