Pay a visit to Warwickshire’s Compton Verney - a day-out destination boasting 120 acres of well-maintained parkland, a reimagined mansion, a host of permanent galleries, changing temporary exhibitions, and a programme of events and activities scheduled throughout the year to suit all ages and tastes. Whether you pop in for an afternoon, stay the whole day or become a regular visitor, Compton Verney promises to be an outing with a difference. And there’s always something new to discover…

In the heart of the Warwickshire countryside, visual arts destination Compton Verney is the perfect place to visit for anybody who wants to absorb fantastic artwork, find their creative spark, get close to nature, or simply picnic and play.

Compton Verney designs and curates a programme of changing temporary exhibitions alongside the excellent permanent collections - and this summer, a full schedule of workshops, projects and events fills the grounds. There’s also a well-equipped cafe, which serves food & drink in the house and on its terrace.

The estate offers 120 acres of expansive and immaculately maintained parkland to explore, while the central mansion, long ago a residential house, has been fully converted into modern galleries and rooms, where imaginations can run wild. Whether you’re passing through the county, making a day trip or live nearby, a visit to Compton Verney is sure to provide a unique experience and plenty of lasting memories, with the venue’s friendly staff ready and able to help visitors find their most memorable day out.

On arrival, visitors enter through the venue’s Welcome Centre and then proceed on a five- to 10-minute walk through the grounds. Alternatively, you can take a free shuttle bus ride, which is available to everyone. By the time the house comes into view, you will be fully immersed in the venue’s peaceful and picturesque landscape. With the Old Town Meadow on the right - at this time of year, alive with crickets and butterflies - and at first sight of the lake and sweeping lawns, it feels as though ‘real life’ is miles away.

Simply taking in the Capability Brown-designed grounds is a treat for the senses, but the lawns, fields and meadows of Compton Verney are also peppered with outdoor artworks. These can either be admired from afar or taken in on the sculpture trail, which provides visitors with the opportunity to explore the whole site.

The mansion itself is a stately home with a difference. The house hasn’t been residential for years, and there are no preserved bedrooms or living spaces. That said, hints of history can be discovered around the estate - hidden in the landscape, the thatched ice house or renovated chapel. Previously derelict, the house has been purpose-rebuilt to offer an intuitive and accessible journey around the galleries, with child-friendly discovery rooms along the way.

Access to all galleries is included in the cost of admission, as are many of the school holiday activities scheduled throughout August and presented under the umbrella title of Summer Of Print, Pattern And Play.

The summer holiday is definitely a great time to get creative at Compton Verney. In the Meadow Zone, near the Welcome Centre and woodland adventure playground, an interactive and collaborative artwork will be coming to life; an outdoor installation guided by artist Matt Shaw, The Weave will develop and grow across the summer, as visitors add new natural materials to the artwork.

Nearby - on Wednesdays - Big Blue Blocks will put visitors’ building skills to the test, and local RAF members will be on hand to teach STEM skills, leading sessions to fire rocket cars into the sky. 
And there’s lots more on the docket this summer - from giant bubble sessions to the forest school’s Get Mucky, Get Making.

A sensory, colour-changing inflatable maze called Luminarium will pop up on the lawn from Wednesday 26 until Monday 31 August, introducing a new world of light and colour.

Young people aged 18 and under can visit Compton Verney for free, and people in receipt of Universal or Pension Credit can buy tickets discounted to £2.

Some events do require visitors to purchase a ticket in addition to the admission fee. Notably, on the days when Luminarium is open, all visitors who wish to enter the maze - including children and members - must purchase a Luminarium ticket, which also includes admission to the house and grounds.

The house shares its name with the neighbouring village, and the estate belonged to the Verney family for almost 500 years, becoming the visitor destination it is today after it was purchased by the Peter Moores Foundation in 1998. After years of redevelopment - the mansion was derelict at the time it was bought - Compton Verney was transformed with the intention of connecting visitors with inspiring works of art.

Sir Peter Moores himself was a businessman and art collector, and his personal, eclectic collection is on display in the permanent galleries. The vast majority of art at Compton Verney is there to be seen, not hidden in storage - unless it happens to be on loan to other art galleries, or in the process of being restored. The collection features a wide variety of subject matter, including Baroque Neapolitan art in Sensing Naples, ancient Chinese bronzes and folk art.

As previously mentioned, alongside the exceptional permanent collections, the mansion’s galleries also feature changing temporary exhibitions.

This summer, two British women artists are celebrated in temporary exhibitions. The first is Elizabeth Allen, known as ‘Queen’, who created textile artworks from her home in a woodland cabin. Her creations are displayed, alongside those of other visionary artists, in Troublemakers And Prophets, which runs until Monday 31 August... Meanwhile, open until early January, The Pattern Of Life showcases the abstract designs of Enid Marx. Designer of the London Underground seat fabric, Enid - alongside Margaret Lambert - donated works to Compton Verney’s permanent collection. These can be found in the Marx-Lambert gallery.

The spacious galleries also provide inventive ways that visitors can approach and interact with the works on display. These include scents and sounds being paired with specific paintings in Sensing Naples, and patchwork samples - handmade by volunteers - which accompany artworks in Troublemakers And Prophets, offering a hint of their tactile nature.

All in all, a visit to Compton Verney provides an opportunity to travel at your own pace - to spend an afternoon connecting with a favourite artwork, to soak up the atmosphere on a walk around the grounds, or rediscover a sense of imaginative play, whatever your age.

With so much room to explore, there’s always space to find your own space - and there will always be a warm welcome.

Compton Verney is open from Wednesday to Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays. To find out more, visit comptonverney.org.uk

By Jessica Clixby