Welcome back

Posted on 23rd April 20219th February 2022 by Delapré Abbey

We’ve missed you and we’re so pleased to safely welcome you back.

Tickets to explore 900 years of exciting and turbulent history inside the house are available to book here.

Reservations for The Orangery and Hibiscus are also open. Click on the links to book.

The Walled Garden and grounds are open for you to enjoy, as is our deli, Common Ground, for takeaway coffee and treats. And don’t forget, our online shop is always open for unique gift experiences from Delapré Abbey, The Orangery, and Hibiscus.

Your safe visit

We’re asking that all visitors, including Annual Pass holders, book timed tickets in advance so that we can limit numbers and ensure effective social distancing. We will require some details from you at the time of booking to support the NHS Test and Trace initiative. On arrival please have your pre-booked ticket ready for checking at the door. This can be on a device or printed out. We will have tickets available on the door but we can’t guarantee entry so it’s always best to pre-book if possible.

Please use the hand sanitiser provided throughout the building.
We have installed protective screens in the café and have increased our cleaning regime across the site.

Please do not visit if you have any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how minor.

Follow the one-way route and we will assist you with your visit. The route has been planned to enable full access – please call ahead on 01604 760817 if you have any queries or to let us know your access requirements.

As restrictions ease, the number of visitors to the Abbey is increasing so we recommend the wearing of a face covering or visor during your time with us to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience. Please be mindful of visitors around you and respect their space by socially distancing where possible.

We will continue to review these guidelines on a regular basis.

Visiting the house

We will have a limited number of tickets available on the day but please be prepared to wait to be admitted. The Orangery café will be open during the house opening times so that you can grab a coffee or refreshments while you wait. To minimise cash handling, we can only accept contactless payments onsite.

Please note that some of the hands-on, interactive elements inside the house and Battlefield Rooms are not in use at this time.

Toilets

Toilets are available in the Courtyard when Common Ground is open. From Monday 17th May, toilets will also be available in The Orangery during café opening hours.

These include accessible toilets and baby changing facilities. They are cleaned throughout the day and we have blocked off every other toilet and sink to ensure social distancing.

The Walled Garden

The Walled Garden is open daily from 10am to 3pm.

The Orangery

Opening times are:
Monday to Friday, 9:30am-4pm
Weekends, 9:30am-5pm

Hibiscus

Opening times are:
Thursday 6:30pm – 12:30am
Friday 6:30pm – 12:30am
Saturday 6:30pm – 12:30am
Book a table here.

Common Ground

Our dog-friendly deli, Common Ground, is currently open for takeaway drinks and treats.
Opening times are:
Daily 9:30am-3pm

We’re Good To Go

We’re proud to be part of Visit Britain’s Good to Go scheme, this means that we have followed government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, we have a Risk Assessment in place that you can download here, and a process to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.

Please help us to keep you and Delapré Abbey safe and accessible for everyone by being responsible for your group’s health and wellbeing. If you spot anything during your visit that you would like to notify us about, please speak to a team member who will be happy to help. We hope to see you soon.

june, 2023

Filter Events

thu25mayAll Daythu13julThis Grief ThingGrief gatherings are small, free group conversations about grief and they're open to all.(All Day)

Event Details

Thu 25th May – Sat 29th July, various times and locations
Free, booking required
Sessions will last a maximum of 2 hours

This Grief Thing is a project that invites people to think, talk and learn about grief. We’re living at a time when many people find death and grief – our own grief or other people’s – almost impossible to talk about. We don’t know what to say, what to do, or how to act. So we stay silent, we pretend that grief doesn’t exist, or we hide it. This Grief Thing pushes against this, by opening up conversations about grief and making it visible.

As part of our wellbeing programme we are pleased to be working with Fevered Sleep who have created Grief Gatherings. They’re small, free group conversations about grief and they’re open to all. They’re for people who have experienced grief, and for people who haven’t. This will be an inclusive space. Any age, gender, race, faith welcome.
We’ll share thoughts, feelings, ideas and experiences. If you don’t wish to talk that’s fine, people are welcome to just be present.

