Groups and coach parties are invited to a launch event this November at the Gilbert White and the Oates Collections, a heritage museum in Hampshire.
On Monday 28th November, the museum will host group organisers to provide an insight into why the attraction is a good one for group visits.
The event, starting at 10.30am, will feature a tour of the site including the house, museum and gardens. Those attending the event will also take a visit to Winchester Cathedral.
The event has been arranged in conjunction with Hampshire-based tourism specialists Steve Reed Tourism Ltd of Alton.
A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Attendees to the launch event will get to find out about a redevelopment project planned for the attraction, thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The grant will enable the development of the house, museum, shop, restaurant and parking area, meaning that group visits will be well accommodated for in the future.
The funding will also allow the museum to restore buildings built by the Rev Gilbert White including his stable yard and brew-house, and to open up the whole site, including its library, to the public after more than 200 years.
The stable yard will become a new entrance to the museum, and will offer a wide range of new facilities for visitors, including a new shop and café, and new displays and exhibits.
Gilbert White and the Oates Collections
Based in the village of Selborne, the 250 year old historic house, museum and garden was once the home of the famous naturalist Rev Gilbert White, who was renowned for his life-long investigation of the natural world.
The Gilbert White and the Oates Collections celebrates his works, as well as work from another explorer – Captain Oates, famous for his involvement in the tragic Scott Expedition to the Antarctic.
The museum is also just around the corner from the home of famous writer Jane Austen, in nearby Chawton Village.
Any GTOs wishing to find out more about the Gilbert White and the Oates Collections should e-mail marketing@gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk.
For further information visit www.stevereedtourism.co.uk.
