OUT AND ABOUT

’Tis the season for Heritage Open Days, and there’s a whole clutch of ussocal gems to visit for free in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire this September.

Grab your wellies and stomp about the 250 acres of Stowe’s landscaped gardens on Sun 17 Sep, plus take a nose around the Gothic Temple – normally you’d only get a looksee if you booked it as a holiday cottage – and take a restoration tour of two of the State Rooms at Stowe House. Elsewhere in Bucks there’s Penn House in Amersham, which is open on both Sat 16 and Sun 17 Sep and is hosting guided tours (pre-booking strongly recommended), and Claydon House near Buckingham, which is open on Sun 17 Sep.

Over in Oxfordshire you’re spoiled for choice. Muddy top pick Greys Court (above) in Henley is holding Heritage Days from 11-16 Sep, or as part of the Oxford Open Doors programme run by Oxford Preservation Trust, you can mooch around over 100 venues in the city, including the Divinity School at Bodleian Libraries (15 Sep) and the Quaker Meeting House (11 and 12 Sep).

For more classic motors and supercars than you could shake a gearstick at, try Stonor Park’s Autumn Meeting in Henley on Sun 24 Sep. Over to Blenheim: horse lovers will want to bag tickets to the world-class International Horse Trials, which descend on the grounds in all their glory on 14-17 Sep. Bridgerton fans will also want to check out the Queen Charlotte exhibition on from 7 Sep, which displays costumes from iconic scenes filmed at the Palace.

Finally at the end of the month the Humanimal Trust and Charlotte Lloyd Webber Event Design team join forces in the Blenheim Grounds for the nature-celebrating Autumn Fest (30 Sep – 1 Oct). Think seasonal fruit and veg galore, a Michaelmas market with over 50 local producers, live theatre and music, expert tours and garden tours.

Michaelmas Daisies at Waterperry Gardens

Need a little late summer gardening inspo? Grab your trowel and explore the gorgeous Waterperry Gardens near Wheatley this month for their Michaelmas Daisy season.

Skip back in time (in vintage shoes, no less) with Bletchley Park‘s 1940s Weekend on 23-24 Sept. The two-day event is brimming with Blitz spirit, as well as live music, dancing, market stands, re-enactors, food stalls, and of course, code-breaking opportunities.

FAMILY

Loving this idea. Tiny Ideas Festival, Oxford’s first early years arts festival for 0 to 7-year-olds runs from 28 Sep – 1 Oct in venues across the city. There are puppet shows, interactive art installations, sensory play and family light-up dance sessions and way more besides. The Rainbow Builder at Pegasus Theatre looks like it’ll be a real highlight.

As well as taking part in the Tiny Ideas Festival, Oxford’s Story Museum has its usual monthly Comic Club (30 Sep) for 8 to 11-year-olds looking to pen a masterpiece under the guiding hand of artist Neill Cameron.

September is Rare Breeds Month at Odds Farm Park in Wooburn Green, High Wycombe. From 4 Sep your kiddos can meet rare pigs, goats, ponies and sheep (and even hand feed a few of them), plus take part in an exploration trail before throwing themselves through the giant indoor play area.

Head to family favourite Chiltern Open Air Museum on 30 Sep – 1 Oct for their Traditional Harvest Festival, where you can watch the blacksmith hard at work, check out the seasonal harvest display in the chapel, learn about straw plaiting and the fire kiln and visit the Bodger’s Area (er, once you figure out what a Bodger is).

It’s your last month to catch Oxford’s Natural History Museum’s Connected Planet, an exhibition running until 1 Oct that explores the integrated nature of the oceans, land, and air around us and what happens when the balance is tipped. Plus, on 30 Sep you can get up close and personal with the exhibition at the Museum’s Handling Session, free and suitable for all ages. Not enough learning for you? Oxford’s History of Science Museum is running a family-friendly weekend on 23 and 24 Sep with Family Trials, Light and Space Backpacks and hands-on demos.

