With under 24 hours to go until the start of the 2010 MAD festival and 6 hours before the gates open for  the Bjorn Again concert, Waddesdon is a hive of activity.  

With over 3000 performers taking part this year,  showcasing some of the best of the talent, creativity and energy at work in our schools and community we are delighted that again this year we can offer a large programme of other activities for you and your family to take part in during your visit to Waddesdon. We have free workshops in the Workshop Warehouse from Bhangra and Bollywood dancing to Dhol Drumming and for the cheerleaders  amongst you Sunday is your opportunity to have a go with poms! Please visit www.madaboutwaddesdon.com for more details.

To satisfy your inner artist, make sure you pay a visit to the ‘Children’s Zone’ for lots of things to make and take home or go and create a figurine inspired by the designs for the “Ballets de Nuit” (on view in the House) with artist and sculptor, Ann Carrington. 

If you want to get away from the mayhem of the North Front, why not visit the Art Space@ The Stables, featuring local acoustic groups and performers throughout the weekend and visit Glass Experiences in the Coach House and don’t forget the House is open as normal. Tickets available from the ticket office.

Finally on Sunday having listened to the feedback from our performers and at the same time wanting to protect the nature of the festival and the respect to all the performers, we have taken the decision to screen the match in it’s entirety on a big screen on the North Front . This would mean at 3pm we would break with the scheduled programme for all to enjoy the game then resume at it’s conclusion, hopefully a jubilant nation!

Please tell your friends to come along, the bars and catering and BBQ will be open and the sun will be shining. Enjoy the weekend.

Back at Waddesdon for its 5th year in Summer 2010, MAD is a showcase for the best local talent with what promises to be an inspiring mix of music, art dance and drama..
Expect the unexpected with a host of artists, circus performers and workshops taking place over the weekend. Inspired by bringing a sense of spirit, community and fun to Waddesdon, Lord Rothschild was the instigator of this fantastic festival which sees groups and individuals performing over the two days. Now in its 5th year the team behind MAD are hoping it creates a lasting impression of positivity across the Vale and beyond. It is the opportunity to give a huge number of artists a stage, paint brush and patch of grass on which to perform and connect with the community and each other. To inspire people before, during and after the event, so they can realise their goals and take part in something fantastic.
This wonderful weekend attracts allsorts young and old, family and friends. It is a wonderful open air party in the beautiful English countryside so make sure your get your tickets now (last year over 14000 people came!).
So far confirmed performers include… Urban Strides, Waterside Theatre Panto Workshop, NGage multicultural music and dance and much more. Keep checking website and media for further updates.

Friday 25 June
Gates open 6.30. Concert 8.00-10.30.
For one night only, the world’s most sensational ABBA experience, Björn Again take to the stage in the Gardens. With support from The Original Bucks Fizz. All proceeds go towards MAD About Waddesdon on 26 and 27 June. For more details visit www.waddesdon.org.uk

The Waddesdon Masterclass (7-8 June) offers connoisseurs, as well as those eager to learn about Waddesdon’s fabulous collections, the opportunity to experience the House and its treasures in the manner of Baron Ferdinand’s House party guests in the 19th century.The two-day residential course is held while the House is closed to the public, the participants have exclusive access and attend sessions that are tailored to individual interests and led by Waddesdon curators. Fine dining and accommodation in the Manor itself complete this unique experience. 

This year the Waddesdon Masterclass is excited to announce its partnership with Art Antiques London, the much-anticipated new art and antiques fair to be held in London 9 to 16 June. Masterclass participants will have a chance to preview the fair in the company of Waddesdon curators before it opens to the public and a lucky fair visitor will win a place on the 2011 Masterclass.

Art Antiques London is a must-see event for new and veteran collectors alike. Offering a marriage of quality and style, the fair will bring together leading dealers in their respective fields, presenting a range of the very finest works of art.  From the traditional collecting fields through to contemporary, every piece will be vetted for quality and authenticity. Held in a beautiful custom-built marquee opposite the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gardens provides a beautiful backdrop to one of the most exciting and glamourous art and antiques fairs ever held in London. For more information visit www.waddesdon.org.uk and www.haughton.com.

March is always a busy time in the collection department – the Manor reopens for the main season on 31 March. It’s at this time of year that the house is woken from its winter slumbers, with covers removed from furniture inside and from sculpture outside.  Every area of the house is busy, with the Stewards and Housekeeping staff re-instating the rooms and unpacking small objects and porcelain, while the Curators install the temporary exhibitions for this year.

 Each type of object requires special display conditions requiring a lot of forward planning and creativity. For example, our book curator has been adapting a drawing exhibition space with new shelves and stands, as well as a handling collection and DVD, to show off some of the wonderful 18th-century books from the Morning Room that are normally difficult to see. A little later in the season, we are also working on an exhibition of design by the Brazilian brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana, featuring wonderfully exotic, colourful chandeliers – a nice counterpoint to the historic chandeliers in the collection.

Behind the scenes, collection staff have also been busy working towards the launch of the new website for Waddesdon Manor, which will also provide a platform for exploring the collection on-line. At the moment, we have about 700 trade cards and other prints up on the site, but we are preparing a selection of about 50 highlights from across the collection – furniture, porcelain, paintings, textiles, sculptures and books – to give a sense of the breadth of the collection and a taster of what can be seen  here.

Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild built Waddesdon Manor  between 1874 to 1889. He used Waddesdon to entertain his guests and display his vast 18th-century French decorative art collection. Typical were the Savonnerie carpets and Sèvres porcelain which rank, in relevance and importance with those kept in the Louvre in Paris and the Royal and Wallace Collections in London.  Baron Ferdinand also collected portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds, and his art treasures included the 17th century works  by Dutch and Flemish Masters.

Waddesdon Manor has one of the most beautiful gardens in Britain famous for its Parterre, seasonal displays, shady walks and views. At its heart lies the Aviary stocked with species that were once part of Baron Ferdinand’s collection. The Wine Cellars, modelled on the private cellars at Château Lafite-Rothschild contain thousands of bottles of wine which date back to 1868.

Visitors  to Waddesdon Manor:

Visitors to Waddesdon require ‘timed tickets’ to enter the Manor.  During August admission for children is free, and if you are a visitor to the house you must also have a ticket for the gardens.

This Victorian Grade II listed property stands at the gates of Waddesdon Manor, home to the Rothschild art collection and owned by the National Trust. Five Arrows was built to accommodate the various artisans during the construction of Waddesdon in the late 1880s and it derives its name from the Rothschild family emblem.

Winner of Tourism South East’s Silver Award for ‘Small Hotel of the Year’ 2009, The Five Arrows is very charming and full of character and the bedrooms are beautifully appointed in a classical country house style. Each bedroom is named after a Rothschild residence and is individually designed with antiques and original pieces from the Manor.

The food is excellent and they pride themselves on being able to provide everything from a simple light lunch to a full-scale gastronomic event for a wedding or banquet. The modern European menu includes such dishes as pan fried sea trout and Whitchurch bred rib-eye steak.

Other classic dishes include bubble and squeak with bacon and steamed mussels with Rothschild white wine. The wine list encompasses everyday and rare wines from both New and Old World vineyards. Guests receive a complimentary ticket for the gardens at neighbouring Waddesdon Manor.

Click on the link if you would like to learn more about The Five Arrows restaurant.

Waddesdon Manor was primarily built to house the vast collection of art belonging to Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. The Manor was built between 1874 and 1889 and the Baron brought in a French architect who designed the building in the style of a French Renaissance chateau. It was the Baron’s great knowledge of the 18th century art that led him to have the Manor designed in the style of the chateau. The Baron was a Member of Parliament for the local constituency, and was a keen participant in the matters of local affairs as a Justice of the Peace. Waddesdon Manor had received many notable personalities in the past, and amongst them were Queen Victoria, Lord Roseberry and de Maupassant.

Manor weddings:

The Dairy in Waddesdon Manor is presently being used by many for memorable weddings. The romantic backdrop offered by the Diary is the perfect romantic environment for a wedding to take place. The Dairy is situated within the glorious greens of the Manor gardens, and it is a beautiful private building. The Waddesdon Estate was created for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 19th Century and it has been the country retreat for the family for over 100 years.

The Dairy provides a nostalgic charm to the guests and a taste of the privileged lifestyle, as they would enjoy the most delicious food, excellent wines, and the warmth and charm of a perfect location for a wedding to take place. The Dairy sits within a tranquil atmosphere by the waterside amidst the wonderful greenery of the Manor gardens. The Dairy provides you with exclusive environment, rooms which have been designed elegantly with roaring log fires burning in every room in the winter. A wide terrace having two pavilions projects into the lake and this makes a perfect place to relax and have summer drinks under the shade. No matter which season it is, the Dairy offers the most romantic backdrop all the year round.

The largest room in the Dairy is called the ‘West Hall’. This room has a ‘tall vaulted ceiling’ having two huge open fireplaces, with the door in the room opening out directly on to the terrace. This hall is used as a dining room for the guests in which maximum of 110 people can be accommodated, and has 10 round tables. The hall overlooks the Wintergarden, and with its classical conservatory type structure, and all these presents a perfect atmosphere for wedding ceremonies.

The Pavilions and the terrace are situated at the West side of the Dairy, and the long terrace overlooks the lake. This terrace is aptly called the ‘Lake Terrace’. The lake is the home of extensive collection of waterfowl. The Manor has two Pavilions, and both project into the lake, making them an ideal place to have summer drinks as you relax.

Waddesdon Manor is managed by the National Trust in the UK, and is considered to be a National Trust property which comes under the cultural and historic importance to the nation, containing valuable works of art. When the Manor is let out for weddings, it is mandatory that you get a public liability insurance cover which has a minimum value of £2m. The insurance cover is arranged by the Manor management, and you would be required to carry a copy of the cover when you visit the Manor for your wedding planning meeting.

If you would like to learn more, please visit the Waddesdon Weddings website

The Manor Restaurant at Waddesdon Manor was recenctly visited by Christopher Gray of the Oxford Times, you can read about his experiences by visiting his page.

Start your Christmas shopping early and more importantly beat the queues and crowds on the high street. We’ll have over 40 stalls with gift ideas for the whole family, from vintage garden tools, accessories for the home, beauty products, jewellery, books and traditional children’s games.

Here is a list of stallholders, although please note that this may change at short notice.

Interested in having your own stall? Here are the full details of registering your interest in the Christmas Gift Fair.