The Garden Front, Glyndebourne

From the moment that John Christie put on The Marriage of Figaro in his newly built opera house in Sussex in 1934, the name Glyndebourne has become synonymous with musical excellence in the field of opera, not just in England but the world over. Every year opera enthusiasts clamour for tickets to attend Glyndebourne’s latest and forward looking productions, and attending the Sussex opera house is one of the high points in English cultural life.

Using the excellent 4* Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells as a base, Peter Medhurst’s musical odyssey centres on two operas that are being presented at Glyndebourne in October 2025: Puccini’s La Bohème and Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As well as attending the operas at Glyndebourne followed by dinner in one of its superb restaurants, Peter introduces and discusses the two operas in his morning talks, preparing everyone for the evening performances. Surrounding these events, are excursions to towns and country houses, exclusive guided tours and lectures. Lunches and dinners with wine are also included.

The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells

Our Glyndebourne odyssey begins in London where we meet our executive coach at Victoria Coach Station and make our way to the 4* Spa Hotel in Royal Tunbridge Wells for a four night stay. However, en route, we visit the National Trust’s Chartwell, the country house of Sir Winston Churchill, which he and his wife, Clementine, bought in 1922. With the rooms of Chartwell largely untouched, and displaying pictures, books and personal mementoes of the stateman, the visitor experiences the life of this remarkable man in all its dimensions – politician, statesman, husband, father, writer, painter, and even garden planner. We follow our visit with an included lunch before travelling on to our hotel. A private drinks reception this evening at the hotel will be followed by dinner in the restaurant.

Giocomo Puccini

The morning begins after breakfast with a lecture by Peter on Puccini’s La Bohème – the opera that is being performed at Glyndebourne this evening. Later, we visit Charleston Farmhouse, in Firle, famous for being the country meeting place of the Bloomsbury Group. The story begins in 1916 when Virginia Woolf suggested that the painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant make the farmhouse their country home. ‘It will be an odd life’ she wrote ‘but . . . it ought to be a good one for painting.’ Charleston is an example of Bell’s and Grant’s decorative style within a domestic context, and represents the culmination of 60 or more years of artistic creativity.

Christ in Glory by Duncan Grant 1941-42, Chancel Arch, Berwick Church

Time permitting, we also visit nearby Berwick Church. After an included lunch, we transfer to Glyndebourne for this afternoon’s performance of La Bohème. Following the opera, we can relax over an included dinner in one of the excellent restaurants in the Glyndebourne complex.

Brighton Pavilion & guided tour of Brighton Pier

Amusements on Brighton Pier

After breakfast, Peter will present a lecture on the history of Glyndebourne and its associations with composers, performers, designers, directors and architects. Once done, we make our way down to Brighton to visit the Royal Pavilion, built for the Prince Regent (later King George IV) between 1787 and 1823. The Pavilion is remarkable for its unexpected, exotic oriental appearance, both inside and out, and is now the subject of a four million pound restoration programme. This magnificent, royal, pleasure palace was revered by fashionable Regency society, and to this day, is still a distinctive landmark for Brighton.

The Music Gallery, The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells

After an included lunch, we are treated to a private guided tour of Brighton’s famous pier. We return to our hotel in the later afternoon with time for relaxation before dinner in the hotel.

Guided tour of Michelham Priory & evening performace of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Michelham Priory

This morning’s lecture focuses on Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which we will hear at the Opera House at Glyndebourne later in the day. However, by way of contrast, we make our way to Michelham Priory for a guided tour of the beautiful Sussex house, founded in 1229 as an Augustinian priory. Set on a moated island, and reached through an imposing 14th century gatehouse, the Priory fell victim to the mass dissolution of monasteries in the late 1530s, at

Bateman’s & All Saints Church, Tudeley

Marc Chagall window at Tudeley Church, Tonbridge

After checking out of our hotel, we return once more to Sussex to visit the National Trust’s Bateman’s, a 17th century country house located in Burwash, and home to the writer Rudyard Kipling from 1902 until his death in 1936. The magnificent 1634 manor house retains much Kipling memorabilia, with most of the rooms – including his book lined study – left as Kipling knew them. Following our included light lunch, our final visit of the tour is to All Saints Church, in Tudeley, where we view the famous and magnificent twelve windows designed by the Russian and French artist, Marc Chagall. We then journey back to London and end our travels in the late afternoon at our original meeting place, Victoria Coach Station.