Westminster Abbey marks the 750th anniversary of the consecration of Henry III’s church this autumn. Henry III was devoted to Saint Edward the Confessor, and in his honour he rebuilt Edward’s 11th century Abbey in the then new Gothic style of architecture. Work started in 1245 and the consecration of the Church took place on [...]
As the Turner Prize opens in Margate, Kent looks ahead to an exciting year of culture in 2020. According to Visit England’s recent Annual Attractions Survey, England’s art galleries and museums are currently enjoying significant growth in visitor numbers with figures up by 6 per cent in 2018 compared to the previous year. With millions [...]
Cheshire’s iconic Anderton Boat Lift is marking the national Heritage Open Days campaign with free history talks and ‘Walking the Lift’ tours on Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September. The history talks will cover the restoration of the lift and the engineering that makes the boat lift worthy of its ‘Scheduled Ancient Monument’ status. [...]
In addition to its range of cruise products, City Cruises Poole has opened its own cafe, the Harbour Station Café. Located directly on the Quay opposite the departure point for the cruises, the café provides a wide range of both hot and cold food, as well as an ice cream station. In addition to regular [...]
A spring day out at an RHS Garden offers an unrivalled opportunity for coach groups to see fabulous displays of bulbs, blossoms and special events. From the Royal Horticultural Society’s historic home, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, to the beautiful RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon, and from RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate to the [...]
CTA member Aerospace Bristol has launched two new tours for groups in 2020. The Concorde Tour gives groups the chance to learn about the supersonic superstar that is Concorde, just across the runway from where all British Concordes were built. As they walk around the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly, [...]
Coach groups are invited to visit Britain’s ‘Sistine Chapel’ at the Old Royal Naval College, the centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and with more than 500 years of history, the Old Royal Naval College, in a spectacular riverside location, boasts some of the most beautiful architecture [...]
New CTA member Cruise and Maritime Voyages is offering CTA operator members the opportunity to join its groups department to celebrate Christmas at a Festive Dinner and overnight event in London Tilbury on Thursday 19 December 2019. The event is a great opportunity to step aboard Columbus, to view the facilities and cabins, sample the [...]
Coach groups visiting London can take in a great comedy afternoon tea and join Lord and Lady Right in A Right Royale Tea, a hilarious, immersive and participatory performance set in the grandeur of the British aristocracy at the Amba Hotel, Charing Cross London on Sundays. Guests will join the fictitious Lord and Lady Right [...]
The Elizabethan Gardens at Kenilworth Castle have been rejuvenated in a £70,000 project to mark the anniversary of the 19-day visit to the castle by Queen Elizabeth 1 in July 1575, and can now be enjoyed by groups visiting this popular Warwickshire attraction. The one-acre walled garden forms part of the greatest love story that [...]
The newly re-landscaped Princess Alexandra Gardens at Leeds Castle have been formally opened by patron of the foundation Princess Alexandra, during a day of celebrations for the attraction’s 900th anniversary. The Princess unveiled an official plaque to rename the new garden zones, which are now the second gardens in Kent to boast a royal title. [...]
An ingenious structure of treetop nests connected by rope bridges, slides and nets to emulate the natural landscape has been installed at Castle Howard by award-winning designers CAP.Co. The new Skelf Island, designed to engage the next generation with nature, is home to the otherworldly Skelves who have been inhabiting a secret world over the [...]
Silverstone has announced that Shaylor Group, the main building contractor for The Silverstone Experience, has gone into administration. The Silverstone Experience stresses that the project will still go ahead but this development will inevitably cause some delay to the public opening date. All those who have already booked tickets have been contacted directly and a [...]
An innovative conservation scheme has been unveiled by the National Trust for Scotland to protect Hill House in Helensburgh, which is considered to be the finest example of domestic architecture by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and a major landmark within the history of architecture. The Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie commissioned Mackintosh to design the house [...]
The Silverstone Experience will open its doors to the public on 9 July 2019, just days before the Formula 1 Rolex British Grand Prix 2019. The new visitor attraction offers motorsport fans an interactive 2.5 hour journey through the past, present and future of British motor racing. Sally Reynolds, CEO of the Silverstone Heritage Limited [...]
CTA members will have received a timely reminder from the Royal Horticultural Society about their forthcoming Sculpture Exhibition, in a personalised mailshot along with a complimentary packet of seeds! RHS Garden Wisley is launching an amazing new group booking opportunity between 30 May and 1 December 2019 with a Sculpture Exhibition including exhibits from Henry [...]
Devon-based CTA member Lifton Farm Shop has a new name and extended facilities and looks forward to welcoming more coach groups. Now re-named Strawberry Fields Farm Shop, the food destination is on the Devon and Cornwall border, just off the A30. “With a new name that takes us back to our roots, ‘Strawberry Fields’ is [...]
Located just 15 minutes from the M6 near Penrith in a stunning Lake District setting, Lowther Castle and Gardens has launched new tour experiences targeted specially for coach groups as well as providing exclusive access to a refurbished indoor Sculpture Gallery overlooking the ancient Gardens in April 2019. The Gothic ruins reveal themselves as visitors [...]
New guided group tour of Rothschild Walled Garden at Eythrope A new 2019 feature for coach groups visiting Waddesdon Estate is a guided tour of the private Rothschild walled garden at Eythrope. The four-acre garden, including glasshouses and an orchard, supplies vegetables, fruit, herbs and cut flowers for the Rothschild family as well as Waddesdon’s [...]
Over 20,000 more tulip bulbs have been planted at Hever Castle in preparation for its third Tulip Celebrations event from 24 to 30 April 2019. Bulb master and holder of 25 Chelsea gold medals, Johnny Walkers has helped to select the tulip varieties at Hever for 2019, with the aim of extending the flowering season [...]
