Beekeeping for Beginners

Have you always wanted to learn how to keep your own bees and enjoy your very own honey? Now is the chance with this practical hands-on day course at Farncombe!

Chris Wells is an experienced beekeeper who looks after over 30 hives in the North Cotswolds. Also a professional lecturer, Chris runs courses and regularly speaks at clubs and societies.

During the Beekeeping for Beginners course you will actually get to open a hive and handle bees, at the end of which, you should feel ready to start keeping bees and enjoying your own honey!  Bee suits are provided for all participants as part of the course.

You won't Beelieve the fun you will have!!

For more information call 0333 456 8580 of click here.

Farncombe Events - perfect for your group!

We have now introduced our Farncombe Events part of the business to the world wide web. Take a look at our brand new website www.farncombeevents.com.

The website has been designed to provide detailed information to group event organisers, from clubs & societies, open courses, AGMs or retreats.

With 11 dedicated meeting rooms and 89 ensuite bedrooms we consider Farncombe to fit the bill for any event you may be organising!

So why not take a look and see how we can help. For more information visit our website or call Elizabeth on 01386 854215.

Farncombe Celebrates 200 year Anniversary of Pride and Prejudice

Join Hazel Jones at Farncombe for a 4-night course celebrating Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.



Two hundred years ago, a novel written in a Hampshire rectory and revised in a Hampshire cottage was published anonymously in London. That novel was Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Elizabeth Bennet is probably the best-loved of all Jane Austen’s heroines and Darcy her most intriguing hero.

But the author’s brilliance does not end there – Mr Collins, Lady Catherine, the Bennets, Lucases and Bingleys populate the pages of this masterpiece with their idiosyncratic views of the world. Discover what makes them tick and add to your appreciation of the 1995 BBC adaptation on a visit to some of the filming locations, including Meryton village.

Form more information on Celebrating Pride and Prejudice please contact us on 0333 456 8580.

There's snow stopping us...

The snow has melted – and new course dates are springing up!

Thanks to a stunning, but heavy, blanket of snow on the weekend of 18-20 January, we decided to postpone our courses and day schools. 

We’ve now set new dates for these courses and have a few spare places for those of you who missed out the first time around.

Click on the titles below to read more about each course and to book. 

Don’t forget, our multi-booking offer is still available if you book three or more courses at a time.

15-17 February
Margaret Beaufort and the Origins of Tudor England, with Andrew Lacey

16 February        DAY COURSE
Old Doors, Locks and Latches – Sketching and Watercolour, with Peter Hodge

22-24 Febraury
Fifteenth Century Flanders, with Alice Foster

22-24 March
Glasgow Boys & Girls & Scottish Colourists, with Jennifer Sparks

5-7 April
The Magic of Vienna (part 2, but you don’t need to have attended part 1), with Julian Williamson

To book any of these courses please call us on 0333 456 8580 or e-mail enquiries@farncombecourses.co.uk

Barry Coombs - Canadian Artist runs Painting Course at Farncombe

COTSWOLDS Sketching and Painting in Watercolor at Farncombe

August 8 - 18, 2013

***EARLY BIRD SPECIAL Sign up by March 1, 2013 and save $CDN 100 from the workshop fee.

Join us for a wonderful painting holiday in the lovely Cotswolds. Our workshop will be hosted by Farncombe Estate. The 320-acre estate features nature trails, woodlands, lakes and spectacular panoramic views. It is within walking distance (Across fields) of the villages of Broadway and close to Chipping Camden. Our focus will be on plein air painting but we will also have exclusive use of a well-equipped studio for the duration of our stay. Five painting day trips to charming and historic local villages are planned, as well.

Our workshop will focus on watercolour painting, pen and ink sketching and pen drawing with wash. This workshop is for participants with some experience in their chosen medium. Participants working in other media are very welcome as are non-painting partners and friends. Demonstrations, individual attention and constructive critiques will be essential elements of this creative learning experience. Click here to see What To Expect from a Barry Coombs painting holiday.

