Tag: Newhailes House

Dinosaurs roam free in Musselburgh!

Jurassic Encounter follows sell-out tour with visit to Musselburgh in July 

NEWHAILES House has stood firm through four centuries by the Musselburgh Coast, but this July its Gardens will experience something  completely new: An invasion of DINOSAURS, as the UK’s most roarsome family event thunders into town! 

Jurassic Encounter will see 50+ animatronic creatures from the  Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods resurface in parks in  London, Buxton, Edinburgh and Bristol, as well as making their  way across the sea for a stint in Rotterdam.  

Roaring into Musselburgh on July 2nd, the event will feature TWO,  life-sized T-Rex beasts, which roar and snarl at passers by. Other  family favourites include Pterosaurs that shriek from the trees and a  15m tall Brachiosaurus guarding her eggs.  

The event makes for  the perfect family day out, just a few miles along from the ever  popular Portobello Beach. 

Naz Kabir, spokesperson for Jurassic Encounter, says: “Last year,  thousands of visitors all over the UK enjoyed a day out with our  prehistoric beasts, and we’re delighted to return for another tour in  2022.  

“This year we’ll have new dinosaurs, even more interactive exhibits  including a VR experience and an education cinema where families  will be able to learn more about these incredible creatures.”  

The animatronic installations will feature information panels,  containing interesting facts about each dinosaur, ensuring a visit to  Jurassic Encounter will be as educational as it is exciting. And  guests will be invited to watch documentaries about the period in the Education Cinema Marquee along the route, bringing the  beasts to life and showing how they roamed the earth. 

An excavation sand pit will allow children to dig for their dinosaur  skeletons and fossils, and learn how archaeologists discovered the  extinct species of past eras. And a VR experience will offer the  chance to escape into a different world.  

Food and refreshments will be available along the route and a  merchandise trailer at the end of the route for children to purchase  a souvenir. Guests are free to roam the park as they wish, and  discover the animals lurking behind bushes and creeping through  the undergrowth.  

Tickets start at £9.50 and earlybird tickets are available now for the  Edinburgh event. For a 20% discount,  visit www.jurassicencounters.uk and use the code EARLYBIRD20.

Dinosaurs on the loose this summer!

Jurassic Encounter follows sell-out tour with visit to Musselburgh in July

NEWHAILES House has stood firm through four centuries by the Musselburgh Coast, but this July its Gardens will experience something completely new: An invasion of DINOSAURS, as the UK’s most roarsome family event thunders into town. 

Jurassic Encounter will see 50+ animatronic creatures from the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods resurface in parks in London, Buxton, Edinburgh and Bristol, as well as making their way across the sea for a stint in Rotterdam. 

Roaring into Musselburgh on July 2nd, the event will feature TWO, life-sized T-Rex beasts, which roar and snarl at passers by. Other family favourites include Pterosaurs that shriek from the trees and a 15m tall Brachiosaurus guarding her eggs. 

The event will be open every day from July 2 – 17 and makes for the perfect family day out, just a few miles along from the ever popular Portobello Beach.

Naz Kabir, spokesperson for Jurassic Encounter, says: “Last year, thousands of visitors all over the UK enjoyed a day out with our prehistoric beasts, and we’re delighted to return for another tour in 2022. 

“This year we’ll have new dinosaurs, even more interactive exhibits including a VR experience and an education cinema where families will be able to learn more about these incredible creatures.” 

The animatronic installations will feature information panels, containing interesting facts about each dinosaur, ensuring a visit to Jurassic Encounter will be as educational as it is exciting. And guests will be invited to watch documentaries about the period in the Education Cinema Marquee along the route, bringing the beasts to life and showing how they roamed the earth. 

An excavation sand pit will allow children to dig for their dinosaur skeletons and fossils, and learn how archaeologists discovered the extinct species of past eras. And a VR experience will offer the chance to escape into a different world. 

Food and refreshments will be available along the route and a merchandise trailer at the end of the route for children to purchase a souvenir. Guests are free to roam the park as they wish, and discover the animals lurking behind bushes and creeping through the undergrowth. 

Tickets start at £9.50 and earlybird tickets are available now for the Newhailes event. For a 20% discount, visit www.jurassicencounters.uk and use the code EARLYBIRD20.

New life for Newhailes

 House reopens with brand new visitor attractions

After years of planning and specialist conservation work, the National Trust for Scotland’s Newhailes House has opened its doors for the first time since 2018. The conservation charity has also introduced a brand-new visitor experience inside the house and opened new catering facilities on the estate. 

The Palladian Villa, which was forced to close its doors in February 2018 due to a sprinkler system malfunction and a moth infestation, is a house frozen in time, with original furnishings and possessions from more than 300 years of inhabitants.

The house has undergone a programme of restoration work to be able to welcome visitors again and the stable block on the estate has been refurbished to create a new welcome centre and café. Visitors can also enjoy Weehailes Playpark and The Dairy – a brand new takeaway ice cream parlour and coffee shop.

The dairy premises once provided milk, cream and butter for all that lived and worked on the estate, and today visitors can enjoy a selection of ice creams, cakes, old-fashioned sweets and hot and cold drinks. In addition to The Dairy, Newhailes is now home to the Stables café, with outdoor and indoor seating and serving up breakfast, lunch and an array of delicious cakes and pastries. 

The team at Newhailes have developed three brand new visitor tours, one of which can now be pre-booked on www.nts.org.uk.

The first tour explores the last 150 years of habitation at Newhailes and the Trust’s role in saving the house and estate for future generations to enjoy.

The second tour sheds further light on the property, telling the tales behind the art collections and objects in the house. The final tour is targeted at families and explores the home through storytelling and is suitable for those with young children. 

Claire Grant, Operations Manager for Edinburgh, said: “We’ve been taking steps to revitalise Newhailes since before 2018 and plans were further delayed when the pandemic hit. We wanted to create a new experience that the local community could enjoy, in addition to offering a good quality food and drink experience.

“We’re really excited to be welcoming visitors back to Newhailes House after what has been a very long period of closure and we hope they enjoy some of our new additions, like our Dairy and Stables Café. So many people love this place, and we’re really pleased to be able to welcome visitors from near and far back once again. 

“All of our properties across Edinburgh and the Lothians have been making visits as safe as possible. Pre-booking is in place at a few sites and there are smaller groups for house tours. We’d highly recommend booking your slot to Newhailes in advance to avoid any disappointment.”

Newhailes House is open for the 20th century tour Wednesday to Sunday, the Dairy is open 10am-5pm, the Stables Café and shop are open 9am-5pm and Weehailes Playpark is open 10am-5pm, with last entry at 4 pm.

Pre-booking is advised – visit www.nts.org.uk.