South Hill Park’s 50th Anniversary
2023 marked the 50th anniversary of South Hill Park Arts Centre. To celebrate this historic occasion, we ran a number of special community events including:
• The Golden Festival of Food and Music, Sun 7 – Mon 8 May 11am-6pm, with music, food and crafts all on offer
• Summer promenade performance of The Yellow Brick Road – A Wizard of Oz Experience at The Lexicon and South Hill Park, plus local street activities including a treasure hunt and visual arts installation
• October celebration evening, including showing Off – a variety performance showcasing the talents of our local community
• Children’s cake design competition. For more information, click here to see our e-flyer
• History outreach project with local schools
• Community arts exhibition in collaboration with local charities
• Special anniversary workshops for adults and children
• Time capsule, with items from local schools and artists, to be re-opened in 2073
• Gift for Gold – a year-long fundraising campaign to raise £50,000 to support SHP’s work with the community
With this exciting and varied programme, there was an opportunity for everyone to join us in looking back at 50 years of the arts in Bracknell, and looking forward to many more.
The Story of South Hill Park
A documentary by Alex Harvey-Brown
A brand-new documentary, by Alex Harvey-Brown, exploring the rich history of South Hill Park, was released. Please visit this page to book a ticket to see it screened in our very own cinema.
A trailer for the documentary can be found at the top of this page.
The film covers all eras, starting from the buildings fascinating (and tragic) origins, all the way through to its anarchic popularity in the 70s and 80s, to the challenges it faces in the present day.
your memories
We wanted you to send us your memories of South Hill Park from 1973 onwards. Whether it was your favourite performance, a throwback to a festival, a piece of work you created or a stroll through our wonderful gardens, we wanted to see and celebrate your experiences.
These were shared on our social media channels in celebration of our 50th anniversary.
We received a lovely collection of photos of our Jazz Festivals throughout 1975 – 1988. Bob told us that it was, at that time, possibly the biggest and only jazz festival in the South East, bringing thousands of enthusiasts and locals to South Hill Park.
The photo pictures Charlie Watts, of the Rolling Stones, playing at South Hill Park in 1983 – one of the many huge names that have played here.
This photo is from May 1976 when South Hill Park held a wonderful ‘Under 5’s Festival’. The whole mansion and grounds were given over to activities for little ones and their parents and carers.
We are so grateful for Wendy’s lovely memory, and she said, ‘it was a brilliant week’!
The Band ‘OPPO’ – pictured at the opening of South Hill Park in October of 1973 – featured Jim Bradley (drums), Jeff Boult (guitar), Geoff Trickey (bass) and Fred Gardner (keyboards).
As Fred Gardner told us, ‘For several years SHP became our second home as we rehearsed, recorded and played there. It’s lovely to be back and see it still going strong!’
50th Anniversary Mural
To mark South Hill Park’s 50th anniversary, we commissioned UCA MA Fine Art student, Oluwafemi Babalola, to create an amazing mural by the Printmaking Studio staircase.
Inspired by the headpiece found on the Garden Room door handle which is surrounded by masks representing the ghosts and spirits that could be lingering withing the premises. The extended paintwork takes this further and includes elements found in the building such as the fireplace and ceiling floral motifs.
Artist Oluwafemi Babalola says, “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to showcase my artwork at South Hill Park. It holds immense significance to me”.
South Hill Park is excited to have this stunning artwork as a permanent feature in the mansion space. If you would like to see this mural, you can find it by entering the Wilde Theatre foyer and following along to the Wilde Community Gallery, where it is located upstairs on the wall by the Printmaking Studio.
Tote Bags
Limited edition South Hill Park anniversary tote bags were on sale for £7.50 from our Box Office.
Branded with our special 50th anniversary logo on an eye-catching bright orange material – they’re totes amaze-bags and guaranteed to brighten your day whilst making you stand out from the crowd.
All proceeds go to South Hill Park Charitable Trust.
Atrium Bar and Restaurant Anniversary Offer
Our Atrium had a special anniversary offer: if you were born or married in 1973 and are celebrating your 50th year, why not book one of our private function spaces for your celebration?
To say congratulations, the organiser will enjoy a complimentary 3 course meal for 2 people, subject to availability.
