Learning and outreach
Supporting historic houses and gardens in realising their full educational potential
Supporting lifelong learning and community engagement is at the heart of what many Historic Houses members do. From ceramics workshops to bakeries, creative writing courses to gardening, school visits to PhDs, our members help facilitate education of all types, for all people, at all stages of life.
Our member properties also take their role in their local communities seriously, providing access to green space, social and volunteering opportunities, venues for creative arts like art exhibitions, theatre and concerts, and wellbeing activities like yoga, Parkruns and social prescribing.
We aim to support Historic Houses members in their learning and outreach endeavours wherever we can: whether that be through offering free-of-charge, individually tailored advice from our Learning Advisory Panel, running seminars, webinars and meetings so that education and outreach officers can network, chat and inspire each other, or providing study days and learning opportunities.
The Learning Advisory Service
The Historic Houses Learning Advisory Service was established in 2006 with the HLF (now the National Lottery Heritage Fund) to help member sites explore and develop their educational potential. Heritage sites offer a wealth of resources for learning at all levels, in both formal education (schoolchildren, teachers and student teachers, higher education students and researchers) as well as informal for adults, families or community groups. The topics that heritage sites can offer can also be wide ranging, not only history – but mathematics, science, horticulture, art and design, technology or literature to name but a few!
How does the service work?
The advisory service is free to members and can be applied for by contacting Historic Houses’ Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Sarah Roller (sarah.roller@historichouses.org). Once you have applied to the service, you will be put in contact with the Learning Advisory Panel co-ordinator. He/she will consider what your specific requirements are and put you in touch with the Learning Advisory Panel member best suited to help with your request.
Contact the Learning Advisory Service
Usually the advisor will then arrange to visit you to better understand the potential of your site and discuss your request in person. The advisor will follow up their visit with a written report, making recommendations that you can take forward. If they feel you need more specific help they will advise you of where that can be found. There are a range of case studies on education on the Historic Houses website which you may find inspirational.
Regional meetings / educational seminars
The Learning Advisory Panel members occasionally run regional meetings where nearby Historic House owners or their staff can meet to share experiences and resources, or for short training sessions if required. These meetings run at locations across the UK throughout the year: a list of upcoming meetings can be found on our events page. If you’d like to offer to host one, or would like us to organise something near you, please get in touch!
A Learning Advisory Panel Member will contact an Historic Houses site in the area to host the meeting (usually a half day) and then send out an invitation to nearby Historic Houses members to attend. These meetings are a great informal way to keep in touch with one another, gather new ideas and explore issues that are common to the attending Historic Houses sites.
The Learning Advisory Service usually offers a national ‘Learning Seminar’ every 3 years. This day-long event explores a current educational theme and provides a range of speakers who can explore and explain the various aspects of the theme. For notes / presentations on previous seminars, and for details of forthcoming seminars please check the Historic Houses website.
Further information for members
If you’re a house member, you’ll need to log in to access our detailed education advice and guidance.
Academic partnerships
Historic Houses works with academic partners on a variety of projects: these have included (but are not limited to!) supervising a Collaborative Doctoral Award researcher with the University of Oxford, working with Historic Royal Palaces and the University of York on their AHRC-funded research project, Henry VIII on Tour: Landscapes, Communities and Performance, collaborating with sector-wide partners on major projects like the Capability Brown Festival and Repton 200, and funding someone living or working at a Historic Houses property to attend the Attingham Summer School every year.
Several of our members work with Higher Education institutes and networks, including the Yorkshire Country House Partnership, Northern Bridge Consortium and the Thames Valley Country House Partnership.
We are always keen to hear from potential academic partners and collaborators, so do get in touch if you’d like to propose a project or work with us.
