Past Events

The Mitford sisters were writers, travellers and political archivists with dramatically differing views. Following their previous sell-out success, In The Footsteps Of The Mitfords returns, as Scary Little Girls and Chipping Norton Theatre bring the experiences, opinions and relationships of the celebrated sisters to life through their letters, fiction, and memoirs. All in the stunning setting of their childhood home, Asthall Manor, near Burford. Booking essential, dress for all weathers and bring footwear you can explore in! The walk includes…

Come and join the early morning joy of birdsong on a walk through our woodland paths and meadows. Your guide will be Adrian State, local conservationist and bird expert. And, to reward you for the early start, you'll be treated to a delicious veggie breakfast in our guest kitchen before you go home. Birds we've heard this year include spotted fly-catchers, reed warblers, chiffchaff and blackcap, as well as numerous tits, wrens, thrushes and finches of various kinds. This event…

Join us for a workshop on home composting here at Asthall Manor Kitchen Garden. Complete beginners through to keen amateurs all welcome. In this all-day workshop you will learn the basics of different composting systems alongside a bit of helpful theory. You will also carry out some fun, practical work to apply your learning and to help keep us warm. Good, home-based or community-based composting is one of the key but often missing links to achieving the growing of healthy,…

Hippocrates, the founder of Western Medicine, was famous for saying, ‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’. In a world of fast food, processed food and obesity as an epidemic, food as medicine is now more important than ever. But is eating ‘vegetables’ enough? How can we make sure that we are getting the most nutrition possible out of our plants? Join Jean Smith, social anthropologist and keen vegetable grower, for Let Food be thy Medicine. On…

Please note: Gates Open at 6pm for picnics, but the play will begin a little after 7pm. No entry to the site before 6pm.   Pedalling from venue to venue with all of their set, props and costumes on the back of their bikes, the HandleBards are a four-strong troupe of actors who are spending the summer bringing environmentally sustainable Shakespeare to venues across the UK. Join the troupe at Asthall Manor for a bicycle-powered production of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado…

Come and join us at the second meeting of the Asthall Manor Kitchen Garden Nature & Environment Book Club. At our first meeting we discussed Dave Goulson’s, Silent Earth and decided the titles for July & November. We are pleased to announce that in July we will be reading and discussing Tony Juniper's recent book, Just Earth. How a fairer world will save the planet. We can’t fight the climate and nature crises without addressing the ever-widening gaps between the rich…