This project is a partnership between Delapré Abbey and Fevered Sleep and is funded by Northamptonshire Community Foundation.

Dates and Locations

Thu 25th May, 2-4pm, Umbrella Fair
This Grief Thing host: Laura Graham

Mon 5th June, 6:30-8:30pm, Saints Coffee
This Grief Thing host: David Bowden

Thu 15th June, 2-4pm, Umbrella Fair
This Grief Thing host: Laura Graham

Sat 24th June, 2-4pm, Delapré Abbey
This Grief Thing host: Lisa Lovett

Mon 10th July, 6:30pm-8:30pm, Saints Coffee
This Grief Thing host: David Bowden

Thu 13th July, 2-4pm, Umbrella Fair
This Grief Thing host: Laura Graham

Sat 29th July, 2-4pm, Delapré Abbey
This Grief Thing host: Lisa Lovett

How to get to each location

Saints Coffee: 62 St Giles’ St, Northampton NN1 1JW (map)

Umbrella Fair: Racecourse Pavilion, Kettering Rd, Northampton NN1 4LG (map)

Delapré Abbey (this session will be held in our Library): London Road, Northampton, NN4 8AW (map)

Meet the hosts

Laura Graham
Laura Graham is a freelance writer and content creator based in Northampton. In 2009 she lost her mum to breast cancer, a loss that changed her life and taught her about the complexities of grief. She went on to work for a local charity on a project to support people coming towards the end of life. She believes that grief is the last taboo and hopes that grief gatherings will enable participants to feel connected and seen by their community.

David Bowden
Dave Bowden – A.K.A Word Guerrilla – is a poet and performer. Utilising beatboxing, live looping and multi-instrumentalism, he delivers Word Guerrilla’s unique brand of spoken word poetry performances and workshops to a variety of different educational settings, workplaces and events across the country. As an educator and creative facilitator, he seeks to generate creativity in people through writing, empowering them with language and words.
He believes that grief is ever- present, and like bits of glitter: long after you think it has gone, it continues to turn up everywhere, often unexpectedly. It can be challenging to make sense of grief and adapt to it. Dave wants to facilitate grief gatherings to help others understand the experience, giving them a space to articulate how they think and feel about the process of grieving and help others adapt to the experience of grief.

Time

May 25 (Thursday) - July 13 (Thursday)

Buy here

Book Tickets

Calendar GoogleCal

sun28may(may 28)11:00 amsun29oct(oct 29)4:00 amExhibition: "The Walled Garden Was Magical"An exhibition of your memories of the gardens.(may 28) 11:00 am - (october 29) 4:00 am

Event Details

Sunday 28th May – Sunday 29th October
11am-4pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
Entry included in the price of general admission (£8 adults, under 18s free)

“The walled garden was magical… the absolute treasure.” Councillor David Smith

This exhibition explores the vast history of Delapré Abbey’s gardens and tells the stories of those who have worked here over the centuries to make beautiful outdoor spaces for the house owners and, subsequently, for the general public to enjoy.

There have been gardens here since the opening of the nunnery in 1145. On Saturday 19^th July 1952, Delapré Abbey’s gardens opened to the public and have continued to be a place open for all to enjoy. As Alderman J.V. Collier said upon their opening 71 years ago: “The gardens offer a haven of rest away from the milling crowds. Within almost a stone’s throw of the centre of the town, we have something unique.”

Timed to coincide with the centenary year of Delapré Abbey’s water garden, the exhibition captures and celebrates the local communities’ memories of Delapré through photos, text, ephemera and oral history.

Whether you enjoyed the walled garden as a child, have attended a wedding here, or discovered the grounds during one of the Covid-19 lockdowns, we want this exhibition to encourage visitors to tell their friends and loved ones about any existing memories they have made here while making new ones together.

Photo: John Pettitt