Discover more at Croome
Find out when Croome is open, how to get here, things to see and do and more.
Things to see in the House at Croome
At Croome's heart lies the House, the brainchild of the 6th Earl of Coventry, an 18th-century trend-setter who collaborated with the best new talent of the day – Robert Adam and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
Contemporary exhibitions and installations
With about four-fifths of its collection absent, the House at Croome isn’t necessarily what you would expect from a traditional National Trust property. Instead, rooms, many with beautiful 18th-century plasterwork and fireplaces, are used to present temporary exhibitions and installations continuing the 6th Earl’s legacy of nurturing new talent.
Pages from Nature exhibition
23 March 2024 – 2 March 2025
DUE TO ESSENTIAL BUILDING CONSERVATION WORK PART OF THE EXHBITION WILL BE UNAVAILABLE TO VIEW BETWEEN 8 APRIL AND 22 APRIL
Exactly two hundred years ago, one of the most important gardens in Georgian England was documented in detail by its devoted Botanic Gardener.
William Dean’s Hortus Croomensis captures Croome’s vast and varied plant collection at its glorious peak, recording over 6,000 species from across the globe.
The Pages From Nature exhibition in the House delves into this incredible book and examines the people behind its pages, including the 6th Earl of Coventry, his transformation of Croome and his lifelong passion for plant collecting. It also explores the legacy of the Hortus Croomensis and how it has inspired the restoration of Croome’s parkland and gardens today.
Gloucestershire Society of Botanical Illustrators
Bringing the Hortus Croomensis to life
23 March 2024 – 2 March 2025
DUE TO ESSENTIAL BUILDING CONSERVATION WORK THIS PART OF THE PAGES FROM NATURE EXHBITION WILL BE UNAVAILABLE TO VIEW BETWEEN 8 APRIL AND 22 APRIL
Beautiful new artworks have been created by members of the Gloucestershire Society of Botanical Illustrators to showcase the plants of the Hortus Croomensis that still thrive at Croome today. The illustrations will be on display in the Library until February 2025.
Founded in 1993, Gloucestershire Society of Botanical Illustrators caters for all those with an interest in botanical illustration, including botanists, gardeners, illustrators and art collectors. The Society welcomes artists with all levels of skill, from total beginners to established artists. They currently have 98 members, reaching far beyond Gloucestershire.
Pages from Nature continues in the outdoors
13 April 2024 – 2 March 2025
As part of Pages from Nature, we invite you to pick up a ‘Walk through the Pleasure Grounds’ guidebook inspired by the Hortus Croomensis with activities to help you experience not only the sights, but also scents, sounds and feelings of the Georgian parkland. Find out the history behind the landscape design; take time to sketch in the booklet, pause along the way to smell scents in the special scent boxes – can you guess what they are? Read quotes from the 1824 text to feel transported back 200 years.
£3 per guidebook (normal admission applies)
Small Creatures of Avon Meadows
Throughout 2024 Croome and Meadow Arts are collaborating with young people from Pershore to explore our Pages from Nature theme inspired by the landscape and plant collection at Croome.
Hortus Croomensis Croome x Pershore includes the exhibition Small Creatures of Avon Meadows, 20 cast bronzes made by young people from Pershore Riverside Centre with artist duo Juneau Projects in 2022 in response to the landscape and biodiversity of nearby Avon Meadows.
At Croome, artist Sarah Taylor Silverwood has been commissioned to co-create new artworks with young people from Pershore Riverside Centre and Pershore High School using drawings, illustration and animation to respond to our landscape here.
Meadow Arts is a dynamic contemporary visual arts charity based in the rural West Midlands. Croome’s creative programme is committed to socially engaged practice. We work with artists and communities to bring to life the stories of the past for audiences of today. This collaboration brings local young people, who have been working within Meadow Arts since 2020, into dialogue with themes of landscape and nature to engender connection and a sense of belonging.
Small Creatures of Avon Meadows will be on display as part of our Pages from Nature exhibition in Croome’s Saloon. New works by Sarah Taylor Silverwood will launch in July to coincide with our Summer of Play.
Robert Adam bookcases display
Opened 26 May 2023
In 1761, the 6th Earl of Coventry commissioned one of the finest architects of the day, Robert Adam, to design magnificent bookcases for Croome Court but you won't have seen them there for a long time, in fact they've not been there since 1975. After the bookcases had left Croome Court, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London acquired them and for many years, provided care and conservation, ensuring the public were able to admire them. Croome has borrowed around half of the bookcases on a three-year loan from the museum so they can be enjoyed once more in the house for which they were intended. This new display, exploring the design and construction of the bookcases, is an opportunity to look closely at beautifully carved details in separate pieces. Find out more about the Robert Adam bookcases display at Croome here: Robert Adam bookcases display | National Trust
Permanent installations
Two artists were commissioned to create original works to present select pieces from the collection in ways that are thought-provoking and respond to Croome’s spirit of ‘expect the unexpected’.
Bouke de Vries’ ‘Golden Box’ and Will Datson’s ‘Chair Play’ installation give a new perspective on these fascinating objects and the Treasures of Croome.
Our partners
Arts Council England invest public money from government and the National Lottery to make sure everyone's creativity is given the chance to flourish and we all have access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences.
The Big Lottery Fund, now called the National Lottery Community Fund, awards money raised by National Lottery players to fund great ideas that help communities to thrive.
Our project engages looked after children in artistic, horticultural and healthy lifestyle activities. We aim to improve the emotional and physical wellbeing of Looked After Children (LAC) and carers through green activities along with healthy living information, activities and training to give LAC and carers a better understanding of health and healthy lifestyles.
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