HALH Summer Visit

Since 1997, HALH has organised a garden party or visit for members.  Each year the venue changes which gives everyone a chance to see another place in Hertfordshire (or just across the border in neighbouring counties).  We try to find somewhere which has a pleasant garden for people to visit, a historic house/church and where we can sit and enjoy tea together.  Notice for each year's Summer Visit is distributed with the Spring mailing.

Summer Visit 2018 
This year’s summer visit took place at Hinxworth Place, Hinxworth on Saturday 30 June, where we were the guests of sculptor John Mills and his wife Jo. 

Hinxworth Place is a medieval manor house dating from the end of the fourteenth century. It was purchased by John Sale in 1888 and the estate was farmed by him and his successors until the 1930s, by which time the property had fallen into a very dilapidated state. It was thus compulsorily acquired by the County Council and the estate was divided in to four small holdings. By 1949 the building was almost derelict and was sold to a London City Banker who formed a syndicate of professional people, including artists of many disciplines who undertook the renovation of the property. During the 1960s the house was subdivided to make it semi-detached. The greater part was acquired by the sculptor John W. Mills and his wife, the dancer Josephine De Marne, for their family home and for his studio. 

John’s studio was left open for us to visit: the shelves are lined with maquettes which include the heads of such notable figures as Sigmund Freud, Betty Boothroyd, Brian May and Quentin Crisp. Our visit coincided with that hot sunny spell at the end of June, so it was an ideal occasion on which to enjoy a picnic lunch in the shade of John and Jo’s woodland garden where many more of John’s sculptures are to be found.

Previous visits have been to:

1997 Barkway House, Barkway
1998 St. Ippolyts
1999 Stansteadbury
2000 Ashwell
2001 Mackereye End House
2002 Abbot's House Garden, Abbots Langley
2003 Tewin
2004 Berkhamsted
2005 Letchworth Museum
2006 Braughing
2007 Codicote
2008 Bushey Museum
2009 Wheathampstead
2010 Ashwell
2011 Welwyn
2012 Panshanger
2013 Much Hadham   
2014 Copped Hall, Upshire near Epping (Essex)
2015 Chenies Manor (Bucks)
2016 Myddleton House & Gardens, Enfield
2017 Benington Lordship

​Hinxworth Place, June 2018

Myddleton House Gardens, 2016