Press Centre

For any PR enquiries relating to the family, the Holkham Estate and its related businesses, please contact Perowne International, 6 Derby Street, Mayfair, London W1J 7AD telephone: 0207 078 0295 or email holkham@perowneinternational.com
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30th August 2018 - The Holkham Estate Opens 'The Lookout'

New visitor facilities at the Holkham National Nature Reserve in Norfolk for the 800,000 annual visitors.

Holkham National Nature Reserve on the north Norfolk coast was designated in 1967 due to the range of habitats and wildlife it supports. Much of the reserve is former saltmarsh that had been reclaimed since the mid-17th century by the Coke family and the Holkham Estate for grazing sheep and cattle. Today the grazing marshes are nationally important for wintering wildfowl and breeding birds such as Lapwing, Little Tern and Spoonbill.

There can be few people who have not been moved by the sheer scale and beauty of the beach and the wide variety of wildlife found on the reserve but the lack of lavatories has been a major source of dissatisfaction for the 800,000 people who come to visit each year.

In 2012 Holkham Estate appointed architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) to work on plans for a visitor centre that would provide lavatories and a modest refreshment facility, but most importantly, to provide a centre to inform and educate visitors of all ages about the diversity of the reserve and to increase awareness for the need to protect these special habitats.

FCBS are one of the leading practices in the UK and are noted for their commitment to sustainable architecture. In 2008 FCBS won the Stirling Prize which is widely regarded as the highest accolade in architecture. Planning permission was granted in December 2015 and the estate further appointed Wymondham based architects, Lucas + Western Architects, to manage the detailed delivery of the building and complete the project. The estate also appointed local structural engineers, Plandescil of Attleborough, to undertake the complex engineering works associated with the building.

The construction of The Lookout was awarded to local company, Robson Construction Ltd, who, as a major building contractor in the Norfolk area, has been responsible for several major projects on the Holkham Estate.

Holkham Estate’s Managing Director, Peter Mitchell, commented: “The Lookout already feels embedded in the landscape. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to raise awareness of the valuable conservation work on the Holkham National Nature Reserve and how visitors can play their part. The project’s completion highlights Holkham Estate’s continued investment in enhancing the visitor experience.”

EDUCATION
Holkham National Nature Reserve is one of the most important nature reserves in the country and a second important principle behind the project has been to provide a centre to inform and educate visitors of all ages about the diversity of the reserve and to increase awareness for the need to protect this special habitat. The reserve is best known for its stunning panoramic beach and the rich and varied wildlife found on the grazing and salt marshes. Within the building visitors can find out about the reserve through a variety of visual, interactive and informative interpretation, along with three television screens highlighting the wildlife to be seen from photos and video footage. Outside high-tide times are displayed and the reserve’s bird sightings are displayed. The reserve’s wardens and estate’s education team will be planning engagement events to inspire and educate visitors. For birdwatchers, there are spectacular views out over the grazing marshes with opportunities to see some of the many species of birds that the area is renowned for, whether a single rare migrant or the spectacular sight of thousands of pink-footed geese.

SUSTAINABILITY
The Lookout is located at the entrance to Holkham beach and was completed in mid-August. This uniquely-designed, circular structure is aesthetically pleasing and sits happily within the landscape. The building provides a modest catering facility committed to reducing single-use plastic using 100% plant-based compostable packaging. Visitors can purchase a ‘cup for life’ with drinks. A feature of a central sculpture of reeds created by local blacksmiths at Holkham Forge on the estate, will supply free water at three different levels for customers. An electric vehicle serves the business with two electric charging points installed close by. The Lookout serves freshly cooked and locally sourced food and a ‘wrapper free’ ice-lolly machine is sure to be a highlight over the summer and hot soups in the winter. The café also offers much-needed lavatories for the area; comprising five lavatories, including an accessible lavatory and baby-changing facilities.

28th August 2018 - Holkham appoints Jake Fiennes to new role as General Manager, Conservation

Jake Fiennes will join the senior management team at Holkham later this year in a newly-created role as General Manager, Conservation.

Peter Mitchell, Managing Director at Holkham, explains the new role: “I am delighted to announce Jake’s appointment to join the senior management team at Holkham later this year. He will take direct responsibility for the management of Holkham National Nature Reserve, working closely with our team of wardens, with our Advisory Board and with Natural England. In parallel with this, he will steer Holkham towards the very best conservation practices across the Estate.

Holkham is justifiably proud of its track record in conservation, not just as evidenced by our approved-body status to run a National Nature Reserve, but for our approach to farming, gamekeeping, forestry, landscape management and for our wider sustainability policies in energy, recycling and visitor impact. Jake’s role will be to seek out and champion all the opportunities to raise our conservation practices and policies to the next level.”

In his role, Jake Fiennes will spearhead and continue to develop the estate’s wildlife programmes, such as Holkham’s award-winning Grey Partridge programme which has been widely acclaimed. Headkeeper Mark Fitzer and his team will report into this new conservation role - Holkham’s keepers play a critical role in creating successful habitats for all the species on the Holkham National Nature Reserve, as well as all gamebirds, songbirds, raptors, wildflowers, pollinators and invertebrates across the Estate.

