Retreat yourselves

Built in 1870 by the Prince & Princess of Wales - later King Edward VII & Queen Alexandra - Sandringham House was once described as "the most comfortable house in England".   It has been passed down as a private home through four generations of monarchs & is now the Norfolk retreat of the Queen & the Duke of Edinburgh.  

Preserved in the style of Edward & Alexandra, the main ground floor rooms used by the Royal family are open to the public, & they provide a perfect setting for the collection of treasured portraits, furniture & objets d'art.

            More family possessions are displayed in the museum, which is located in the old stable & coach houses.   The collection includes vehicles ranging in date from a 1900 Daimler - the first car owned by a British monarch - to a half-scale Aston Martin used by Princes William & Harry.   A photo exhibition in the museum shows the history of Sandringham House from 1870 to the present.

            Sandringham's 60-acre gardens have been called "the best of the royal gardens" & include the formal North Garden, the Stream Walk, & Queen Alexandra's Summerhouse.   The formal planting of the Edwardian age has given way to sweeping glades, which help to create an informal-style garden that's full of colour throughout the year.

            The house, gardens & museum are open from Easter until mid-July, & again from early August until the end of October.   Some of the perks for groups include free admission for organisers & drivers, free drinks & a meal for drivers,   a free meal for organisers when lunch or tea is pre-booked in the Terrace Restaurant, & 10% off all house & garden tickets for groups of 20 plus.   For further information & group bookings ring 01553 612908 or go to www.sandringhamestate.co.uk.

For those of you who fancy a royal day out, Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire might be just the ticket.   Queen Anne founded the racecourse in 1711, & the first meeting was held on 11 August that year.   Members of the Royal family remained regular visitors until Queen Victoria renounced public pleasure upon the death of Prince Albert in 1861.   That's love!   However, her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, was a keen sportsman, & he later set the pattern for Royal Ascot week which continues today: a celebration of sport, tradition, pageantry, fashion & style.

            In 2007, Royal Ascot will take place from 19 to 23 June.   While you can expect excellent quality from the horse racing at Ascot throughout the year, the Royal Meeting has over £3.5 million in prize money on offer to an expected audience of over 300,000.

Providing there are at least ten members in your group, you can count on Ascot's dedicated groups team to help you organise your day.   There are also advance group booking discounts available, free parking at most meetings, & free admission for all PCV/PSV licensed coach drivers.   You can find out more about Royal Ascot & the rest of the racing season at www.ascot.co.uk or by calling 0870 727 1234.

Founded in 1844, the Royal West of England Academy was Bristol's first art gallery.   It was known as the Bristol Academy for the Promotion of Fine Arts until King George V granted the academy its royal title in 1915.

            These days the academy's one of only five Royal Academies of Art in the UK, & it embraces a wide range of subjects, styles & media.   From 5 November until 16 December you can check out the 154th Autumn Exhibition, which showcases all manner of printing, painting, sculpture & architecture selected from an open-call admission.

            The RWA has a very informative website where you'll find more information about their collection.   Go to www.rwa.org.uk or give them a ring on 0117 973 5129.