In the early hours of Friday Morning a unique Chippendale table was stolen from Newby Hall. Thieves broke in through a shuttered and locked window which immediatley set off the house alarm. Unfortunately the thieves quickly made off with the table before a member of staff arrived.

 

It is thought there were at least two people in the gang and they would have used a vehicle to remove the piece from the premises.

It is likely that the table was stolen to order as this was the only piece stolen and no other rooms were ransacked. The fabulous table was designed and made specifically for Newby in 1775 and is of worldwide significance.

 

Mr Richard Compton said "This is a devastating blow for all of us and a terrible loss. The piece was designed especially for Newby and has been in the house for over 230 years. It is one of the first examples of Chippendale's work and has been internationally studied and featured in many papers and books on fine furniture. This makes it virtually un-saleable on the open market. I do hope we are able to bringit back to Newby to restore the integrity of the Chippendale collection for the benefit of British furniture history and future visitors to Newby."

 

An exhibition of over 100 sculptures by a variety of Zimbabwean artists will be on display in the walled gardens at Newby Hall. Two established stone sculptors, Dudzai Mushawepwere and Matthew Nakhawale will be sculpting daily at the exhibtion. Their finished work also features in the exhibtion and they will be available to explain the concept and content with visitors.

 

Children are also being given the opportunity to visit the exhibtion. In addition to the chance to try their hands at sculpting with accomplished artists they will be able to learn about Africa (in particular Zimbabwe), sculpting and other associated topics from information boards around the exhibition garden. There will also be an educational questionnaire for them, including a competition to name the large public sculpture. Many children (and possibly adults) are only exposed to negative information about Zimbabwe and parts of Africa so this environment is a tremendous opportunity to learn about the fantastic parts they see less often.

 

 

The Newby Hall Sculpture Park is now a regular feature of the northern arts calendar, establishing for Newby a tremendous reputation for the display of high-standard art. Now in its seventh year, the open-air exhibition of contempoary sculpture will this year be complemented by an exhibition of paintings, further consolidating Newby's role as a northern centre for the arts.

 

Established by Lucinda Compton, wife of the present owner amd herself a professional furniture restorer, the sculpture park continues a 250 year tradition of displaying sculpture at Newby. Newby is also famous for its gardens, Chippendale furniture and Robert Adam interiors, which gave Lucinda the idea of extending the arts theme to painting with an exhibition entitled 'Northern Colour.'

Ann Petherick, owner of York's Kentmere House Gallery, was delighted to accept Lucinda Compton's invitation to provide Newby's discerning audience with a painting exhibition to match the standard of the sculptures. The Northern Colour exhibtion of paintings brings together a variety of Yorkshire talent including Jake Attree, Len Tabner, David Greenwood, Martin Yeoman, John Thornton, Keith Ropner and the late Jack Helliwell.

 

 

Families are invited to jump on board the magical woodland trail this Easter Sunday at Newby Hall, and pitch their wits against a whole host of woodlamd characters to find the Newby Treasure.

 

Children's story book characters will be at hand to help including Little Bo Peep, a mechanical scarecrow, Rapunzel, Willy Wonka, a magical wardrobe, a lepricorn, a house proud hedgehog and many more.

 

There will be prizes for children coming in the best fancy dress costumes and many other activities to enjoy including face and egg painting, jewellery making, flower pot painting, plant and take away a Newby sapling, a drum circle, chinese dragon dancing, various crafts, and the Easter Bunny riding on the miniture railway and playing in the children's adventure gardens with its pedaloe baots, swing boats, sand pits and climbing fort.

 

 

Sarah Raven, nursery owner, author and television presenter will be joining invited guests, local dignitaries, specialist food suppliers and Newby Hall owner, Mr Richard Compton, at the official opening of the Newby Hall Farm Shop Wednesday 18th April at 6pm.

 

Newby Hall & Gardens, nr Ripon, North Yorkshire already plays a positive role in maintaining and enhancing the local environment and economy and has joined forces with David Lister Farm to set up the Newby Farm Shop, a venture which aims to provide a community resource providing fresh, locally produced foof.

 

Mark Maxwell, Farm Shop Manager, sources 90% of the shops lines from within a 40 mile radius.

 

"Shoppers are becoming increasingly aware of food miles" Mark says, "You don't realise until you see the vast range of porduce just how much food and other items Yorkshire manages to supply. We have local ladies making specialist cakes, local bakers producing superb wholemeal bread, innumeravle cheeses, preserves, fruit, butter and milk and of course meat from the farm on the Newby estate."

 

It's all hands to the deck at Newby Hall & Gardens near Ripon with garden staff busy re-installing equipment in the adventure play garden in preparation for re-opening to families for a new season on Saturday 31st March.

 

The large children's adventure play garden, the brain child of owner Mr Robin Compton, and probably one of the first of its kind to be installed in an historic estate in 1970 as part of The Year of the Child, is dismantled and overhauled every winter.

 

It's a huge job for the staff who carry out maintenance work over the winter months in the Newby workshops on the pedaloe boats, boat swings, climbing nets and laying new track for the miniture railway.

 

The adventure garden is enjoyed by thousands of families every year, many parents remembering when they pulled themselves across the pond on the chain ferry when they were children.

 

 

 

Film crews arriving at any historic house are a blessing in disguise. disguise being a suitable word when the filming process can require considerable moving, storing, covering, building and removing of fixtures and fittings - including flocks if sheep to allow for historic accuracy.

 

In August and September 2006 an ITV crew of around 60 arrived at Newby Hall & Gardens to recreate the Jane Austen classic 'Mansfield Park'. Starring Billie Piper, Maggie O'Neil and Jemma Redgrave this production of the 1814 novel was filmed entirely at Newby Hall which with its Adams interior provided the perfect setting for gracious Georgian living.

 

However six weeks of filming between the hours of 7am - 7pm and often into the small hours came at a price, with both the family owners and staff going without sleep!

 

Stuart Gill, Administrator and responsible for the organistaion of the filming at Newby oversaw the project and was responsible for dealing with the film crews requests, some more unusaul than others.

 

"I have many recollections from the filming" says Stuart "some more entertaining than others! Although this is a beautiful 18th century house it is also a major visitor attraction and a working family estate, so not everything you see is correct for the period the film crew wanted. For example our large commercial flock of sheep were not from the 18th century and needed to be rounded up and moved when the cameras were taking exterior shots. This was oftne done on a minutes notice so we all had to develop new shepherding skills!

 

"Inside the house musical chairs was the order of the day with furniture being moved from one room to another to accomodate the set designers. Some rooms were completely transformed to create new sets. Fanny's room for example normally a rather bleak storage roon in the attic was built on site. The red passage which leads to the Victorian wing, was beautifully 'blanked off' creating a perfect Georagian entrance to the dining room.

 

At Newby all sorts of events are planned and booked way in advance, some weddings for example are booked 18 months prior to the big day. A rigging crew worked all day and night to remove a fake stage that had been built in the library as an integral part of the production. The last tool belted rigger disappeared out of the back door as the bride arrived through the front door - nail biting stuff!

 

ITV's screen adaption of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park will be transmitted March 2007.