Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music

This is a living museum of the various kinds of self-playing musical instruments that brought entertainment to our great grandparents when this was the only type of music available other than real musicians before the birth of radio broadcasting which started in 1924.

The museum houses an amazing variety of self playing instruments and automata that might have been found in the home all in superb condition, and presented as a live entertainment by their well-informed guides. Many of the items are for sale, as this is a constantly changing collection.

All the instruments are maintained in the most perfect possible order in their world-famous workshops on the premises.

Listen to Grieg, Paderewsky, Rachmaninov and Gerschwin giving concert performances of their own compositions, ‘live" on their reproducing pianos, in the intimacy of our Victorian music room. Savour the decadence of "Cabaret" with a performance on their 1920s Berlin café piano. Hear the latest in "hi-fi" from the 1930s on our enormous E.M.G. handmade gramophone.

Open all the year round, seven days a week.  Further information can be found on their website at www.mechanicalmusic.co.uk

Yet another great day out in the idyllic Cotswolds

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Cheltenham City Guide, Including Cheltenham Hotels

Located in the heart of the scenic Cotswolds, Cheltenham is a city famous for many things – its horseracing and award-winning gardens being just two of them. Then, of course, you have the Regency architecture of the city centre and the lively shopping district, elements that come together to bring vivacity and life to this Gloucestershire city. Further, the city also proves to be a fine base from which to explore the surrounding Cotswolds, home of gently rolling hills and quaint, charming villages.

Places of interest

When you come to Cheltenham, you will soon discover that the draw of the city lies in its appearance, for it has long been considered to be one of Britain’s prettiest towns. Accordingly, many of Cheltenham’s places to visit are ones that focus on scenic displays and historic buildings. Some of the most popular tourist destinations are:

The Holst Birthplace Museum. Originally the home of the famous composer Gustav Holst (of ‘The Planets’ fame), this Regency home shows life as it was in the Victorian period – and incorporates a working Victorian kitchen.

Pittville Park & Pump Room. The beautiful Park contains two lakes, a golf course and spacious, well-tended lawns, whilst the historic Pump Room contains the drinkable spa waters that originally made Cheltenham famous.

The Imperial Gardens. For almost two hundred years, the gardens have been enjoyed by thousands of visitors every year – not least due to the 25,000 bedding plants used annually to create the extensive floral displays.

Sudeley Castle & Gardens. Located just eight miles outside of Cheltenham, the castle is open during the summer and visitors have the chance to see some of the beautiful paintings and artefacts inside.
The Promenade. Cheltenham’s most famous street boasts pavement cafes, smart shops and an attractive history. Lined with trees and boasting Regency architecture throughout, it is considered to be the most picturesque part of the city.

Things to do

During your stay in Cheltenham, you’ll discover a pleasing variety of attractions to visit and things to do, whether you’re a family or couple, or just visiting alone. Throughout the year, the city is buzzing with activity, playing host to many festivals and events, such as the Literature Festival. Just a few things to see and do include:

Cheltenham Town Hall. The elegant hall plays host to festivals in the city throughout the year, and at the same time stays a concert programme in which the music ranges from the classical to the contemporary.

The Everyman Theatre. This hotspot features a massive variety of live entertainment, where you can watch musicals, comedy, drama and even West End productions on tour.

Cheltenham Racecourse. This world-famous venue is home to plenty of racing during the October to April season. Why not time your visit to coincide with the popular National Hunt Festival in March, or visit the Hall of Fame that relays the history of steeple chasing?

Cotswolds Coach Tours. Take the opportunity and join a scenic coach tour in which you’ll join a guide and take in some of the most beautiful views of the English Cotswolds.

Cotswold Farm Park. See history brought to life with numerous animal demonstrations and displays, an ideal place to visit for all the family. There are many rare breeds of farmyard animal from sheep to cattle, waterfowl to horses.

Food & Drink

Cheltenham is home to many different types of restaurant, with the focus on quality. Of course, if you’re after something fast and easy, you’ll find plenty of different cafs and takeaways serving up what you’re looking for, but Cheltenham particularly prides itself on being the home of many stylish eateries. Here are some of the best you can sample:

The Scena Bistro. Enjoy one of the finest dining experiences in Cheltenham at this French restaurant, which has a relaxed and welcoming style.

