Special Events For Members
2023 Events
| DATE | EVENT |
|---|---|
| Wednesday May 10th | Guided tour of the 1620s House at Donington Le Heath |
| Wednesday June 28th | Guided tour of Market Bosworth |
| Saturday August 19th | Summer Supper in the Village Hall |
| Thursday 28th September | Rocks by Rail, The Living Ironstone Museum at Cottesmore |
| Click here to see details of events from previous years |
Wednesday May 10th — Guided tour of the 1620s House at Donington Le Heath
22 members enjoyed a very interesting tour of the House led by two excellent guides, learning about the property and its residents and life in the 17th century. This was followed by some excellent cake but unfortunately we couldn’t fully explore the gardens due to a downpour.
The 1620s House and Garden at Donington le Heath, formerly known as Donington le Heath Manor House, has undergone a stunning refurbishment in order to tell the story of its former owners and residents.
This rare and beautiful house is a surviving example of a family home built in the 13th century and then modernised in 1618. The house has been home to many families over its 700 year history, but the Digby family, which included the Gunpowder Plotter Sir Everard Digby, lived in the house for over two hundred years. It is towards the end of the Digby ownership that the newly refurbished house is focused, showing how people lived in late Elizabethan and early Jacobean times.
Visitors can now see the beautifully restored period rooms and talk to our volunteers about the history of the house, the families that lived here and about life in the 1620s. The house is set in beautiful 17th century style gardens with labelled plants and flowers, an orchard, herb gardens and a small maze.
Wednesday June 28th — Walking Tour of Market Bosworth at 2:00pm
Click to see photos from our visit
© Colin Park / Market Bosworth Market Place
After our very successful visit to the 1620s House at Donington le Heath, Margaret Lewis arranged another excellent visit for members to the lovely market town of Market Bosworth. We were met by three very knowledgable guides from the Market Bosworth Society, who showed us around the town. We found out about its history stretching from the Bronze Age, to the Romans and Saxons into the 20th Century with its architecture and stories.
The afternoon flew by and we concluded with refreshments at the Bosworth Hall Hotel.
Annual Members Summer Supper
Saturday 19th August — Summer Supper in the Village Hall at 6:30 pm.
As usual, this annual event was a huge success and a great time had by all, with lots of conversation and laughter. David’s set of quiz questions were fiendish but as enjoyable as ever. A very big thank you to everyone, members and committee, who provided the delicious food and scrumptious sweets, donated raffle prizes, and helped on the night. Special mention must go to Esther Hancock and Pat Dyke who organised the evening. Looking forward to 2024!
Thursday 28th September — Rocks by Rail, The Living Ironstone Museum at Cottesmore
This is a museum run by passionate volunteers and presents the opportunity to experience an awesome industrial landscape. On arrival we were given an excellent introduction to the museum, and after lunch we we walked round the excellent exhibits (railway engines, models of the different stages of development of ironstone mining, and an example of the early ironstone mining at Cottesmore).
At least 10 of us enjoyed the experience of being a “driver for a fiver” on the diesel Sentinel shunter ‘Betty’ (an example of an engine, which had been used to move truckloads of iron ore).
Please visit Rocks by Rail to find out more about the museum.