WATCH

THEATRE

Plenty on this month to whet your artistic appetites. MK Theatre has a particularly good September schedule, with boy-in-a-boat tale Life of Pi landing on 19-23 Sep – it won FIVE Olivier Awards in 2022, so definitely worth getting off the sofa to go and see. Finish up with Grayson Perry’s esoteric one-nighter A Show All About You (25 Sep) and while you’re there, nip to the box office to book your tickets for supernatural sizzler 2:22 A Ghost Story (3-7 Oct).

Over in Oxford, kids will lose their minds over Shrek The Musical at Oxford New Theatre, 19-24 Sep – the make-up might be a bit uncanny valley, but the soundtrack is excellent.

Winner of a Fringe First and the 2022 BBC Popcorn Writing award Brown Boys Swim returns to Oxford’s North Wall Arts Centre on 21-23 Sep (if you missed it last year, now’s your chance).

The House with Chicken Legs — *The House With Chicken Legs* © Rah Petherbridge

Oxford Playhouse welcomes quirky-cool production The House With Chicken Legs (21-23 Sep), about a girl who struggles to make friends as her house keeps literally walking off, as well as brand new chiller-thriller Murder in the Dark (25-30 Sep), about a dysfunctional family trapped in a creepy house on New Year’s Eye. Perfect for kicking off spooky season.

Speaking of spooky, catch camp classic Little Shop of Horrors at The Players Theatre in Thame from 12-17 Sep – and then prepare to have the songs in your head for the rest of the month.

The sassiest cabaret trio to ever hit Wycombe Swan, the foul-mouthed and fabulous Fascinating Aïda celebrate 40 years on the road with The 40th Anniversary Show! (21 Sep).

SCREENINGS

Everyone knows Bourne’s ballet’s the best, so if you haven’t yet caught his beautiful rendition of Swan Lake, book a spot at this one-night-only screening at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (28 Sep).

Pack a Thermos and a cosy coat for a spot of open air cinema at Waddesdon Manor. From 13-17 Sep, The Luna Cinema will be taking up residence at the Manor, with under-the-stars showings of The Great Gatsby, Elvis, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Top Gun: Maverick and film of the hour, Barbie. Popcorn at the ready.

ART

'Jove Decadent, Despres del ball', Ramon Casas, oil on canvas, 1899. Image © Museu de Montserrat — ‘Jove Decadent, Despres del ball’, Ramon Casas, oil on canvas, 1899. Image © Museu de Montserrat

The Ashmolean’s mammoth new exhibition Colour Revolution (running 21 Sep to 18 Feb) promises to be a kaleidoscopic glimpse into Victorian society, with a focus on the era’s brightly coloured fashion, jewellery, furnishings and paintings. At the very least it will boost your mental health by making you so happy you’re living in an era that accepts comfy leisurewear rather than corsets.

Here’s something a bit different – Tanzanian artist Valerie Asiimwe Amani performs for a whopping three hours as part of a durational performance piece at Modern Art Oxford (16 Sep) exploring sisterhood and femininity.

Still in Oxford, The Pitt Rivers Museum hosts Art History Festival at the Museum from 19-26 Sep. Pop in for tours, talks and free family-friendly activities that you can just drop into.

Sci-fi fans will love Banbury Museum and Gallery‘s new exhibition ROBOT, available until Sun 8 Oct. You’ll get a deep dive into the role of robots in pop culture, see vintage toys and sculptures inspired by hit comics and even take some robots for a spin.

Boyd & Evans, Peacekeeper, 1983, acrylic on paper © and courtesy the artists.

It’s your last chance to catch the first solo Boyd & Evans exhibition in over a decade, High Time, over at MK Gallery. The duo is renowned for their experimentation with materials – they’ve tried everything from stencils and spray guns to collage and photography – so go take a look before it goes for good on 17 Sep.

