y Summer of love

WHAT’S ON

PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO DO

Raise your tankards as Lowewood reopens Author events to act as a taster for

The wait to return to Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon is nearly next year’s Herts over, with the venue set to open its doors again after more than a Book Festival year on Saturday 17th July. As Axis has been reporting, a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes and the museum is now being run by the newly formed Lowewood Museum Trust CIO (Community Interest Organisation) set up by local volunteers who were determined to keep the museum going after Broxbourne Council announced it could longer afford to run it. With effect from its opening day, the museum will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 4.30pm and admission will still be free. Teas and coffees will be available in its ground floor area and there is space to sit outside in the museum’s rear garden area. The opening exhibition is called Tankards and Taverns and will tell visitors about local pubs past and present. It will include photographs of pubs, alehouses and inns going back as far as 1900 and these will feature alongside paintings of pubs created by members of BArts, Broxbourne Arts Forum, many painted during lockdown. Also on display will be a selection of pub and brewery-

Gallery at Parndon Mill has first ‘offline’ exhibition in a year

The Book Nook in Ware is organising its first Herts Book Festival in May 2022 and, to offer a sneak preview of what book-lovers will be able to enjoy, it is hosting a series of author events on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th July. These talks will be free, celebrating books and the people who write them. On Saturday 10th July, Agents of the Wild is an author talk and book signing for children with Jennifer Bell and Alice Lickens which takes place at Southern Maltings arts centre in Kibes Lane, Ware from 1.30-4pm. Then, in a YouTube Live event from 8-9pm, the best-selling author and Iraq War veteran John Nichol will be taking part in a Q&A session, discussing his latest book, Tornado: In the Eye of the Storm. On Sunday 11th July, author Ericka Waller will be discussing her book Dog Days at The Book Nook itself at 65 High Street, The Gallery at Parndon Mill in Ware from 1-4pm. Harlow is now showing its first Later that day, in another physical exhibition since the YouTube Live event, A J Pearce, Covid lockdown first hit us. best-selling author of Dear Mrs Called, appropriately enough, Bird, will take part in a Q&A Offline Exhibition, it includes session to mark the publication paintings, prints, sculpture and of her sequel, Yours Cheerfully, crafts by the mill’s resident which continues the heartartists and regular exhibitors warming story of wartime and includes some of the pieces journalist Emmeline Lake. currently showing in its online For further information, contact gallery. The Book Nook by calling Work includes landscapes, 01920 467597 or by email to seascapes, abstract paintings, info@booknookshop.co.uk.

related items, including pieces borrowed from McMullen’s Brewery in Hertford. And there is a chance to find out more about the nationally significant Tudor wall paintings at The Star pub in Hoddesdon High Street, which were uncovered during renovation work in 2014. Children (and adults) are invited to take part in the museum’s prints, sculpture, glass and ceramics. You do have to book an appointment to view, and the gallery is open Tuesday to Friday 10am-5pm and Sunday 2-4pm. Other times may be possible – book via info@parndonmill.co.uk (preferred) or by calling 07745 871257. The Gallery at Parndon Mill is in Parndon Mill Lane, off Elizabeth Way, Harlow CM20 2HP. Visit parndonmill.co.uk for details.

Lowewood’s opening exhibition features local pubs including The Four Swans, Waltham Cross and The White Swan in Hoddesdon

Design a Pub Sign art challenge or sit and colour in pub signs inspired by local pubs and designed by artist and museum volunteer Suse Nielebock. The exhibition will be showing until Saturday 6th November. Lowewood Museum can be found in High Street, Hoddesdon EN11 8BH. Call 01992 554496 or visit lowewoodmuseum.com for more information.