The Earl of Leicester’s passion for conservation is widely known and apparent from the way the Estate is managed. Lord Leicester chairs the Norfolk branch of the CLA and the Wildlife Estates, England committee and travels widely in the UK and across Europe to see the best practices in conservation at Estate scale, bringing the ambition and challenge back to North Norfolk.

Lord Leicester commented: “Conservation practices – what really works at landscape scale, how they fit within modern commercial farming and how they are recognised and supported by government – are all changing fast. I am keen to see Holkham take a leadership role in developing and proving how conservation-focused practices and a supportive approach from DEFRA can push up productivity and make a meaningful and sustained improvement to wildlife habitats. Jake Fiennes has been a pioneer in this journey and will bring his expertise and ambition to Holkham. I am delighted to see him join our team.”

Jake joins Holkham from the Raveningham Estate in Norfolk where he has been Estate Manager. In this role Jake has managed all aspects of the 5,500-acre estate, from its contract farming agreements to its property, gardens, forestry, gamekeeping and visitor business and the operation of Raveningham Hall for the owners.

Through this work, Jake has achieved great success in creating a highly productive conservation regime, developing and enhancing a range of farmland species and habitats. His work has generated widespread interest and has won awards for the Raveningham Estate for its integrated wildlife farming system.

Jake serves as a Trustee and Director for Norfolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), as East Anglia’s representative on the NFU’s Environmental Forum, as a Norfolk committee member for the CLA and as a member of the Steering Group for Wildlife Estates, England.

Lionel Richie Receives PRS for Music Special International Award

Today, Thursday 31st May, Ed Sheeran presented the PRS for Music Special International Award to Lionel Richie at the 63rd Ivor Novello Awards at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London. The Ivors celebrate, honour and reward excellence in British and Irish songwriting and composing. Presented and judged by music creators they represent the pinnacle of musical achievement and peer recognition.

The ceremony took place ahead of Lionel’s appearance on the The One Show (BBC One) to discuss the award and his UK summer tour which starts in Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens tomorrow (Friday 1st June).

The tour will see Lionel visit iconic venues across the country in areas such as Perth, London, Lincoln, Shrewsbury, Leigh, Carlisle, Scarborough, Chesterfield, Hove and North Norfolk. These will be his first UK shows since receiving glittering reviews for the ‘All The Hits’ tour which included three nights at London’s The O2.

Performing hits from his extensive and much loved repertoire spanning decades, all the way from the Commodores to the present day, Richie’s shows are world renowned for their party atmosphere. Fans will be able to enjoy timeless mega-hits and sing along to classics such as ‘Truly, ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’, ‘Say You Say Me’, ‘Hello’ and ‘All Night Long’.

Lionel is no stranger to awards having previously received British GQ’s Icon Award adding to a celebrated career which includes four GRAMMYs, a Golden Globe and even an Oscar as well as the prestigious Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Award. In 2016 Lionel launched his on-going Las Vegas headline residency show, ‘Lionel Richie—All the Hits’, at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, where he takes his fans on a spectacular musical journey, performing a variety of his seminal hits. Having sold over 100 million albums worldwide he recently joined the judging panel on ABC’s American Idol.

Lionel recently received the oldest award in Hollywood as his hand and footprints were immortalised in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®. He received the honour, rarely given to non-acting musicians, in a ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and introduction from Samuel L. Jackson.

Tickets are available to purchase from:
ticketmaster.com
AXS.com
gigantic.com
alttickets.com

Official bespoke Hospitality Package experiences available with Softley Events www.softleyevents.co.uk
Email: bookings@softleyevents.co.uk or Telephone 01603 757658

www.lionelrichie.com, @LionelRichie

For further information please contact:
Stuart.Bell@dawbell.com
Lisa.Birch@dawbell.com
0203 327 7111

Shane Filan and Anastacia to Join Lionel Richie on his 'All The Hits' UK Summer Tour

Tickets on sale now!

Anastacia and Shane Filan will join Lionel Richie on his exclusive UK summer tour in June - a major outdoor tour visiting Northampton, Perth, Lincoln, Shrewsbury, Leigh, Carlisle, Chesterfield, Hove and North Norfolk.

Special guest Anastacia will join the ‘All The Hits’ tour in Northampton, Perth, Lincoln, Shrewsbury and Chesterfield - making it the perfect opportunity to see her present her electric pop music live.

Anastacia burst onto the global music scene with her debut ‘Not That Kind’ and has since gone onto massive world renowned success achieving over 20 million worldwide sales, making her one of the fastest and biggest selling artists of the new millennium. With over a dozen Top 40 entries to her name, spurred on by multi-platinum, global hits ‘I’m Outta Love’ and ‘Left Outside Alone’ and major hits ‘Sick and Tired.’ Anastacia has achieved number one hits in 19 countries, a shower of gold and platinum awards, more than 100 million YouTube views, three BRIT Award nominations and more.