This month Discover Bucks Museum displays a veritable smorgasbord of art from Buckinghamshire Craft Guild (16 Sep to 7 Oct), with pieces including everything from jewellery and pottery to sculpture and glass art.

How about a bit of outdoor art? A hop over the Bucks/Herts border is Ashridge House, a former royal residence of King Henry VIII and the new summer destination for sculpture lovers. Until 21 Sep, Ashridge’s 190 acres of gardens is playing host to over 40 large sculptures, with artists including local talent Diane Maclean, whose sculpture “Open Book” was gifted to the city of Paris after being unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II.

Turrill Sculpture Garden’s summer exhibition Narratives from Nature ends this month (16 Sep, to be precise), so it’s your last chance to catch metal sculpture from four artists, including Edward Robert Hill’s re-cycled metalwares creations.

Not visited Waddesdon’s giant three-tiered ceramic wedding cake yet? Until 26 Oct, you can walk into the 12m high sculpture and climb the stairs to the top with views across the Dairy gardens and grounds.

Speaking of massive food art (aren’t we always?), visitors to Greys Court in Henley between 23 Sep and 1 Oct can help build a piece of giant apple art from the apples harvested from the kitchen gardens at this National Trust gem. Give the kids a wheelbarrow and you’ve got hours of fun.

FESTIVALS

For some foodie fun, head to Campbell Park in MK on 16 Sep with an empty stomach to take full advantage of the Milton Keynes Festival of Food. Tickets start at a bargainous £1.75 per person and you’ll be able to scoff and quaff from producers within a 20-mile radius before burning off all that energy in the family zone or dancing to live music.

Bigger, better and tastier than ever, Thame Food Festival returns to The Thame Showground to round out the month on 30 Sep and 1 Oct. Expect live kitchen demos from leading chefs and bakers, street food, artisan shopping, a pop-up pub, a dog show, children’s cooking classes and circus skills and live music.

Ready to read? Henley Literary Festival is back from 30 Sep to 8 Oct with another brilliant line-up spanning everyone from David Walliams (7 Oct) to Sebastian Faulks (30 Sep). That’s Oxfordshire covered, but Buckinghamshire-based bookworms should head to Cliveden Literary Festival (30 Sept to 1 Oct) on the Berks border – nab tickets ASAP, as you’re not going to want to miss a second with top quality authors like Zadie Smith, Mary Beard, Maggie O’Farrell and Justine Picardie speaking.

Way more than just cool cars and bikes, Kop Hill Climb at Princes Risborough (16 and 17 Sep) is a full-on family fun day, with a soapbox derby, fairground rides, food a-plenty, a festival line-up of live music and stalls selling everything from vintage clothes and antiques to art.

The Chiltern Heritage Festival (16 Sep – 1 Oct) gives you all the opportunity you could ever want to finally get a glimpse of the region’s grand private houses, local museums’ stored-away archives and beautiful ancient woodlands. In its sixth year, the festival is the perfect opportunity for Chiltern occupants to celebrate the area’s incredible history.

COMEDY

The comedians are out in force this September – check out this funny lot.

Ruby Wax, *I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was*

Dawn French might be sold out at New Theatre Oxford, but you can still snap up the last few tickets to Jack Whitehall: Settle Down for Mon 18 Sep – or head over to the Old Fire Station to catch comedian/scientist Ria Lina in Riawakening on Sat 23 Sep (you’ll recognise her from Live at the Apollo or Have I Got News for You?).

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre welcomes three comedy big hitters this month: Jimmy Carr: Terribly Funny 2.0 is sold out for Fri 1 Sep but you can still get your sticky paws on tickets for his 28 and 29 Sep shows. Phil Wang: Wang In There, Baby! is getting rave reviews – catch it on Sat 16 Sep – and Ruby Wax makes us laugh and cry in equal measure in her darkest show yet, I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was (Fri 15 Sep).

