Chamberhouse Winds - 18th July 2008

In addition to the 1.15 p.m. recital (to be given in the Open Air Theatre), later on in the afternoon Chamberhouse Winds will be performing a selection of light classical and popular music in the Refreshment Area Tent.

Waterperry, Oxfordshire 1803
Oil sketch by William Alfred Delamotte (1775-1863)

How to find Waterperry House

Waterperry House is located near Wheatley, only 7.5 miles from Oxford city centre and within easy reach of the M40. For a Google map as to the location of Waterperry House, click here. For more information as to Waterperry House, visit the Waterperry Gardens website.

Art in Action pricing and other visitor information

For this year's Art in Action opening times and ticket pricing information click here. For contact and other visitor information click here.

About Art in Action

Art in Action was created out of a simple observation: people are fascinated when artists and craftsmen openly demonstrate their skills and discuss their work.

Bernard Saunders, the then guardian of Waterperry Gardens, decided to organise an event at Waterperry based on this principle. Artists and craftspeople would work as if in their own studios, with the public as audience.

In 1977, 51 artists and musicians took part and 14,000 visitors arrived. The event is now a showcase for over 250 demonstrators from a wide range of disciplines including painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics and textiles. Art in Action 2006 attracted about 22,000 visitors.

The event has expanded over the years to include practical classes (open to all ages and skill levels), performances of fine music and dance, dialogues on arts and crafts, a craft market and a range of refreshment facilities.

Art in Action is made possible by the generous voluntary work of students from the London-based School of Economic Science and its associated schools from around the world.

This year's event is from Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th July 2008.

To read more about Art in Action, visit the Art in Action's website.

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About Waterperry House

Waterperry dates back in written history to the Domesday Book of 1066. The name comes from Pereium, probably meaning ‘pear orchard’. Waterperry is on the Buckinghamshire border, with the river Thame for its southern boundary and the Holton brook for its western boundary.

Waterperry House owes its graceful Queen Anne frontage to Sir John Curson, who had it rebuilt in 1713. The Henley family bought the estate in 1830 and it was sold to Magdalen College in 1925. Seven years later Waterperry Horticultural School was opened by Beatrix Havergal, the principal, as a residential horticultural college for women. Miss Havergal was known as the ‘Strawberry Queen’ at the Chelsea Flower Show, where for many years she won the gold medal prize for her exhibit of Royal Sovereign strawberries. She retired in 1971.

The house was then taken over by the Fellowship of the School of Economic Science. It is now run as a horticultural and garden centre. The school organises the annual ‘Art in Action’ festival in July, where craftsmen and women from all over the world exhibit their skills.

For more of the history of Waterperry, click here.