Have you heard of Hylands Open Estate Days? Have you visited one yet?
Hylands Estate is the jewel in Chelmsford’s crown. As a Grade II* listed park of 574 acres, with a neo-classical villa situated at its heart, it is a much-loved destination for locals as well as many couples looking to celebrate their weddings and unions in luxurious and opulent surroundings.
Hylands spent much of the latter half of the 20th century under refurbishment following its purchase by Chelmsford City Council from its last owner in 1962. The estate has since continued to grow its offer to the public, as well improve upon its classic features. Developments continue to take place across the site, including the growth of a strong community of creatives in the Hylands Artists’ Studios based at The Stables, and the recent opening of popular outdoor activities site Go Ape.
One staple event in the diary is the Hylands Open Estate Day, which takes place every third Sunday of the month. On this day, the estate is alive with activity across the house and The Stables, with many people keen to see how the house has been restored and take part in family activities.
A part of our Open Estate Days is the street food and craft market run by Urban Food Festival. This London-based company specialises in bringing together a varied mix of stallholders, with menu items from around the world and locally handmade crafts. Markets at Hylands Estate started in 2016 with a smaller number of stallholders ranging from local produce to homemade gifts. As the markets grew year on year – with a small break during the pandemic – 2022 saw a partnership form between Hylands Estate and Urban Food Festival. They brought in new vendors, whilst retaining the local gift and craft market, providing an eclectic blend of products for visitors to purchase and enjoy.
Open Estate Days have been a huge success in 2023 – rain or shine, customers come to Hylands Estate every third Sunday and enjoy spending the day with us. Alongside the market, visitors can take part in themed arts and crafts activities, hear storytelling based on Hylands’ history, and get involved with games on the back lawn. Over at The Stables, visitors can pop in and chat to the resident artist community in their studios, purchase items made at Hylands in the shop, visit the café, and take the new multimedia tour around the gardens.
A favourite time of year for the team is the Christmas Open Estate Day. Here we grow what’s on offer by opening our Grand Pavilion to even more craft and gift stallholders, giving our visitors an ideal opportunity to shop for last minute gifts – or treat themselves to something special! We even have a special guest visit us right before the big day to say hello to everyone on his present list…
Our Open Estate Days are set to continue into 2024, with our January post-Christmas event always being a surprisingly popular date for visitors to come out for a wintry walk or do something a bit different. All Open Estate Days coming up for the rest of the year are uploaded to Pedddle and to the Hylands Estate website.
We look forward to welcoming you soon!
Blog written by the team at Hylands Estate.