If you’re a fan of Loose Woman Judi Love, her first ever tour comes to the Wycombe Swan on Fri 8 Sep, while Mark Watson is still after the meaning of life in new show Search on Sat 16 Sep.

SHOPPING

For dribble-worthy interiors, Muddy’s pick of the fairs this month is Henley Decor Fair in Greenlands Park, Henley running from 22-24 Sep. The perfect event for treasure hunters, antiques lovers and interior decorating fans, the fair is packed with over 150 stalls all brimming with gems. There’s also live music, evening entertainment and plenty of food and drink. Rustle up your biggest shopping bag and go hunting.

Fancy livening up your four walls? Fresh: Art Fair (22-24 Sep) just over the Berks border at Ascot racecourse fills the mahoosive space with over 5,000 original prints and paintings, sculpture, glass and ceramics, all up for grabs. Go to snag a bargain (prices start from way lower than you think) or to nosy at the big names like Hockney, Banksy, Picasso and Matisse.

For a seriously chic girls’ night out, Arlo & Jacob becomes the runway for a Harvest Moon Night Out in Marlow: A Fashion, Beauty and Wellness Evening on 29 Sep. Feast your eyes on the latest fashion collections from A/W by Sansom Reed, Twenty Three Living, Jigsaw, My Best Friend’s Wardrobe, Jacu & new vintage store Valse Collection, before breezing through everything from a guided meditation and candle-making workshop to interiors mood-boarding and an updo station, all with a Sorbon Spritz or Marlow Mule in hand.

The only thing better than clothes shopping at Bicester Village? Doing it for a good cause, of course! From 6 to 18 Sep, DO GOOD pop-up will be selling pre-loved, vintage, and new designer pieces from over 50 brands in aid of charity Women for Women International, which supports survivors of war – so you could bag a bargain while changing someone’s life for the better.

If you love scouring vintage shops for hidden gems, let the fashion come to you this month with Worth the Weight Vintage Fair. The UK’s biggest kilo sale hits Oxford Town Hall on 30 Sep – perfect timing for refreshing your A/W wardrobe. Grab a bag on your way in, pack it with your favourite vintage pieces from the constantly-refreshed rails and pay no more than £20 a kilo.

MUSIC

Lawrence Power, Artistic Director of West Wycombe Chamber Music Festival

For the first time ever, West Wycombe Chamber Music Festival will be taking place at Church of St Mary-the-Virgin in the pretty village of Hambleden this year. Pick up tickets between 14-16 Sep for five beautifully-performed classical concerts, or buy a Festival Pass for all five concerts for £80.

EAT AND DRINK

Pickled beetroot with labneh and pistachios, Cathy Slack

Some super supper clubs to sink your teeth into! Muddy-approved farm shop, nursery and café Peterley Manor Farm in Great Missenden is hosting two delicious supper clubs this month: an end-of-summer seasonal feast cooked up by From the Veg Patch author and local foodie Cathy Slack on Thurs 21 Sep (£60pp) and an English wine and seafood tasting hosted by wine expert Tim Killen on Thurs 28 Sep (£79pp).

For South African-inspired slap-ups, Wheatley-based supper club Durban Spice has a whopping three events to book this month: a Tapas Feast Night on Fri 15 Sep (£50pp), a four-course South African-inspired meal on Sat 23 Sep (£50pp) and the famous five-course feast (£45pp) on Fri 29 Sep. Save your seat here.

If you’ve not had the pleasure of dining in the Tipi at Preston Bissett Nurseries on the Bucks/Oxon border, now’s your chance. They’re kicking off the new season with an Autumn Pie Night on Fri 22 Sep with local Monty Pieman gourmet pies.

For a real foodie treat, The Plough at Shiplake’s Flight Club returns after the summer break with a Harvest Moon feast: five courses of seasonal food (plus surprises!) with cocktails and wine set against a musical backdrop. Book your table ASAP for 30 Sep.

