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Opening hours:
10:30am
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5:00pm
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OPEN
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‘Housekeeping ain’t no joke’ part 1 – The Spring Clean and Vacuum origins
Outside spring has definitely sprung, with the daffodils nodding their dazzling heads and the trees producing buds hinting of splendour yet to come. However, indoors things are afoot too, as houses across the land begin the age old spring clean. The tradition of a ‘spring clean’ dates back millennia and is often linked to religious
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What did the Nettlefolds do for Christmas?
Christmas at Winterbourne Margaret Nettlefold’s household diary provides fascinating insights into middle class life in late-Victorian and early-Edwardian England. She clearly gave careful thought to Christmas presents and cards, and listed everything in the diary. For example in 1904, Margaret gave a camera (referred to as a ‘Kodak’) to her husband John, a
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Plant Spotlight – Auriculas
Auriculas as we know them today are descendants of a hybrid between 2 European alpine primulas; the Primula auricula, or bear’s ear, and Primula hirsuta or European alpine primrose. They are thought to have been grown in UK gardens since the latter half of the 16th century and are mentioned in Gerard’s herbal of 1597.
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What’s Happening Here?
Join us each month as we go behind the scenes and ask what’s happening here? There will be sneak previews of projects and events, exclusive news from the garden and plenty of tips and ideas for you to try out at home. The Japanese Bridge We’ve been busy over the last few weeks hard pruning
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News from the Archives: Noah’s Ark – a toy with contemporary relevance
Winterbourne was built in 1904 for John and Margaret Nettlefold and bequeathed to the University of Birmingham 40 years later by John Macdonald Nicolson. Follow our dedicated team of archivists as they explore Winterbourne’s past and share with you the special objects, photographs and documents contained within the Winterbourne Archives. This toy set, probably used