Ericka Waller From a print by John Durham

TAMMY MARLAR

Battle Proms at Hatfield House Great British Food Festival Vineyard tours and tastings

Hatfield House will host the annual Battle Proms picnic concert on Saturday 17th July. Visitors can expect music, of course, but with the added attractions of fireworks, a Spitfire, cannons and cavalry, making it a unique evening out. Gates open at 3.30pm and the entertainment includes a Napoleonic cavalry display at 6.15pm before the Red Devils drop in at 6.45pm. The Battle Proms Belles perform at 7pm before the main musical programme takes place from 8-10.30pm with an evening gun salute at 7.55pm, a Spitfire air display at 8pm and a fireworks finale at the end of the concert. Tickets are £48 for adults, £21 for children aged 5-15. battleproms.com The Great British Food Festival returns to Knebworth House this month on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th July. The festival will feature artisan producers, street food and bars for a great family foodie day out. Attractions include hot food, real ale and wine bars, craft and gift stalls, children’s entertainment, foraging walks, chef demos and cake competitions plus live music. Tickets cost £11.50 and family tickets are £42, both of which include entry to Knebworth Park and Gardens. Each day runs from 10am to 5pm. Go online to order tickets and for further information. knebworthhouse.com Saffron Grange Vineyard has launched its new tours and tasting season, at the same time as releasing three new wines. The family-run vineyard opened in 2019, is nestled on the gently sloping hills just outside Saffron Walden and produces English sparkling wines, which have been regularly winning awards. Tours are running until October, offering guests the chance to find out what goes into creating the Saffron Grange taste, the history of the land and why it is ideal for growing grapes. You also get to enjoy tastings of the vineyard’s latest releases along with cheese and charcuterie boards. Tickets are £20. saffrongrange.com

Yarnbombers’ Grotto takeover

The Secret Society of Hertford Crafters is joining forces with the trustees of Scott’s Grotto in Ware to set up an installation there this summer. The new project will create Scott’s Enchanted Grotto for two weeks during the school holidays from Monday 26th July to Sunday 8th August, featuring fairies, pixies, elves and woodland creatures. Admission is free but donations are welcome. Scott’s Grotto is a Grade I listed building and heritage site at 28 Scott’s Road, Ware (SG12 9JQ). It will be open from 10.30am to 4.30pm every day and free parking has been arranged in Little Acres SG12 9JW. Don’t forget to take a torch to view the grotto! scotts-grotto.org

Hertfordshire Health Walks Events at Hertford Castle

The free Hertfordshire Health Walks series is up and running again after lockdown. Walks take place regularly around East Herts and Broxbourne including in Hertford and Bishop’s Stortford. The walks are led by qualified volunteer leaders and are a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the countryside and local green spaces. They are organised by Hertfordshire County Council’s Countryside Management Service. Advance booking is essential and you can find out more on the county council’s website (search for Hertfordshire Health Walks) for East Herts walks. For Broxbourne walks, visit Broxbourne Council’s own website. hertfordshire.gov.uk / broxbourne.gov.uk Hertford Town Council runs a health and wellbeing event in the grounds of Hertford Castle on Saturday 10th July, offering a series of free sessions in everything from Zumba, yoga and aerobics to high intensity interval training between 9am and 4pm. Classes must be pre-booked – see website for details. The castle will screen the men’s singles final from Wimbledon on a big screen in the grounds at 2pm on Sunday 11th July. Admission is free but tickets are required. However, annual outdoor music festival Rock at the Castle has been cancelled this year. The Hertford Castle Live Music Event will go ahead in its place on Sunday 1st August. hertford.gov.uk

Head back to the cinema: four great films to see on the big screen

Voyagers (15)

Now showing With the future of the human race at stake, a group of young men and women, bred for intelligence and obedience, embark on an expedition to colonize a distant planet. But when they uncover disturbing secrets about the mission, they defy their training and begin to explore their primitive natures. As life on the ship descends into chaos, they’re consumed by fear, lust and the insatiable hunger for power. But that’s enough about Matt Hancock...

Black Widow (12A)

Out on Friday 9th July In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the

Black Widow is the latest from Marvel Studios The Croods promises fun for all the family

broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr and Rachel Weisz lead the cast.

The Croods 2: A New Age (PG)

Out on Friday 16th July The Croods need a new place to live. So, the first prehistoric family sets off into the world in search of a safer place to call home. When they discover an idyllic walled-in paradise that meets all their needs, they think their problems are solved... except for one thing. Another family already lives there: the well-named Bettermans. When the Bettermans take in the Croods as the world’s first houseguests, it isn’t long before tensions reach breaking point. Which just goes to show that not a lot has changed in a few million years...

Escape Room 2 (TBC)

Out on Friday 16th July Escape Room 2: Tournament of Champions is the sequel to the box office hit psychological thriller that terrified audiences around the world. In this installment, six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive...

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23 JULY

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