Skip over main navigation
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
West Horsley Place
  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Donate
Menu
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Meet the Team
    • Board of Trustees
    • How we are Funded
    • Our Landscape
    • Theatre in the Woods
    • Press, Images and Copyright
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • History
    • West Horsley Place
    • History Articles
    • Memories of WHP
  • Future Plans
    • Our Vision
    • Future Plans
  • Visit
    • Access
    • Group Tours
  • What's On
    • Events
    • Request a Talk
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Walled Garden Appeal
    • Volunteer
    • Leave a Gift in your Will
    • Shop
  • News
    • Director's Diary
    • News
    • Garden Tales
    • The GladRags Project
  • Venue hire
    • Our Venue
    • Weddings & Celebrations
    • Filming
    • Community Groups
    • The Posh Picnic Boys
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Theatre in the Woods
  1. About Us
  2. Theatre in the Woods

Theatre in the Woods

The West Horsley Place Trust welcomed Grange Park Opera for its first season in the Theatre in the Woods in 2017. The West Horsley Place Trust and Grange Park Opera are separate charities and the West Horsley Place Trust has leased the land for 99 years to Grange Park Opera to build and use the theatre. The West Horsley Place Trust has also granted Grange Park Opera a licence to use the house and gardens for dining during their summer opera season. 

The collaboration with Grange Park Opera is an important first step in the West Horsley Place Trust's mission in establishing a home for the performing arts at West Horsley Place. Grange Park Opera's tenancy will also provide a significant financial contribution to the West Horsley Place Trust's care of West Horsley Place and its estate. 

The Theatre in the Woods is hidden behind the ancient orchard wall and set in a woodland glade. The cross-gartered red brick drum design echoes the beautiful brickwork of the manor house's south façade as well as the 18th-century garden walls. The theatre auditorium is modelled on La Scala, Milan and seats 750 people. More than 30,000 people visited the Theatre in the Woods during the opera's first two summer seasons. 

Upon its final completion, as well as hosting the annual summer opera festival, the Theatre in the Woods will also be used by the West Horsley Place Trust for other artistic and educational purposes and events, providing a wonderful facility for the local community and beyond for years to come. 

“I have had two very great surprises in recent years. The first was the unexpected news that I had been left, by a 99-year-old aunt Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, a beautiful house in the Surrey countryside. The other great surprise was provided by Grange Park Opera, who described their proposal to move to West Horsley Place and asked Christina and me if this might be acceptable. It didn’t take us long to say ‘Yes, indeed’. It isn’t every day that you are invited to have an opera house in your garden.” Bamber Gascoigne


 

Published: 12th March, 2019

Updated: 14th April, 2020

Author: catherine Day

Related topics:
  • Our team
Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Getting to Know Our Trustees. . . Angela Kidner

    Getting to Know Our Trustees. . . Angela Kidner

    " With climate and biodiversity breakdown threatening human survival, ensuring that the house and estate make a positive contribution to mitigating our impact will be essential. But it is not just about carbon emissions and trees, we are working towards making the whole organisation including every aspect of its life sustainable. "

  • Garden Tales December 2020

    Garden Tales December 2020

    Christmas wishes and seasonal tales from the Garden team at West Horsley Place.

  • Make Something Beautiful from Materials Lying Around At Home

    Make Something Beautiful from Materials Lying Around At Home

    This month textile designer Nancy Shafee shows us how to re-use coffee pods to create a GladRags square

  • Getting to Know Our Trustees. . . Marilyn Scott

    Getting to Know Our Trustees. . . Marilyn Scott

    We continue our series of interviews with our trustees with Marilyn Scott, Director of award-winning gallery, the Lightbox in Woking.

Related

  • Suzie Winters- Executive Assistant

  • Karina Watson-Hill Fundraising Assistant

  • Carolyn Farrell - Operations and Events Assistant

  • Nicky Webber - Gardener

  • Catherine Day - Head of Development

  • Clare Clinton - Operations Manager

  • Peter Pearce - Director

Most read

  • Director's Diary October 2020

    Director's Diary October 2020

    New Director Ben Pearce takes the helm at West Horsley Place

  • West Horsley Place Awarded National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant

    West Horsley Place Awarded National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant

    We are delighted to announce that West Horsley Place Trust has been awarded a £126,000 grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Made possible by National Lottery players, the grant will support West Horsley Place: An Historic Estate without Barriers

  • West Horsley Place Goodies!

    West Horsley Place Goodies!

    We are delighted to unveil a small range of West Horsley Place goodies at the Christmas Craft fair. All profits from sales will help raise funds for further restoration of the manor house and estate. The range includes essentials such as bone china mugs and tea towels, fun ceramic Christmas decorations and children's apron, and sustainable thermal water bottle. All of our gifts our lovingly created in the UK and designed by Horsley born artist Nessie Maclay.

  • Garden Tales from Nicky Webber

    Garden Tales from Nicky Webber

    West Horsley Place Gardener Nicky Webber shares the latest news and tales from the walled gardens.

  • Winter Update from Director Peter Pearce

    Winter Update from Director Peter Pearce

    West Horsley Place Director Peter Pearce announces that Mary Roxburghe Trust is changing its name to West Horsley Place Trust.

  • Meet New Gardener Nicky Webber

    Meet New Gardener Nicky Webber

    The Mary Roxburghe Trust is delighted that we have been joined by new Gardener Nicky Webber. We caught up with her to find our more about the challenge that awaits her in our five acres of 18th century walled gardens.

  • Our Story

    Our Story

  • Welcome to The GladRags Project

    Welcome to The GladRags Project

    West Horsley Place Trust is delighted to announce a creative community project to reinforce our togetherness during this challenging time. In collaboration with artist Diana Burch and Haslemere Museum we will coordinate our local community's contribution to The GladRags Project.

  • Our Vision and Mission

    Our Vision and Mission

    Our Vision for the future of West Horsley Place

  • Future Plans

    Future Plans

    Our exciting plans for the restoration of West Horsley Place

Tag cloud

schools

Sign up for our newsletter

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please enter your email address Please enter a valid email address (e.g. [email protected])


Find us

West Horsley Place
Epsom Road
West Horsley
Surrey
KT24 6AN

+44 (0)1483282032
[email protected]

Links

  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Registered in England and Wales Charity number 1164840