The winners of the third Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards, (REYTAs), held at The Country Park Inn, Hessle were announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 22nd March and Burton Agnes Hall, who host many wonderful days out and festivals all throughout the year, came away with their “Remarkable Day Out” award.
40 finalists competed to be winners in one of 13 categories, designed to recognise the best individuals, attractions and hospitality businesses in the area’s tourism industry. Winners were presented with uniquely designed award, created by talented ceramics students at Hull College.
The REYTAs honour the brightest and best in this region’s tourism industry, celebrating the enormous achievements of businesses across Hull and East Yorkshire and they also help to support this vital industry by raising awareness of the superb quality on offer to visitors.
Burton Agnes Hall won their award after beating 5 other finalists: RPSB Bempton Cliffs, Bempton; Hornsea Freeport; Beverley Maze; Pocklington Arts Centre; The Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail.
Burton Agnes Hall is a Grade I listed building, built by Sir Henry Griffith c.1600 to designs attributed to English architect Robert Smythson, a master mason to Queen Elizabeth I. The historic house is famous for its unsurpassed Elizabethan plasterwork, carving and panelling, and it also boasts the Queen’s state bedroom with a spectacular stucco ceiling, a Chinese room with 18th-century lacquered panels, and a fine collection of French Impressionist and contemporary art (including pieces by Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse and Renoir), bronzes, furniture and porcelain bought by the family over five generations. The Hall’s previous owner, Sir Marcus Wickham-Boynton, died in 1989, and with no son and direct heir to take over responsibility of the estate it fell to his cousin’s son, the then 12 year old, Simon Cunliffe-Lister.
Simon’s mother, Susan Cunliffe-Lister, a gifted gardener, managed it on his behalf until a few years ago when Simon took over. Simon who now lives at the Hall with his wife and three young children, is the son of Earl Swinton and Susan Cunliffe-Lister (daughter of Viscount William (Willie) Whitelaw, a former Home Secretary who served as deputy prime minister to Margaret Thatcher).
Simon grew up on the Swinton Estate in the Yorkshire Dales town of Masham. In 1989, aged of 12, he inherited Burton Agnes Hall and the surrounding estate from Marcus Wickham-Boynton, his second cousin twice removed. He was schooled at Masham, then the nearby Aysgarth Prep School, where his interests in the saxophone and piano first began. At public school in Winchester he was a member of the 30-piece jazz/funk/blues band Shagwagg, winners of the South East region Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Award.
He now hosts, and performs at, his very own Jazz and Blues Festival held every year in the beautiful grounds of Burton Agnes:
Burton Agnes Jazz and Blues Festival
July 6th, 7th and 8th 2012
www.burtonagnes.com
“Possibly the most enjoyable jazz concert I’ve ever attended.” The Independent
“Tis the musical equivalent of a Sunday stroll through the grounds of a stately home… you won’t find more beautifully serene surroundings this side of Woodstock for such an experience” All Gigs – Festival review
Held over three days, with performances both inside the stately Elizabethan Hall and outside in the Hall’s beautiful grounds, the Burton Agnes Jazz & Blues festival presents a varied line up of funk, traditional jazz, hard blues, dreamy vocals and everything in between.
The main stage on the lawn hosts the festival’s headline acts. With rolling fields behind and pristine woodland to the side, you couldn’t ask for a more stunning setting for some of the UK’s top Jazz and Blues artists to perform. Inside the Hall, intimate acoustic performances mix with original Elizabethan carvings and French Impressionist art to create an inimitable festival experience.
On Friday and Saturday evening the Wolds Top beer tent plays host to the Beverley Arts Trust’s late night sessions of folk, jazz and rhythm ‘n’ blues.
Local food and drink feature heavily at the festival. At the tea tent and food lawn, festivalgoers can indulge in home-baked treats, barbecued local meats, freshly prepared curries, and salads grown in the neighbouring walled garden. In the beer tent award winning Wold Top beer is on tap, brewed just five miles away from the festival site.
A campsite in the field adjacent to the Hall offers welcome hot showers and panoramic views of the Yorkshire Wolds for those wishing to pitch a tent for a night or the whole weekend.
Burton Agnes Jazz & Blues Festival welcomes families of all ages with its safe, easy-going vibe. There is plenty on offer for children including a Children’s Corner with play area, 15 acres of magical gardens to explore including a walled garden with maze, jungle garden and giant games and a woodland walk with forest creatures to find. Free face painting and balloon artistry caps off the entertainment.
The charm of the house is that it is clearly a loved and lived in home and visitors are welcomed openly by the family in joining them to spend many enjoyable hours at the now AWARD WINNING Burton Agnes Hall.
Festival tickets and info is available online at www.burtonagnes.com and from the Festival Ticket Office Tel: 01262 490 324
Or Visit Burton Agnes Hall and its courtyard shops.