Here’s your chance to nose around the excellent wine cellar at Muddy Award-winning Hartwell House in Aylesbury: the hotel is hosting a four-course All Americas Wine Dinner on 22 Sep, which will take you through some of the best sips the States have to offer. Can’t make it? Here’s another Muddy Award-winner with another delicious wine pairing dinner: Danesfield House Hotel & Spa in Marlow is hosting a four-course feast with welcome drinks, canapés and wine pairings celebrating The Last of the Summer Wine on 15 Sep. Add on overnight accommodation for an extra indulgence.

You snooze, you lose – too late for these…

As always Blenheim Palace has a jam-packed schedule this autumn, kicking off with its Salon Privé (30 Aug – 3 Sep), a super-stylish gathering of luxury vintage cars from around the world (admire them with a glass of bubbles in hand, why not?).

Hotfoot it to Silverstone on the Bucks/Hants border on 2-3 Sep for their iconic Ferrari Racing Days (although sadly no Carlos Sainz, *sigh*).

If you want a rare peek inside the house too, Waterperry House is having an Open Weekend on 2-3 Sep with a schedule of talks, tours and apparently guided meditation? Who knew.

An Oxford tradition – dating back to 1625, fact fans! – St Giles’ Fair falls on 4-5 Sep this year, so scoop up the kids and go for a whizz on the waltzers any time from 11am to 11pm.

Great Missenden’s Roald Dahl Museum is finishing up its Big Friendly Summer, with Roald Dahl Storytelling and Build a BFG running until 3 Sep.

Film buffs, get thee to Braziers International Film Festival near Wallingford on 1-3 Sep – after all, where else can you watch indie films inside a kitted-out 17th century historic barn or a Gothic Manor House? If you want to make a weekend of it, there’s a bar, meals and B&B tickets available.

Want to put your tastebuds to the test? Spice fans should hit up Chilli Fest at Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury from 1-3 Sep. You’ll be able to sample the wares of over 70 stallholders (not all of them top out the Scoville scale, FYI), as well as enjoying live music, face painting, salsa dancing and loads more.

Head over to the Old Fire Station to catch Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee Helen Bauer in Grand Supreme Darling Princess (Wed 6 Sep)

Snap up the last few tickets to Alan Carr’s work in progress show Regional Trinket (love the name) at Henley’s Kenton Theatre on Thurs 7 Sep as he warms it up before filming at Hackney Empire. Always happy to help, Alan.

Prefer a museum to a stately home? Pop over to the Discover Bucks Museum on Sat 9 Sep for their Collections Unseen exhibition, where the Museum Curators will talk you through all manner of weird and wonderful artefacts never previously displayed (plenty of activities for kids too, including fossil rubbing and object handling).

Great Missenden’s Roald Dahl Museum is always a good shout, on 8 Sep there’s Titchy Toddlers for littles between 6 months and 4 years old (adults go free), as well as Tricks and Inventions (also on 8 Sep) where kiddos can build a hut like Roald Dahl’s, mix their own Marvellous Medicine and try to catch Esio Trot the tortoise.

If you cried laughing over Bridget Christie‘s smash menopause hit The Change earlier this year, catch her show Who Am I? at Oxford Playhouse on Fri 8 Sep. Rounding off the Oxford contingent, stalwart staple Jericho Comedy Live at the North Wall Arts Centre falls on Fri 8 Sep – grab a seat for one of the best comedy nights in the region.

Roll up to new music venue The Small Chapel @St Giles on Tue 12 Sept for Early Music I: Duo Oriana, a modern take on classical tunes from the likes of Giulio Caccini and Thomas Campion.

There’s fun to be found for wine fans this month – Oxford Wine Festival returns to the Oxford Union on 8-9 Sep, with four-hour tasting sessions accompanied by live music, food and talks from the experts. Don’t forget to take a sturdy bag for your haul.

Super September! 90+ things to do in Bucks & Oxon this month

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