Sharpham House Summer Celebration Open Day & Bioblitz

The Sharpham Estate is opening its doors for the first time since the Covid pandemic.

The Summer Celebration Open Day is organised by The Sharpham Trust, the charity which conserves and cares for Sharpham House and estate, just 3 miles down the River Dart from Totnes.

The Trust has held regular annual open days, but the pandemic stopped them after 2019. Now the rare chance to see inside 18th century Sharpham House is available once more.

From 10.30am to 4pm on the day, there’ll be family fun, workshops, music, food, crafts and House and garden tours. The swimming pool will be open, with lifeguards in attendance.

The Summer Celebration is free entry, but there is a £2 price to enter Sharpham House and a £5 (+booking fee) charge for parking which has to be purchased in advance. All fees go to support the charity and its conservation activities.

There is also a Bioblitz event on the same day – where YOU can become ‘citizen scientists’ for the day, exploring and counting the varied flora and fauna at Sharpham.

A chance to try mindfulness

The Sharpham Trust, which celebrated 40 years as a charity last year, has a national and international reputation for hosting mindfulness retreats and courses.

Those interested in learning about how mindfulness and meditation can help towards better well-being and improved mental health can sign up for free mindfulness taster sessions on the day of the Summer Celebration.

A rare chance to see inside Sharpham House

The House is not normally open to the public as it is a retreat centre throughout the year, welcoming people to learn or develop a mindful, meditation practice.

But the Summer Celebration will invite visitors into the Georgian building – with its rare, floating oval staircase – and Sharpham Heritage experts – including Claire Ash Wheeler who grew up at Sharpham - will be on hand giving talks and tours.

 

People interested in hosting their wedding at Sharpham are also invited to see inside the House, and there’ll be people there able to answer any questions they may have around hiring the House and grounds.

Bioblitz 2023

This event is a separate event to the Summer Celebration, happening close to proceedings.

Bioblitz participants will be helping The Sharpham Trust to record the wildlife on the estate, in a packed programme of events from seeking out mammal tracks to counting wildflowers, birds and insects.

Conservation experts will lead you through exploring and monitoring the biodiversity of The Sharpham Estate in a series of events throughout the day.

All events are free, thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, but participants need to book on to reserve their places.

Visit www.sharphamtrust.org/bioblitz to learn more and book.

Food & drink

There will be a café within Sharpham House offering teas, coffees, cakes and biscuits, ensuring visitors are fully refreshed after their explorations.

There will be a beer tent offering locally-brewed ales and wines.

Stuff for kids

There’s a woodland exploration, plus outdoor music fun throughout the day.

Then bird expert Mike Langman leads a dissection class: you’re invited to cut open an owl pellet and learn what the bird had for dinner!

Music

There is a programme of performance in the beer tent, including shimmering Indonesian Gamelan instrumental sounds from Bali and Java and the Blue Jewel Ceilidh Band.

Mike McInerney will be a roving player of the shakuhachi (a Japanese flute), performing hauntingly-beautiful and meditative sounds throughout Sharpham's gardens & grounds.

Workshops

Forager and published author Brigit-Anna McNeill leads wild food and foraging workshops and Professor Katherine Weare will be leading mindfulness meditation taster sessions.

Sign up for workshops on the day. 

Travel & parking

The Trust is encouraging people to car-share or walk or cycle to the event too along the stunning path that follows the route of the River Dart. Limited car parking spaces are available.

If you are coming by car, you MUST book parking online in advance.

Parking for the day costs £5 + booking fee, bookable via Eventbrite from a link on our Summer Celebration webpage or via: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sharpham-summer-celebration-day-parking-ticket-tickets-587293900867

The Sharpham Trust has partnered with Torbay Minibus to provide free shuttles between the town and Sharpham.

The bus will shuttle visitors between its stop at the Royal Seven Stars in the centre of Totnes and Sharpham Estate, beginning at 10.15am, with the final bus leaving Sharpham at 4.15pm.

To book parking and for a full shuttlebus timetable, visit our website at www.sharphamtrust.org/summer-celebration

More information and how to book

Sign up for the various Summer Celebration activities on the day at the Information Desk.

If you’re coming by car, you’ll need to book parking in advance, via Eventbrite. Find the link at www.sharphamtrust.org/summer-celebration

Visit www.sharphamtrust.org/bioblitz to learn more and book activities in our Bioblitz 2023 event.

Dogs aren’t allowed on the Summer Open Day, apart from guide dogs.

There is more information and pictures at our website here www.sharphamtrust.org/summer-celebration

Or call 01803 732542 or email bookings@sharphamtrust.org