Scampston Conservatory
The Heritage Learning Centre
Built in 1894, The William Richardson conservatory and the adjacent bothies were restored in 2015.
Built in 1894, The William Richardson conservatory and the adjacent bothies were restored during 2013-2015, thanks to a large Heritage Lottery Fund grant and the generous support of other partner agencies. The building is now a Learning Resource Centre run as a charity, providing an extensive exhibition space and facilities for both education and practical workshops.
The conservatory is fully equipped to hold corporate events and business meetings and is also available for private hire at very reasonable rates. Small community groups who are seeking somewhere pleasant to meet will be warmly welcomed and with the beautiful Walled Garden on view through the windows, the building provides an ideal venue for a party or other celebratory event.
All money raised from the activities and rentals goes directly into funding our education programme for schools and adult learners.
If you are interested in booking a room or to discuss holding a particular event within the conservatory please email thebothies@scampston.co.uk.
‘The Bothies’
‘The Bothies’, a volunteer led charity set up in September 2020, now manages the activity and education programme which takes place in the Conservatory.
The charity name is derived from the garden ’bothies’ at the rear of the conservatory, the place where the estate gardeners of the past lived and worked. We have chosen as our logo - a hollyhock - representative of the glorious annual display of those flowers to be seen in summer growing along the warm red brick walls of the Bothy garden.
As a charity, we rely on a small team of enthusiastic volunteers who organise and host all the events taking place in the conservatory. A wide variety of activities including exhibitions and courses, seasonal fairs and sales of plants all help to raise money to fund our activity programme for school children and adults with learning and other disabilities.
Volunteer with us
The Learning Resource Centre, and all the projects it runs, is made possible by ‘The Bothies’ dedicated team of volunteers.
Experiences for volunteers at ‘The Bothies’ can vary from administrative work and research to hosting our visitors and working with the school groups. Volunteers who have ‘green fingers’, manage a spectacular display of pelargonium in the Hot House and produce many hundreds of pelargonium cuttings each year which are then put on sale to visitors.
Workshop days are hosted by volunteers who ensure that all guests are welcomed at the gate and steered towards a coffee to begin their day and yet another group work hard to prepare exhibitions that will interest and engage any visitors to the conservatory.
Whether your interest is gardening, research for exhibitions, working with children or arts & crafts, do please get in touch to find out the many different ways you could help support our work. Contact thebothies@scampston.co.uk for further information.