Off the Square Restaurant. Located in Cheltenham’s fashionable Montpellier district, this friendly eatery serves a variety of dishes on the menu, including plenty of old favourites. Eat in style.

Monty’s Seafood Restaurant. Visit and enjoy a flexible menu that offers a range of different seafood. Alternatively, keep it simple and enjoy the stylish accompaniment of oysters with champagne.

The Storyteller Restaurant. Located in the heart of Cheltenham, this Californian restaurant is both welcoming and atmospheric, boasting the famous Mississippi Seafood Platter and the taste bud-teasing Duck from Heaven.

Epicurian. This is one of Cheltenham’s top restaurants, featuring a bistro and wine bar.

Hotels & Accommodations

There are literally hundreds of places to stay during your visit to Cheltenham, whether you’re looking for a hotel, guesthouse, bed and breakfast or self-catering establishment. Alternatively, other types of accommodation include camping and caravan sites and hostels. Many of the hotels offer special offers and it’s always advisable to search around to find the best deals. Elizabethan manors and country mansions serve as the setting for some of the top hotels in the district.

Kings Arms Hotel
Cheltenham Park Hotel
George Cheltenham Ltd
Beaumont House
Macdonald Queen’s Hotel
Cotswold Grange Hotel
Hotel On The Park
North Hall Hotel
The Prestbury House Hotel & Oaks Restaurant
Clarence Court Hotel
The Quality Hotel Cheltenham
Cleeve Hill Hotel
Thistle Cheltenham
The CheltenhamTownhouse Hotel
Lords of the Manor
Rising Sun Hotel
White Hart Inn
De La Bere Hotel
Oaklands Bed and Breakfast

Entertainment

The night life in Cheltenham is completely entertaining with a host of nightclubs and exciting pubs and bars. You’ll find Cheltenham to be a welcoming and friendly city where you’ll always feel safe. If you’re looking for a nightclub, Subtone and Enigma are two of the most popular, with attractive line-ups of events going on all the time; alternatively, if you’re a fan of Hollywood then you’ll discover that the Odeon cinema shows all the latest blockbusters as well as popular British films.

Cheltenham is sometimes called a city within a park, and when you visit, you’ll see why. The architecture of the city itself is beautiful enough, with Regency-period buildings (over two thousand of them listed!) and attractive designs, but the picturesque parks are what make Cheltenham really special. There are lots of tree-lined avenues, plenty of floral displays and many more examples of nature in bloom that give Cheltenham a truly attractive appearance. Combine this with the wealth of activities and places to see, and it’s hard to deny that Cheltenham is one city you really must visit.

By: Ms Maria Williams -

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Snowshill Manor, Gloucestershire, England

One of our favourite tours this year has been to Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds. The house was originally built and owned by Winchcombe Abbey from 821 until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. After many owners and tenants it was bought and restored by Charles Paget Wade in 1919 when he inherited money from his families sugar plantation in the Caribbean.

Wade was an architect, artist and craftsman who devoted his life to amassing an enormous and various collection of craftsmanship, which he acquired mainly from antique shops and dealers. He bought and restored Snowshill purely to house this collection of artefacts. He never lived in the house, he lived in the cottage next door. He began collecting when he was very young, inspired by a cabinet full of trinkets with which he used to play in his grandmothers house. His criteria for collecting was that all items must be ‘of interest as records of various vanished handicrafts’. He himself was a skilled woodworker and put these skills to work restoring the house and the collections.

It is hard to describe the vastness of this fascinating collection. There are artefacts from all over the globe and they fill every corner of the house. In each room there is a very well informed guide who will tell interesting stories about the pieces in the room. For example, some of the Japanese armour was found by chance, in a plumbers shop in Cheltenham, when Wade went to buy some sanitary supplies. They will also tell of Wade’s penchant for dressing up, apparently he would often rope in friends like Virginia Woolf, Graham Greene or J.B.Priestley into amateur dramatics in the garden and the house. As you go round the house you get the impression of Wade as the classic English eccentric and think what fun he must have been.

