CAPABILITY Brown has helped Berrington Hall in Herefordshire to win a prestigious Hudson Heritage Award.

The stately home picked up the accolade in the category of best event/exhibition.

Established in 2011, the awards are an independently judged, annual, national scheme open to historic houses, gardens, museums and heritage sites and celebrate the very best visitor experiences.

Throughout 2016 Berrington worked with a series of artists to create a programme dedicated to Capability Brown, England’s greatest landscape gardener, and his final work in Berrington’s parkland and gardens.

A spokesman said: "Environmental artists, Red Earth were the headline for the programme, creating a series of outdoor installations, called Genius Loci, an arts Council England and Trust New Art funded project,which highlighted Brown’s design and encouraged visitors to get out into the parkland, and the installations can still be seen during 2017.

"Indoors at Berrington the team also worked with Denis Watson of Delicarta who recreated fourteen characters of Berrington, including Brown, as life size costumes, made totally out of paper. Also indoors at Berrington were the Embroiderers Guild who created a handcrafted and bespoke textile exhibition dedicated to Brown’s work and memory."

The spokesman added: "This year the Berrington are really excited to be continuing last year’s success and working with international artists, Heather Peake and Ivan Morison of Studio Morison who are designing a Georgian inspired pavilion which launches in the garden at Berrington in May.

"Indoors at Berrington visitors will also find the internationally exhibited artwork, ‘War and Pieces’ by Bouke De Vries which is on display in the dining room and brings to life, Berrington’s Naval past."

Penelope, Viscountess Cobham, CBE, Chairman of VisitEngland presented the awards at Goldsmiths Hall in London with invited guests including owners and managers of the winning entries, representatives of the heritage tourist industry and the media.

The lunch was hosted by an independent judging panel of heritage experts including Chairman Norman Hudson OBE, heritage consultant; Lucinda Lambton, writer and broadcaster; Jeremy Musson, architectural writer; Simon Foster, consultant to Channel 4’s Country House Rescue and Ken Robinson, CBE, tourism business consultant.

David Bailey, General Manager for Herefordshire and Berrington Hall said: “We are delighted to have won a 2017 Hudson’s Heritage Award. It demonstrates the high standards and commitment we offer our visitors to ensure their experience is the very best and also to have the acknowledgment and recognition that Berrington Hall is amongst the elite of heritage attractions in the UK”.

More information about last year’s programme and what’s coming up this year can be found by visiting Berrington’s website: nationaltrust.org.uk/berringtonhall