Quex will hold a centenary garden party
Garden games, horticultural exploration, stalls and stands will fill Quex Gardens in Birchington on the May 4 bank holiday.
Roaming the eight acre site will be two special guests, Ellington the Elephant and Samson the Lion, life-size puppets created by innovative and inspirational Thanet-based theatre company, Looping the Loop.
Six-piece Ceilidh and Barn Dance Band, Rejigged, will bring original and traditional folk tunes encouraging visitors to get dancing. Stalls will spring up on the croquet lawn, showcasing local non-profit groups, in recognition of the contribution charities, large and small, make to the community.
Life-size puppets with Looping the Loop
Visitors can explore and enjoy Quex Gardens, with its fresh spring planting, Victorian glasshouses, a walled Victorian Garden, pleasure grounds, historic specimen trees, and ornate fountain pond.
Later this year, a new partnership with acclaimed restaurant Angela’s of Margate will see chefs preparing recipes using produce from the gardens at a series of ’Late Lunches’ running from June-September.
Quex House and Gardens and the Powell-Cotton Museum encompasses ever-changing, award-winning gardens, natural history collections in historic dioramas, cultural objects of Africa and Asia and the publicly accessible rooms of the Georgian manor house and home of the Powell-Cotton family.
The whole site is now open for new family events, displays, exhibitions, talks and trails. Newly-opened in the Museum is Field Guide – Future Edition, an exhibition by artist Sam Parsons, reflecting on our place within the natural world. Inspired by wildlife, the exhibition takes place in an entirely fitting location, surrounded by the century-old natural history dioramas. The exhibition runs until 1 November 2026.
Sarah Corn, CEO of the Powell-Cotton Trust, said, “The Garden Party forms part of our wider work to care for and safeguard the collection for the enjoyment of visitors and to support learning and education.
“While we use the 100th anniversary to look back at the history of the Museum, the Powell-Cotton family, Quex House and Gardens, it is also an opportunity to tell the wider story, enable others to share in that narrative and think about the future of the Trust and how we set the foundation for the next 100 years and beyond.”
Tickets: Adult: £9.00; Concession: £8.00; Child (4-16 yrs): £7.00; Infant (0-3 yrs): Free;
Powell-Cotton Museum Members: Free. All tickets include admission to Quex House & Gardens and the Powell-Cotton Museum.
To book visit www.powell-cottonmuseum.org/event/pct100-garden-party call 01843 84216 or book in person at the Powell-Cotton Museum, Quex House and Gardens, Quex Park, Birchington (open Fri, Sat & Sun, 11am-4pm).
Opening hours: Until 30 October 2026. Term time: Fri to Sun and bank holidays, 11am-4pm; School holidays: Weds to Sun, 11am-4pm.
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