The garden was also restored by Wade into a series of little rooms to reflect different moods. He thought the plan of the garden was more important than the flowers in it and added hard landscaping to give a permanent framework which makes the garden pleasant in both winter and summer.

 Although it is quite long walk from the entrance to the house there is a regular buggy service available. There is also a good restaurant, which serves hot meals and snacks. Snowshill is well worth a visit or even two. There is so much to see you couldn’t possibly see it all first time.

By: Sue Robson

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Sue Robson Susan Robson provides catered accommodation and personal tours to stately homes and gardens in the south central area of England. www.hopecottagetours.co.uk Further details of her trips are available at www.marketinfo.info/articlelive/authors/2/Sue-Robson

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 Take A Tour Of England And Get Off The Beaten Track

A tour of England can be an excellent way to experience all this unique culture has to offer. By ensuring your tour keeps away from the major tourist destinations, the real England is opened up to the traveller. Beautiful countryside, unique villages and towns as well as some of the most historically rich monuments in the world are all just a short drive away. Depending on what kind of tour you are likely to undertake there are options for all types of traveller, whether looking for luxury or travelling on a budget, England amazes and enthrals at every turn.

If you are looking for scenic beauty no place in England is better than the Lake District for your tour. The Lakes contain the five highest mountains in England as well as the deepest lake. In this unique region two national parks are situated, both are considered areas of outstanding natural beauty and subsequently are legally protected to keep the sublime landscapes and wealth of wildlife in abundance.

It is truly the great outdoors and as you tour the mountains and lake shores you will see some of the best flora and fauna England has to offer. It is not just the scenery in the Lakes that is worth seeing; each village and town has its own unique culture and heritage. Whether this may be the city of Carlisle or the small town of Kendall, (famed for its mint cake) it is well worth adding to the itinerary of your tour.

If you would prefer to enter a less rugged area of England on your tour, the Cotswolds offer idyllic beauty that could be straight from Tolkeins Shire. Once again, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty its genteel attitude is visible at every turn.This pretty part of England can be described as quintessential; the villages you will pass through on your tour are literally straight from the postcards and represent all that is right with England.

This area is the reason why so many have written about this gorgeous landscape of gentle slopes dotted with English oak. There is no prettier site in the world than a sunrise in the Cotswolds, as the sun envelopes the shallow, mist filled valleys, your heart will raise to new plains of enjoyment. No place will show England in a better light while you are on your tour.

If you would like to discover some of the history of England there is a historical wealth that is hard to match anywhere in the world. Castles and stately homes are present in much of the countryside, and even the cities. Learning about the various dukes and lords who have owned these estates is of fascinating interest and even those who have no great love of history will find it hard not to be moved by harrowing tales of love, war and deceit.

England is a very old country and hence its history is extensive, whether a fan of the medieval period, with its castles and brutal battles or a fan of the civil war period when families were pitted against each other in the worst period of strife the country has ever seen, all comers will be enthralled. From these periods all the way up to modern times and the two world wars, visitors will be amazed by the wealth of information on offer as you tour this magical land.

As well as these aspects there are the sporting attractions that should make up an element of your itinerary for your tour of England. England has the finest football (soccer) league in the world and if you can get hold of tickets the experience is not to be missed. With some of the oldest race tracks in the world, horse racing also makes a brilliant addition to your tour if you like a flutter. Added to these sports there is also the quintessential pursuit of the English, cricket. Listening to the sound of leather on willow in the dying stages of a sultry summers day is something all tourists should experience; this is England in a nutshell.

Of course England has some very well developed tourist attractions for visitors, it is worth however including other elements on your tour away from the tourist trail. Whether this is experiencing a village cricket match, eating in a tea room somewhere in Lake District or exploring the grounds of a seventeenth century manner. The real England is out there for you to see, get off the beaten track and strive to find it when you embark on your tour.

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Travel expert looks into an England tour as a brilliant vacation idea. To find out more please visit www.classic-england.com/

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