Tag Archives: Winchester City Mill

Win Guide to March

Spring is approaching and it couldn’t come soon enough. Here’s our Win Guide to March:

Feeling stressed or overwhelmed? Join a Forest Therapy session in Crab Wood on 3rd March. Organised by Adore Your Outdoors, the 2hr session focuses on guided meditation and mindfulness in a natural setting. For more details and to book your place, visit the website here.

Winchester City Mill will be celebrating World Book Day between Thursday 5th and Sunday 8th March. Dress up as your favourite character, help Mill-y the bookworm in the family trail and over the weekend listen to a storyteller. You can also take time to browse and buy second hand books and the shop will be accepting £1 World Book Day vouchers for eligible titles. For more details, please visit the website here.

Throughout March at the Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium, the live show ‘DIY Science’ will be running. Experience experiments, tips and tricks for your own DIY scientific exploration. Usual entrance fees apply. For more details, visit the website.

Peppa Pig will be visiting the Theatre Royal Winchester with a live family show on Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 March. Get ready for a road-trip full of adventures. From castles to caves, dragons to dinosaurs and ice-creams to muddy puddles, this is a diary must for Peppa fans. For more details, see the trailer below. You can book tickets from the Theatre Royal website here.

The Theatre Royal is offering a great range of shows for grown-ups this month too. The Winchester Comedy Festival; Spring Gala 2020 takes place on 7 March. Treat yourself to an evening of comedy featuring Hal Cruttenden, Mike Cox, James Dowdeswell and James Gill. A few days later on 11 March, you can spend ‘An Evening with John Illsley of Dire Straits‘, including some hits and a Q&A.

For some drama, why not book tickets to see ‘Revenge’ directed by Louise Jameson (Eastenders, Doc Martin, Doctor Who, Bergerac, Tenko). “A taut thriller full of twists and turns!” The Stage, you can catch the production between 12 & 14th March. The multi award-winning Mark Bruce Company will be visiting Winchester, 17 & 18 March with their latest production, ‘Return to Heaven’, a ‘beautiful horror, laced with the darkest of humour’. Or you could book for the stirring new adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’ between 19 & 21 March from “One of the most innovative, audacious companies working in contemporary English Theatre”, The Stage. For full programme details at the Theatre Royal this month or to book tickets, visit the website here.

Further down the hill at the Chesil Theatre, Liz Lochhead’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ opens on 28 March and will run until 4 April. Or why not join Flight Captain, David Baldwin, on 20 March for a Sword Combat workshop, subject to availability. For details and to book, visit the website here.

For a rather special dining experience this month, visit the Fusion Tasting Dinner at Kyoto Kitchen on 10 March. Japanese cuisine will meet German wine during this intimate tasting evening. Kyoto Kitchen – a boutique restaurant serving authentic Japanese food and The WineBarn – a wine merchant specialising in German wine, will be hosting the experience on Tuesday 10th March in Winchester. The evening will kick off with an aperitif, followed by five courses paired with five premium wines. Tickets are £55 per person. To reserve your place, please visit here.

We’ll keep you posted on more events on Twitter this month @Win_Guide. Enjoy, one and all!

Win Guide to October

Autumn is upon us, a time for knitwear, leafy walks in vibrant reds and burnt orange or perhaps a time to head indoors and visit some of Winchester’s cosy city hosts. Here’s the Win Guide to what’s on this October:

The first thing any Wintonian ought to do is follow in the footsteps of Keats, who composed his ‘Ode to Autumn’ whilst gadding about the water meadows, or there about.  For a detailed walking trail, follow the guide provided by Winchester’s Tourist Information Centre here.

Going to the Ball (San Martino)

Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the modest Turner exhibition in the Discovery Centre, closing on the 15 October.  Entry is free and it’s a fine opportunity to admire the breathtaking ‘master of light’. For more information, visit here. Comedian Paul Sinha will be bringing his show Shout Out To My Ex on 7 October at 7.30pm, also at the Discovery Centre. For details, visit the website here.

