Pass the Art

7am, Annie drew a small card out of our random ArtPass adventure box and unfolded it. It was Yorkshire, number 45. A quick skim read of the blurb revealed that we were headed to what seemed like several micro attractions rolled into one… a magnificent Grade I listed Georgian country house.. a zoo.. a homage exhibition to the pioneering aviator, an international photography exhibition and.. a trip to the seaside.

the house

The heavens opening helped steer our course towards to the big house as the first layover destination on our journey.

The presentation of the house was a fair effort. With a little help of one’s imagination you were transported back in time. Period setups, not over cluttered with perspex and fussy curation. perhaps 9 rooms – from bedrooms to drawing rooms through playrooms, kitchens and more.

Some stunning MASSIVE portraits adorned the walls of the main stairway and there were plenty of places to have a sit and a rest.

The flight of Amy Johnson

There was a family connection to Amy Johnson, the woman who very nearly broke the record for a solo flight to Australia. There’s a video explaining the story as well as a room full of memorabilia. My favourite piece was her map. When spread out (as it is) you can see the entire route, if great detail from end to end. Fascinating.

Right next door to the Amy stuff, was the 60th Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition. We’d fluke our visit to coincide with this event. I believe the space has a rotation of events but, we’re so glad we got to see this one – sure, one can see the majority of the works online, but – the physicality print, the movement through space, the suprise and delight factor of turning a corner and seeing something in ‘just so’ lighting makes it so much more of an experience. There in lies the joy of seeing art in a physical space.

The zoo

When we first arrived, curious lamas were our first interaction as we pulled into the car park. Quite observant creatures from what I hear.. nosey, if I’d been non the wiser. I was as curious about them as they were about us, having little context of Serwerby before arrival. A small zoo with small creatures – the vast majority, if not all are rescue animals and, full credit to the keepers, they all seem well loved and looked after. We particularly liked learning about the Coatis (a creature I’d never heard of before), Racoon Dogs and hearing the original story of Pickle the Penguin (no plot spoilers, ask the keepers about it – a delightful back story of cross species relationships)

Would we recommend?

100%. For families with variable attention spans, this is a superb place. A choose your own adventure journey of contrasting yet somehow complementary stimulus with enough outside as inside to be armed for whatever the east coast weather throws at you on the day of your visit.

We also squeezed in watching a couple overs of cricket (the on-site cliff edge cricket ground is almost worth a trip in it’s own right), a short walk down to the rocky beach followed by a tour of the mature gardens and arboretum.

We wrapped up the day with fish and chips by the sea in Brid.

more info? https://www.sewerbyhall.co.uk/