For 14 years, Shane Filan was a prominent member of hugely successful boy band Westlife, an act that managed to amass no fewer than 14 UK number one hits, 11 top 5 albums and over 50 million records sold worldwide before their dissolution in 2012 that saw them perform in front of 80.000 fans. Having now cemented himself as one of the UK’s most popular male solo artists.

Shane will be joining Lionel Richie on his ‘All The Hits’ tour as a special guest performing in Leigh, Carlisle, Hove and Holkham.

These will be Lionel’s first UK shows since receiving glittering reviews for the ‘All The Hits’ tour which included three nights at London’s The O2. The dates followed a phenomenal Glastonbury performance which drew the biggest crowd of the weekend as over 200,000 people flocked to the Pyramid Stage. Lionel’s incredible success continued as his album ‘The Definitive Collection’ topped the charts and provided his first UK Number 1 in 23 years.

The Lionel Richie ‘All The Hits’ tour will run from Friday 1st June 2018 until Sunday 24th June. Full details of the tour, confirmed venues and tickets are available from http://lionelrichie.com/

Sunday 24 June - Holkham Hall

Tickets are available to purchase from:
ticketmaster.com
AXS.com
gigantic.com
alttickets.com

Please click here to see important information about the concert.

Tickets are priced from £75 + booking fee, with a limited premium seats available.

Official bespoke Hospitality Package experiences available with Softley Events www.softleyevents.co.uk, Email: bookings@softleyevents.co.uk or Telephone 01603 757658

Wheelchair users and patrons with access requirements should call Ticketmaster on 0800 988 4440 (opening hours Monday-Friday 9:00am-6:00pm, Saturday 10:30am-3:30pm) to purchase tickets.

www.lionelrichie.com
@LionelRichie

For further information please contact:
Stuart.Bell@dawbell.com
Lisa.Birch@dawbell.com
0203 327 7111

Why visit Holkham in 2018...

Holkham Hall in Norfolk celebrates the anniversaries of two key figures involved in the history of the estate.

Discover Thomas Coke’s inspiration behind Holkham Hall and renowned garden designer Humphry Repton’s vision for the grounds.

5 March-31 October 2018

This year, Holkham Hall in Norfolk, one of England’s greatest stately homes, will be celebrating the 300th anniversary since Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, returned from his Grand Tour of Europe. A new exhibition, ‘Treasures and Trophies: The Making of a Gentleman and a Great House’, shows how Thomas was inspired by his six-year journey to build Holkham Hall. Appealing to lovers of culture, history and families alike, ‘Treasures and Trophies’ will offer a great day out for all generations.

In addition, visitors to Holkham will have the opportunity to uncover renowned, landscape gardener Humphry Repton’s work in Holkham park with 2018 marking the 200th anniversary of Repton’s death. Frequently referred to as one of the best-loved luminaries of English garden history, Holkham’s celebration of Repton will offer a detailed insight into his important work at Holkham.

Treasures and Trophies: The Making of a Gentleman and a Great House
Over the course of six years, Thomas Coke undertook one of the longest and most influential Grand Tours of the 18th century. Whilst exploring the magnificent state rooms, visitors will have the chance to uncover the stories behind the arduous route of Thomas’s journey to Europe, how his travels turned an impressionable adolescent into a true virtuoso and architect in the making and the epic collection of paintings, statues, drawings, rare books and manuscripts that he amassed and which today attract a worldwide audience. The exhibition also unveils the influential characters Thomas Coke met, such as William Kent, who became famous as an eminent landscape architect and furniture designer. The two became lifelong friends and it was William Kent who helped Thomas shape his vision to form a ‘temple of the arts’ and eventually complete a Palladian-style mansion on the north Norfolk coast.

To bring the story and history to life, the exhibition team at Holkham has ensured that there will be plenty of opportunity for interaction. Adults and children can walk in the shoes of Thomas Coke, dressing up in costume, create a mini Palladian building from blocks, witness the food he ate and discover a replica studio of the Italian painter, Francesco Trevisani, where Thomas Coke, aged 20, sat for his portrait which now hangs in the Manuscript Library of the hall.

Humphry Repton’s Bicentenary
2018 marks the 200th anniversary of renowned landscape gardener Humphry Repton’s death. Repton is buried at the nearby Norfolk town of Aylsham. His life and work is being celebrated with a special programme of over 40 events across Norfolk this year. Repton, who is known for his influential landscape designs at Longleat House, Woburn Abbey, Kenwood House and Kensington Gardens, wanted to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown who had transformed so many great parks in the 18th century. He produced his first iconic ‘Red Book’ for Holkham park in 1789, when Thomas William Coke commissioned him to reimagine the pleasure grounds around the lake. Humphry Repton viewed his commissions like an artist might and the Red Books he created set out his ideas and recommendations, often showing ‘before’ and ‘after’ views. Over the course of his lifetime he produced many such books which were often bound in red leather. Repton used his Red Book of Holkham to detail his plans, hints and sketches for creating walks, a rope ferry to cross the lake and a boat house, as well as several other ideas. Visitors will now be able to trace back the landscape seen today to its natural origins.