East Riding tourist attraction Sewerby Hall and Gardens to start re-opening from the weekend - here's what you can see and do

In the first phase, the zoo, the gardens, the café, the shop, and the toilets at the attraction near Bridlington will reopen seven days a week. The opening hours for all the reopened facilities will be 10am to 4pm.

The facilities which will be reopening on Saturday June 20 are:

Clock Tower Cafe - takeaway menu only

Zoo

Gardens including the Walled Gardens

Ice Cream parlour

The Welcome Centre

Toilets.

Marie Gascoigne, general manager of Sewerby Hall and Gardens, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we are able to reopen many of our facilities this coming weekend, and we look forward to the phased reopening of other parts of our site in the coming weeks.

“In order to guarantee access, we ask all our customers to book in advance online before their visit, at www.sewerbyhall.co.uk However, Annual Pass holders can access the site without having to book in advance, although they will have to join the queues on arrival.

“We have been working very hard during the closure period to ensure that our visitors will have a safe and enjoyable experience, but of course some things will be different. For example, there will be new entrances to the zoo, and we ask our visitors to follow the new signs.

"We will also have socially distanced queueing systems in place in the zoo, the shop, the café, and in the toilets, and our customers will see perspex screens in the shop and the café to protect both themselves and our staff.

“We have 50 acres of gardens here, so visitors can spread out across this magnificent setting, bring a picnic or get takeaway items from the café, and maybe enjoy a woodland walk in the wonderful fresh air.

“Subject to government advice, we are hoping to be able to reopen the house itself on 4 July, and we will of course issue updates about this nearer the time.”

Visitors can also download two free apps to add extra enjoyment to their trip : 'Love Exploring' offers a variety of games and trails, including a Fairy Quiz, a Dinosaur Safari, and Sewerby Statues. The app can be downloaded at https://sewerbyhall.co.uk/outdoor-walks/

In addition, East Riding Archives have created a new, free app that turns smartphones or tablets into virtual ‘time machines’. ‘What Was Here?’ uses historical photos from the archives, plotted onto a Google Maps base map, to show users literally ‘what was here’ at their location and elsewhere across the East Yorkshire region.

The app features heritage trails that guide users to various points of interest, where they can use their device’s camera to overlay the featured historic image on top of the modern scene and get a feel for how it looked in the past. One such heritage trail is currently part of the Sewerby Hall and Gardens visitor experience.

The facilities which will be remaining closed for now are :

The House

The play area, putting green, golf course, and giant games

Worklink

Flamborough Lighthouse.

All events are cancelled until at least 6 September.

For full details of the facilities available, opening hours, and admission prices, visit www.sewerbyhall.co.uk