A graduate of the Ontario College of Art, Barry Coombs has led workshops in Ontario, Quebec and maritime Canada for over twenty years as well as many international expeditions to Italy, France, Greece and Mexico. He is noted for his positive and constructive attitude, excellent organizational skills and ability to work with students of all levels of skill and experience. Barry exhibits his work in Canada and internationally and represented Canada at the G20 World Artist Festival in Seoul, South Korea in November of 2010.

Our Farncombe Estate package includes:
• Four star accommodation with ensuite bathrooms and wifi
• Full English breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Five painting day trips with packed lunch
• Onsite refreshments
• Exclusive use of studio
• All taxes

Our Farncombe Estate package does not include:
• Workshop fee
• Flights and transfers (contact Barry Coombs for assistance)
• Gratuities (a collection will be made for a group gratuity)
• Travel, medical and cancellation insurance

Total cost of our Farncombe Estate package is:
• Single occupancy bedroom for ten nights - £1225
• Double occupancy bedroom for ten nights - £1125 (Per Person)

The workshop fee is:
• Painter - $CDN 750 until March 1, 2013 and $CDN 850 after March 1, 2013
• Non-painter - $CDN 350 until March 1, 2013 and $CDN 450 after March 1, 2013

How to register:
1) Contact Barry Coombs using the form below or at (416) 652-7936 or info@barrycoombs.ca to reserve your spot on a first-come, first-serve basis and to receive a registration number and the name, email address and telephone number of our Farncombe Estate contact person. Farncombe Estate will not enroll you without a registration number.

2) A non-refundable deposit of $CDN 100 is due immediately; payable to Barry Coombs.

3) Contact Farncombe Estate to book your accommodation. A non-refundable 10% deposit will be required to confirm the booking. This can be paid by card over the phone or by bank transfer.

4) Participants will receive an email from Farncombe Estate on or around the 8^th of June. It will summarize the accommodation and any additional services (ie: transfers) that have been booked. It will also remind participants that the balance payment for their Farncombe Estate package is due no later than one month before the start of the course; the 8^th of July. This may be paid by card over the phone or by bank transfer. After the 8^th of July the cost of your package with Farncombe is non-refundable.

5) The balance of the workshop fee is payable to Barry Coombs no later than the 8^th of July. After July 8, the workshop fee is non-refundable. In the event of insufficient enrollment, a full refund of the workshop fee will be made.

Photography Courses in the Cotswolds

The perfect setting?!

Farncombe Courses is very lucky to be situated on the beautiful 320-acre Farncombe Estate, in the North Cotswolds. It is a perfect setting for photography courses, whether you are a beginner wanting to learn how to switch on a camera and snap or someone who is slightly more advanced.

At Farncombe we offer photography courses that will teach you how to take better photos, how to shoot portraits, how to tell a story through photography and even how to archive and protect valuable images.

2013 holds a wide range of day and weekend photography courses. So why not take a look and we're sure you will be a pro in time for those Summer holiday snaps!

For full details visit our website www.farncombecourses.co.uk.

Strings in Spring!

Spring is a magical time of year at Farncombe Estate, when snowdrops bloom and strains of live music waft from room to room!

Now’s the time to book on one of our ensemble music courses, designed to enhance your performance skills and give you the chance to play with like-minded people.

Take a look at the two courses below, designed for players of all abilities.   You may click through to our website, where you can read more about the tutor and the event.  Or please call us on 0333 456 8580.
 

Introduction to String Ensemble Playing

Friday 22 to Sunday 24 February
The course, run by expert tutors Marion Crombie and Abigail Summers, is designed for beginner and intermediate string players on (violin, viola and cello.)  You will need at least a year’s experience on your instrument and we will put you into groups.  Existing string trios and quartets are also welcome.
 

A weekend for Chamber Music, with or without piano

Friday 22 to Sunday 24 March
Taught by The Beethoven Broadwood Trio, this popular course is aimed at pre-formed chamber groups, but we are often able to accommodate individual players, so do ask.  You’ll get lots of coaching from the highly-experienced and friendly Frances, James and Michael, who will give a concert performance on the Saturday evening. 


Playing with others will take your music playing to another level and you’ll have great fun. We do hope you’ll put Farncombe Courses into your practice diary this Spring.

 Please contact us for more information or to book on 0333 456 8580 or e-mail us at enquiries@farncombecourses.co.uk