BBC History Magazine’s Winchester History Weekend will be running 6 – 8 October, in association with Waterstones and for its second year.  Events will take place in the Great Hall and the Ashburton Hall, Elizabeth Court. To book for some of the exciting speakers, visit the website here.

If you have little people, make sure you have booked your tickets at the Theatre Royal for The Gruffalo, 6-8 October and Stick Man, 13-15 October. Don’t forget to read our interview with a member of the Stick Man cast, here. Bring the much-loved modern classic stories to life with some live performance in our beloved local theatre. For more details, visit the website. For the slight older children, Michael Morpurgo’s King Arthur is on 22 October.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of things on at the Theatre Royal for grown ups to enjoy too.  Jay Rayner will be bringing his The Ten (Food) Commandments on Friday 5 October.  He’ll ‘invite thee to honour thy pig – and so much more besides’. Opera della Luna will be presenting The Tales of Offenbach on 11 October and Bilimankhwe Arts’ dance version of The Tempest will delight us with traditional Malawian music.

There’s comedy aplenty, including Winchester Comedy Festival – Comedy Gala (6th) Mark Watson (7th), Penny Ashton (16th) Lea Anderson (18th), Ed Byrne (19th, 20th) and Stewart Lee (21st). Comedy drama fans can enjoy Sherlock Holmes and the Crimson Cobbles (25th, 26th) and there’s live music from The Baroque Bohemians (10th), Graham Gouldman, one of the founding members of 10cc (17th) and the Spitfire Sisters (28th). Finally Winchester Poetry Festival will be hosting a Winchester Poetry day on 14 October, and the delectable Private Lives by Noel Coward opens on the 30 October. For full details or to get booking, visit here.

Things get spooky at the end of the month in time for half-term.  Join the Halloween Spooky Trail, with a riddle sheet that can be picked up from Winchester’s Tourist Information Centre. Don’t miss the activities at the City Mill including baking, pumpkin carving and storytelling.

Plenty to amuse and entertain this October and we’ll be bringing you more highlights throughout the month on Twitter @Win_Guide.

 

Win Guide to October

Autumn has arrived in Winchester. Crisp mornings, chilly evenings and vibrant colour contrasts.  Once more our fine city has a lot to offer this October. Here’s our Win Guide:

Winchester Cathedral Harvest FestivalThe tractors are twitching, the pumpkins are plump – it’s harvest time.  Winchester Cathedral will be holding their annual free weekend of Harvest celebrations, 1-2 October from 10am – 5pm. Expect vintage tractors, falconry displays, farm animals, horse-drawn wagon rides, Hampshire Fare market and, new for this year, a grape and grain tent featuring local breweries and English wines. The whole event is supported by a number of partnerships, notably The New Forest Show, NFU, Country Landowners’ Association, Hampshire Council, and Hampshire Fare. Don’t forget to bring a brolly!

Pin Drop ComedyFancy a bit of standup?  Pin Drop Comedy in partnership with the Winchester Guildhall will be celebrating the first year anniversary of their monthly standup on 6 October, so expect a bumper night of it.  Running on the first Thursday of the month at the Wintonian Bar, Winchester Guildhall, entry is free and the Doors open at 8pm. The bar is open throughout and food is also available. The event is hosted by James Ross & Andrew Johnston.

10 x 10 new writingThe Chesil Theatre will be celebrating the dearly missed icon David Bowie in their 10 x 10 new writing festival.  From the sublime to the ridiculous, daring and curious, heart-breaking and hilarious,  10 new Bowie inspired 10-minute plays will premiere 8-9 October, 2.30pm & 7.45pm. Tickets are available to book here.

pinocchioThe Jasmin Vardimon company are coming to the Theatre Royal, 13-14 October with their new adaptation of Pinocchio. Visit the theatre website to watch the trailer or to find out about booking ticktets.

