18th July – 27th September
Wednesday – Sunday 10-5pm (Garden admission includes entrance to the exhibition)
Amelia Johnson’s paper mache and ceramic figures gather like recollected characters from a dream. Playful, peculiar and deeply human, her sculptures draw from the quiet theatre of everyday life. Johnson’s debut solo show Hug Me While The World Ends invites visitors into a world where humour and melancholy sit side by side.
Born from everyday observations, Johnson draws upon the feelings of an increasingly disheartened world. A symptom of our fickle and ever-changing modern landscape. The artist invites you to consider a documentation of the now, an ironic state of connection and disconnection. Through familiar gestures, passing faces, and strange encounters, the works peruse our everyday lives and shape them into something uncanny, yet surreal. Hug Me While The World Ends is a call for comfort amidst it all.
The works include life sized multi-media figures and installations, as well as smaller works in ceramic, all of which are an amalgamation of observed and imagined characters. Johnson sculpts these pieces almost entirely from memory, a way of drawing life in the round. By creating these pieces from recollected moments they walk the boundary between real, and the imagined.
Wednesday 24th June 2026
10.00 – 16.00
£150
Take inspiration from the beautiful surroundings at Goodnestone and spend the day creating a unique garden journal. Botanical artist Eloise Gibb will guide you in the use of graphite and watercolours and help you develop and refine your skills.
The workshop includes materials, lunch at the Old Dairy Cafe and an exclusive tour of the stunning walled garden.
Saturday 11th July 2026
10.00am
£15 includes garden admission
Enjoy summer in the garden and take a tour with the Head Gardener.
Learn how Paul and his team encourage diversity and sustainability across the 14 acres, and go home with practical advice for your own gardening space.
Complete the day with lunch at the Old Dairy Cafe – to be booked separately
Please note the tour includes steps and uneven surfaces
Places limited!
Tuesday 21 July 2026 | 10:30am – 12:30pm
We are pleased to welcome the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce to Goodnestone Park for a special edition of their Business Walks networking event.
This informal networking experience is designed to combine meaningful business connections with time outdoors in a relaxed and restorative setting. Guests will have the opportunity to meet and connect with other business owners and professionals while walking through the estate’s gardens and surrounding landscape.
During the morning, attendees will be guided through the walled and woodland gardens by Head Gardener Paul Bagshaw, who will share insight into seasonal planting, sustainable gardening practices, and the biodiversity that underpins the estate’s approach to land management. The walk also offers a chance to see how produce grown in the gardens is used in the estate’s café, bringing together gardening, sustainability and seasonal food in a natural and practical way.
Along the route, guests will also pass through areas of the sculpture trail and experience the historic landscape that Jane Austen is known to have visited during her time at Goodnestone, a connection that continues to shape the estate’s cultural heritage.
The event begins and ends at the Old Dairy Café, which will be reserved exclusively for attendees. Refreshments will be available on arrival and at the close of the walk, providing time to continue conversations and build new connections in a more informal setting.
This event offers a unique opportunity to step away from the working day, enjoy the surroundings, and engage with the local business community in a different way.
Wednesday 12th August 2026
2pm
Dot Productions are bringing their delightful version of this classic story to Goodnestone. Don’t miss this family-friendly matinee performance of Dorothy’s epic adventures in the Land of Oz!
This is an outdoor production; please bring something to sit on, a torch and wear footwear suitable for this historic venue. Picnics welcome, sorry only assistance dogs.
Wednesday 12th August 2026
6.30pm
Marriage, morality and social reputation are under the spotlight in Oscar Wilde’s witty and satirical play. Expect comedy and melodrama in Dot Productions’ lively staging of this classic tale of love and scandal.
This is an outdoor production; please bring something to sit on, a torch and wear footwear suitable for this historic venue. Picnics welcome, sorry only assistance dogs.
Saturday 15th August 2026
£15 includes garden admission
10.00am
Join Head Gardener Paul on a tour of the gardens as summer reaches its height. Hear how diversity and sustainability are encouraged at Goodnestone, and pick up valuable hints for your own gardening space.
The Old Dairy Cafe will be open – why not book lunch as well?
Please note the tour includes steps and uneven surfaces.
Places limited!
Wednesday 19th August 2026
7pm
We are delighted to see The Duke’s Theatre Company return to Goodnestone with a bold re-imagining of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy. With dynamic staging and original music the audience can revisit this classic tale of passion and peril in the stunning surroundings of Goodnestone Park.
This is an outdoor production; please bring something to sit on, a torch and wear footwear suitable for this historic venue. Picnics welcome, sorry only assistance dogs.
Please enjoy a guided tour of our Grade II* Listed Mansion. Tours last approximately one hour and include a selection of key rooms, alongside objects of historical interest and distinctive architectural features.
Your ticket also includes complimentary access to the gardens.
Please note that tours are not suitable for children under 16. Due to the historic nature of the building, access for disabled guests is limited to the ground floor only.
Lunch or refreshments at the Old Dairy Café must be booked separately if you wish to dine during your visit.
Meeting point is at the entrance to the Old Dairy Cafe – What3words: ///minds.novels.twig.
Thursday 20 August 2026 | 10:30am – 12:00pm
We are delighted to welcome the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce to Goodnestone Park for their Chamber Connections Networking event.
This informal and friendly networking morning brings together businesses from across Kent, creating opportunities to meet new contacts, strengthen existing relationships, and explore potential collaborations. Chamber representatives will be on hand throughout the event to facilitate introductions and help attendees make the most of the connections they make.
Set against the backdrop of Goodnestone Park’s gardens and estate, the event offers a relaxed environment in which to network with professionals from a wide range of sectors and business sizes. Whether you are looking to raise your profile, expand your network, or simply meet like-minded people from the local business community, Chamber Connections provides an excellent opportunity to do so.
The event is open to both Chamber members and non-members, with attendance limited to four people per company.
Saturday 12th September 2026
10.00
£15 including garden admission
Appreciate the approach of autumn on this tour lead by the Head Gardener. Paul will explain how diversity and sustainability are paramount to how the gardens are managed, sending you home inspired for your own gardening space!
Please note the tour includes steps and uneven surfaces.
Places limited!
Wednesday 30th September 2026
10.00 – 16.00
£150 including materials, garden admission and lunch at the Old Dairy Cafe
Nourish your creative spirit and immerse yourself in colour during this expressive watercolour workshop with Rachel Mercer. No experience necessary. Rachel will encourage you to embrace a fluid approach to painting and the beautiful gardens will inspire observational painting.
Wednesday 7th October 2026
10.00 – 16.00
£150 including materials, garden admission and lunch at the Old Dairy Cafe
Spend a day with renowned textile artist Cristina Rebeccani Coretti and explore a unique and mindful approach to embroidery. Inspired by the natural surroundings of Goodnestone Park, you will create your own expressive textile art in this immersive embroidery workshop.
Wednesday 21st October 2026
10.00 – 16.00
£150 including materials, garden admission and lunch at the Old Dairy Cafe
Illustrator and collage artist Clare Youngs will guide you through the expressive possibilities of mark making and collage. Taking inspiration from the seasonal details of the gardens, Clare will share inventive ways of creating a cohesive collection of collages.
Open to all levels, come and enjoy a relaxed and mindful introduction to the creative practice of collage.
