Barrow Hill Roundhouse and the Rail Ale Team have issued a joint statement regarding the upcoming event:

It is with the utmost sadness that we have made the decision to postpone this year’s celebration of 20 years of the Rail Ale Beer & Music Festival at Barrow Hill Roundhouse.

This has not been a decision taken lightly in our 20th year but the welfare and safety of visitors to this hugely popular event as well as that of our staff, volunteers, traders and musicians is of the utmost importance.

As the country comes together to deal with the threat of coronavirus we must all do what we can to overcome it. Following discussions with all those involved in the organisation of the event – which was due to take place on 14th, 15th and 16th May 2020 – we have agreed that this year’s Festival will now take place on 13th, 14th and 15th August 2020, subject to the Government’s advice at that time.

We would like to offer our sincere apologies to all those who have already booked tickets for this year’s Festival. We are pleased to advise that you may use the tickets you have bought for May in August without any additional charges being payable. However, if you would prefer to be refunded, please contact the ticket seller. For online tickets this is www.seetickets.com who will be happy to help.

We also hope to reschedule the Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club event that was due to take place on 14th May 2020 and are in contact with his management team about this. As soon as we are able to provide an update on this event, we will contact all those who have already bought tickets.

The postponement of this year’s Festival will no doubt be a great disappointment to many of you – our incredible team of staff and volunteers who work so hard to make this event happen are equally saddened.

We were really looking forward to welcoming you all to the Roundhouse in May but are hopeful that we will see you all in August. You can keep up-to-date with details of the revised dates and our plans at www.railalefestival.com or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The Barrow Hill roundhouse will also be closed until further notice:

We have made the decision to temporarily close Barrow Hill Roundhouse to our weekend visitors.

This has not been a decision taken lightly in the year that the Roundhouse celebrates its 150^th birthday but the welfare and safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers is of the utmost importance.

We do not know when we will be able to reopen and will follow the Government’s advice before we make that decision.

In the meantime you can still keep in touch with us through our website www.barrowhill.org and social media channels.

Stay safe and take care.

The Roundhouse Team

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UPDATE 22/3/2020: Chatsworth to close garden with immediate effect

Chatsworth has announced that the wide-open spaces of its world-famous garden and parkland will welcome visitors from Saturday 21 March but that the house, farmyard, adventure playground, gift shops and most of its restaurants will remain closed until further notice.

The estate farm shop at the nearby village of Pilsley will remain open and is looking at new ways of serving local communities, and particularly elderly and vulnerable people, by extending its home delivery service and increasing the number of products available from its online shop.

Home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, the Derbyshire estate took the decision to restrict entry in response to the rapid spread of the Coronavirus. While the garden and parkland will open for visitors wanting to take a walk and get some fresh air, ‘social distancing’ and additional hygiene measures have been put in place (Read more here – Visiting Chatsworth and the Coronavirus).

Chatsworth’s 105-acre garden is famous for its rich history, historic and modern waterworks and sculptures, its Victorian rock garden and maze while the spectacular 1,000-acre park on the banks of the River Derwent was chiefly designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in the 1760s. Parking charges have been waived at Chatsworth and nearby Calton Lees – entry to the garden is paid for but the parkland is free to all visitors.

The Duke of Devonshire: “The health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff is paramount and, in the end, that made it an easy decision to restrict entry. At the same time, with so much of the country in shutdown, we wanted to keep the garden and parkland open to visitors because they are big spaces and can still be enjoyed safely.”

“It’s a great shame that the treasures in the house will be closed and that children won’t be able to go to the farmyard or adventure playground but, under the circumstances, I’m sure they’ll understand. Everybody is still welcome to come and enjoy Chatsworth and we will open in full again as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

At present, the Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials (15-17 May) and the Chatsworth Country Fair (4-6 September) are scheduled to go ahead but RHS Chatsworth (11-14 June) has been cancelled. All events, large or small, will remain under review and visitors are advised to check Chatsworth’s website and social media channels for updates before making any plans.

Chatsworth is currently undergoing the biggest transformation of its 105-acre garden since Joseph Paxton’s work finished more than 200 years ago. An undeveloped 15-acre area of the garden, now called Arcadia, is being replanted and reshaped by celebrated garden designer Tom Stuart Smith as part of a total 25-acre redevelopment area that also includes a remodelled Rockery, the Maze borders, the Ravine, and Dan Pearson’s work at the Trout Stream and the Jack Pond.

The project involves the clearance of previously inaccessible areas, large-scale structure installations, new sculpture commissions, the movement and addition of hundreds of tonnes of rock, hundreds of thousands of new plants and hundreds of new trees, as well as new pathways taking visitors into underexplored areas of the garden.

The garden is the product of nearly 500 years of careful cultivation. Although some points of interest have been replaced to make way for new fashions, the garden retains many early features, including the Canal Pond, Cascade and Duke’s Greenhouse. The famous waterworks include the 300-year-old Cascade, the Willow Tree Fountain and the impressive, gravity-fed Emperor Fountain, which reaches heights up to 90m.

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Images credit: Chatsworth House Trust

UPDATE 22/03/2020: From midnight on 21 March the National Trust will close all of its gated gardens and parks to help restrict the spread of the coronavirus.

The National Trust will, where possible, open as many of its gardens and parks for free, but close its houses, cafes and shops to help the nation fight the spread of the coronavirus.

A statement on the National Trust website states: “Many factors have to be considered when continuing to open, including whether the garden or park allows enough space for adequate social distancing.”

“We will try to keep as many open spaces available as possible but this is a changing situation and we are strictly following Government advice so please keep checking our website for updated information and always check the site before you visit any of our places.”

“The wellbeing of our staff, volunteers and visitors remains our top concern.”

Director General Hilary McGrady announced that the National Trust’s pay-for-entry sites would close by this Friday (March 20).

McGrady said the charity would work hard to keep as many of the Trust’s gardens and parklands open, free of charge, alongside coast and countryside, to encourage the nation to enjoy open space, if appropriate, during the pandemic, while adhering to the government’s social distancing guidance.

Hilary McGrady said: “The National Trust was founded 125 years ago for the benefit of the entire nation. We want to honour our mission – to enable people and nature to thrive. Over the coming weeks we will do all that we can to keep on providing public benefit through caring for places and giving people access wherever possible.

“While we will close our indoor areas to help fight the spread of coronavirus, we recognise that people are likely to need access to open space and to nature, beauty and history.”

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