Our Courses

Our Art History and Art Appreciation courses will interest art novices and aficionados alike. Learn how to look at art actively, get to know the Great Masters, or explore paintings from a particular movement or moment in history.

Decorating irresistible cupcakes may start as an interest, but it swiftly becomes an obsession when you are in the hands of The Creative Cake Academy at Farncombe Estate. An ever-changing range of stunning designs make this a Day School you will want to return to again and again.

Cotswolds crafts and textiles courses for all skill levels Always popular, our crafts and textiles courses cover a range of skills, from basic sewing to art quilts, Chinese brush painting to working with willow. If you love making beautiful things out of fabric, scraps and natural materials, click below.

The venue for our weekend dance courses is Foxhill Manor, our beautiful Grade 1 listed Arts and Crafts house at the centre of the Estate. Whirl your partner around the Ballroom, or learn a new dance style to keep yourself in shape. All our dance courses are suitable for beginners, or for those wishing to refresh forgotten steps.

We run a range of Day Courses in painting, drawing, singing, music appreciation, art history, writing and crafts. A Day School is a great way to try out Farncombe Estate, or sample a new subject: learn to use a sewing machine, draw a caricature, dip into some history, music or art. If you would like to join us for longer, you can extend your stay to include Dinner, Bed and Breakfast. This can be done at the time of booking your course.

Our Digital Photography courses and residential weekends will teach you some new tricks, from visualising a successful picture to using Photoshop and retouching old photographs.

Why not try something a little different and get back to nature with a Bee Keeping course, or enhance your knowledge about trees and plants, or even venture outdoors identifying various fungi.

There is a growing trend towards holidays with a healthy twist. At Farncombe Estate, we are introducing a fun and fitness element to our summer schools. The emphasis, you will be glad to hear, is on the fun...

History Leisure Courses and Study Breaks in the Cotswolds Our history and architecture courses are respected throughout the adult education network and we are proud to offer a feast of histroy courses with a timeline. Our expert tutors will introduce you to historical characters – famous and infamous – and transport you effortlessly into the past.

Improve your holiday a hundred-fold with our lovely language courses in French, German and Italian. Get by in German, learn a little Italian, or meet like-minded Francophiles on our Weekend Français! Whether your languages are rusty or you are a real beginner, we have the language lessons to get you speaking in tongues…

We have the literature and writing courses that will help you unleash your writing skills – and the long-distant views to aid inspiration. Do you long to write fiction or comedy? Wish you could turn your travels into journalism, or write for magazines?

Join in on one of our string chamber music weekends or bring your Viol Consort and brush up on your skills. Come and play your recorder with like minded students, beginners and intermediates welcome. Some of our programmes allow you to pick up an instrument for the first time; others require some ability or the willingness to play in an ensemble.

Like our art appreciation programme, our music appreciation courses cover all areas and levels of interest. Learn about the classic composers, explore the meaning of opera or find out about the lives of the jazz greats. It’s great to appreciate.

Cotswold painting leisure courses and drawing study breaks The glorious setting of Farncombe Estate is perfect for our painting and drawing courses, the include courses for all levels of practitioner. Beginners will learn the basics of drawing, sketching and painting while others explore new media and techniques that will enhance their repertoire.

We have a range of voice and singing courses for the terrified – and some for terrific vocalists, too. Here at Farncombe Estate, we firmly believe that everyone can sing – and our happy students think so too. Come and sing your heart out in one of our singing workshops.