There are two festivals to look forward to this month.  The Winchester Poetry Festival returns 7-9 October. Workshops, readings and events will be taking place at the Discovery Centre, Theatre Royal and the Art Cafe.  For full programme details, visit the festival website here.

Silent SonataWe’re rather excited about the Winchester Film Festival, a partnership between the Theatre Royal and University of Winchester.  Films are only £5 to attend and will take place in unusual venues across the city.  Here’s a full programme:

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
Fri 14 October
BOOK NOW

Silent Sonata (2010)
Sat 15 October
BOOK NOW

An Inspector Calls (1954)
Sun 16 October
BOOK NOW

Under the Skin (2013)
Fri 21 October
BOOK NOW

Nashville (1975)
Sat 22 October
BOOK NOW

Johnny Guitar (1954)
Sun 23 October
BOOK NOW

National Trust Images/John MillarAn October couldn’t pass without mentioning half-term or Halloween and there are a number of ghoulish goings on to mention. There’s a Hallowe’en witches and wizard trail at the Winchester City Mill with prizes on offer as well as pumpkin carving, apple harvest activities, baking demonstrations and spooky storytelling. For full details, visit the schedule here.

Supernatural toursThere will be a family friendly Halloween ghost walk through the city on the 29 October at 6.30pm and an adults only version on the 31 October at 8pm. Advanced booking is available here. The Westgate museum will be getting its spook on with a horror spotters quiz, and will be open throughout half-term week. Admission is free. Winchester’s Supernatural tours will also be hosting their spooky tour of the city, 31 October, 8.30 – 9.30pm with live actors and theatrical shivers.

Harvest away, Wintonians and enjoy!

Win Guide to Easter

Egg-cellent news! It’s Easter time and there’s lots of egg-citing things on offer! Here’s the Win Guide to Easter.

Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle

Highclere Castle is well worth a visit this weekend. Built on the foundations of the medieval palace of the Bishops of Winchester (who owned the estate in Newbury from the 8th century), since 1679 the castle has been home to the Earls of Carnarvon. Never a retiring lot, the  Carnarvons have been noted for Egyptology (the 5th Earl was present at the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb), for an association with HRH Elizabeth II’s race horses (the 7th Earl was racing manager for her majesty) and now synonymous with the thespian equivalent of royalty in the form of Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville et al. as the filming location for Downton Abbey. This weekend, Sunday 5th April, the Highclere team will be holding an Easter Egg Hunt  event to raise funds for local charity Naomi House and Jacksplace. Lady Carnarvon herself will be judging an Easter bonnet parade. Spider-Man and Elsa from ‘Frozen’ will be wandering the grounds, and there will be market stalls, a vintage car display, a climbing wall and zip wire, a petting farm and birds of prey on offer to boot! Tickets are a steal at £5 on the door.

Closer to home, Sparsholt College will be holding an ‘Easter Bunny and Chick’ weekend from Friday 3rd – Sunday 5th April. It’s an Alice In Wonderland – themed affair with a Mad Hatter’s tea party, Easter egg hunt and classic craft activities such as egg painting.  Not forgetting the newly-hatched chicks and young bunnies on display, it sounds like a must visit for families.

Winchester Cathedral - Easter Egg Trail
Cathedral – Easter Egg Trail

Winchester Cathedral will be holding its own ‘Easter Egg Trail’ between the 5th – 19th April.   Ten decorative eggs will be hidden amongst the stunning architecture for ‘eggsplorers’ to discover, and free chocolate prizes can be claimed in the Cathedral gift shop.  Services on Easter Day itself (5 April) will be 8am Holy Communion, 10am Choral Mattins (Preacher: The Bishop), 11.15am Festal Eucharist (Preacher: The Dean) and 3.30 Choral Evensong.

