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News from the Courtyard Shop

With its fresh make-over, new stock and designer interior, the shop isn’t about padded hangers and lavender bags.   Good on the eye, key brands are cleverly combined with local designers to give the shop a mix of must haves.  Gorgeous items include leading young artist Donna Wilson’s quirky creature furnishings, high quality meats farmed on the Harewood grounds, Sheffield based David Mellor’s exclusive tableware collection, sweet treats from Art of Mallows and Dixie Kitchen, and wine and beers, including Harewood’s very own Harewood Gold created from its home grown hops.

The Courtyard shop is under the successful and experienced direction of shop manager, Lynne Melton-Long, who specialises in high-end retail.  Lynne has succeeded in giving the shop a new lease of life. “Our vision is one of excellence; we’re really excited to stock some of the country’s best homewares and confectionaries supporting local farmers and designers.  We want the shopping experience at Harewood to be good on the eye as well as the tummy.  I’ve worked hard to source designer brands from all over the UK, including renowned purveyors of cheese and chutney to Her Majesty Paxton & Whitfield (incidentally the only suppliers of UK made pickled onions), wines from Latitude Wines and gift items from master cutler David Mellor.  Local designer items include paperware from The Wit Shop from Hyde Park in Leeds, Catherine Lascelles’s meats from Gray Montagne and breads from Bondgate Bakery in Otley.  If we can support emerging designers and sell their wares alongside the big boys, then our customers can set their own style and really enjoy the shopping experience.”

Lynne has a schedule of shopping events in the planning, with the first on 6th September with the Summer Night Market at the Courtyard, which includes live music, barbeque, wine and beer tastings, vintage clothing and loads more retail heaven.

The refreshed and re-stocked Courtyard Shop is open 10am to 5.30pm 7 days a week and sells designer house and food items, much sourced locally for the freshest and the very best, and table and giftware items from the UK’s favourite designers and manufacturers, some of whom  rarely supply outside of London. Call in on your next visit!

Dining at its Finest at Harewood…

Harewood House and The Box Tree Join Forces for Michelin Star Fine Dining

Mike Schafer, Chief Executive of Harewood House, announced today that The Box Tree Restaurant will head up Harewood’s ‘Fine Dining in the House’.

The Box Tree at Harewood

Rena and Simon Gueller, who own and manage Box Tree Events were welcomed by David Lascelles, the Earl of Harewood and Mike Schafer, on the State Floor of Harewood House where they will provide a variety of fine dining options for private and corporate clients.

Mike Schafer, CEO said: ‘Our corporate hospitality is a major element within our offer and we only want to work with the best.  We have some of the finest architecture and interiors in the country and our hospitality needs to compliment our environment.  We are delighted to appoint Rena and Simon to manage our fine dining, and as a multi-award winning and Michelin Starred Restaurant, The Box Tree is held in the highest regard in the culinary world – their service, menus and wines are revered, not just regionally but also nationally.  Working with The Box Tree team means we are confident that every event at Harewood will be of the highest standard and we look forward to welcoming existing and new clients to Harewood for hospitality beyond all expectations.’

Menus for Harewood will be created by Simon Gueller of The Box Tree Restaurant, one of the country’s leading chefs and a Michelin Star winner for an unprecedented 8 consecutive years.

Simon’s menus for Harewood will combine French classics with modern English served within the grandeur of the State Floor, the unique Below Stairs and on the Terrace overlooking some of the finest views in Yorkshire.

Simon Gueller added: ‘Harewood and The Box Tree will be one of the UK’s premier destinations for superior hospitality.  Harewood hosts a variety of guests, from Monarchs to Heads of State and we will ensure that every client is treated as such.   Corporate clients expect the best at Harewood and we will work hard to ensure that every event, small or large, formal or informal, sets a benchmark in fine dining.’

Click here to read more about Fine Dining in the House at Harewood…

Harewood Champion Trees!

In the UK our wonderful tree heritage is recorded within the Tree Register, a Registered Charity with a unique database of over 150,000 of our most notable Trees.

Recording a veteran oak tree in the grounds of Harewood House

Harewood’s trees are a beautiful and important feature of the landscape which surrounds the House. Following our latest Tree Register Report we can now say we are home to several Champion Trees!

We have a Grand Fir growing in the Lakeside Gardens (SE of the Cascade beside the path towards the Walled Garden) which has been recorded as the tallest in Yorkshire. It is the best the Tree Inspector has ever seen and looks as if it wants to grow a bit taller too!

We also have a rare Japanese oak (planted by Her Majesty Queen Alexandra on 8th July 1908) in the grounds; it is certainly a champion tree for Yorkshire and maybe a Champion Tree for the whole of the British Isles, we’ll wait for final confirmation and update the post here!

Several other trees become County Champions for Yorkshire including:

  • Grecian Fir in the West Garden
  • Purple Bean Tree south of the Cascade, by the Stupa
  • Katsura Tree in the Himalayan Garden
  • Leylandii south of the Lake, near the large Sessile Oak
  • Eucryphia in the Archery Border which is remarkably large for Yorkshire!
  • Japanese Big-leaved Magnolia in the Himalayan Garden
  • London Plane in the Bird Garden
  • Japanese Cherry beside the path to the Church
  • Scarlet Oak on the North Front opposite the House
  • Daimyo Oak on the North Front opposite the House

Please note: some trees pictured below are not in areas currently accessible to visitors. Please stay to the marked footpaths and access areas when you visit Harewood.

Estimating the age of a large conifer
Gathering data for the tree register of two ancient oaks four to five centuries old
Measuring the girth of an old ash tree
Recording details of a veteran oak tree at Harewood
Using a hypsometer to measure the height of a tree

Please note: some trees pictured above are not in areas currently accessible to visitors. Please stay to the marked footpaths and access areas when you visit Harewood.

The Scarlet Oak on the North Front is exceeded only by a few in southern England, and the Dawn Redwood south of the lake is a particularly beautiful tree and almost the tallest this far north.

One of our Rhododendronsto the south of the lake is the largest hardy hybrid of any kind the Tree Register Inspector had ever seen!

Harewood is a wonderful place to explore the landscape and spot some of these wonderful trees… A new walks booklet is available from the Harewood Information Centre which will take you on 4 walks of discovery in the Grounds at Harewood…and we hope to produce something similar focussing on the trees at Harewood…watch this space for details!

You can collect a guide to some of the wonderful trees in the West Garden at Harewood during Autumn Glory week (October Half Term) – the trees are at their most colourful and vivid at this time of year…

Read more about the Grounds at Harewood and our Autumn Glory event on our website…

Harewood in the News: The Harewood Medieval Faire receives rave reviews!

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We made the news in the Independent’s heritage section with our all-new event spectacular the Harewood Medieval Faire…

If came thee hither, what-ho an event we had!

If you missed it, look out for e-updates to be the first to get your tickets for next year’s event! …And don’t forget, Medieval Harewood continues this summer with artists’ works & finds from the Gawthorpe dig, ceramics & stained glass workshops, and Castle, dig and theatrical tours.

Read more and book workshops & tours and online…

Four walks to explore Harewood…

Long walks, short walks, dog walks, bluebell walks, walks in the rain, walks in the snow… the landscape at Harewood has all these walks and more…

A new walks booklet is now available to purchase from the Information Centre, Bookshop or House Desk at Harewood, with routes to discover more about this ancient landscape…

And a new guidebook written by David Lascelles, Lord Harewood with an updated history including new information we have learnt in recent years is available to buy at the House Desk, Information Centre and Bookshop.

Ask at the Information Centre next time you visit Harewood! Click here to see our opening times and prices…