Winchester Bunny Hop
Winchester Bunny Hop

The Winchester Bunny Hop will be celebrating its sixth birthday this year.  It’s a great initiative on the part of Winchester City Council, Winchester Bid and, this year, Chococo the chocolate shop and cafe have rightly got in on the action.  The quiz allows children to hunt for egg-shaped clues hidden in participating shops in Winchester and rearrange them into an Easter themed word to claim a Chococo prize. And if that’s not incentive enough, the Chococo team have recently been hailed as experts in the field of Easter chocolates. Their ‘Robot’ egg was dubbed by the Telegraph as ‘best egg for children’ on 28th March 2015. Even better news: they will be open every day over the Easter weekend. Quiz sheets can be collected from the Winchester Tourist information centre or downloaded here: http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/winchester-bunny-hop-2015.

Cornflowers Gift Shop
Cornflowers Gift Shop

A spring-time stroll to Kingsgate Village is always worthwhile to walk off the chocolate and browse for an Easter gift, curtesy of Cornflowers Gift Shop, Kingsgate Books and Prints, P&G Wells Booksellers, Kingsgate Wines and of course a visit to the Wykeham Arms for rest and refreshment awaits. Finally, don’t forget to visit to the 17th Century City Mill who will be offering hot cross bun baking on Friday 3rd April, and a Cadbury Eggsplorer Easter Egg trail over the weekend.

Have fun, and stock up on Gaviscon…

October Win Guide

Hampshire Harvest Weekend
Hampshire Harvest Weekend

The tractors are twitching.  The pumpkins are plump.  It’s the Hampshire Harvest weekend (4th & 5th October), and Winchester Cathedral is throwing a free weekend of family-oriented events celebrating the County’s food and farming.  Entry into the Cathedral is free all weekend too. Displays and activities include Kidsroam mobile farm,
 horse and carriage rides,
 vintage farming machinery,
 a static falconry display, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Pod,
 poultry displays 
and a vintage fairground organ.   The Harvest event is held in partnership with Hampshire Farmers Market, Sparsholt College, The New Forest Show and Hampshire County Council.

Winchester Comedy Festival
Winchester Comedy Festival

To laugh off some of the root vegetables, The Winchester Comedy Festival is running from 2nd – 5th October at the Discovery Centre, The Theatre Royal and The Railway.  There’s a brochure available here, but some of the headline acts are sold out so make sure you have booked in advance.

Speaking of witty folk, the absolutely fabulous Joanna Lumley will be in conversation with John Miller at Winchester Cathedral on 21st October at 7.30pm, followed by a drinks reception.  Tickets are available to book online at £15 or £10 for Friends of the Cathedral. The evening will raise money to save the medieval stained glass windows in the building.

Trench Coach: From Field to Fashion
Trench Coach: From Field to Fashion

The Minster Gallery will be presenting work from The Society of Women Artists (founded in 1857) from 10th October until 10th November.  Celebrating contemporary female talent in oil painting, water colour, sculpture, printing and ceramics, entry is free and it’s a great excuse to pop down to the Square for a post-exhibition drink at The Old Vine. The Discovery Centre will be opening the exhibition Trench Coat: From Field to Fashion on 4th October, which is running until 21st December.  Introduced by Hilary Alexander OBE, the fascinating theme will explore everything and anything trench coat-related, from the more traditional WW1 calvary garb to such filmic connections as Marlene Dietrich in Billy Wilder’s A Foreign Affair.

Halloween at Winchester City Mill
Halloween at Winchester City Mill

Later in the month you can get in the mood for Halloween by joining Supernatural Tours on a guided tour of Winchester’s ghostly past, 28th October 7.30pm – 8.30pm, starting at the Royal Oak. Alternatively, if you pop into Winchester City Mill on the 31st October you can bake some Halloween-themed biscuits and treats using their own freshly milled stone-ground flour, combined with other local produce.

Happy harvest one and all.