Residential Courses at Halsway Manor
For 60 years, Halsway Manor has supported the practice of traditional folk arts through residential weekend or midweek courses. We enrich lives through inspirational experiences created by expert tutors from all over the world.
Most courses at Halsway run either midweek (Monday - Friday) or over a weekend (Friday - Sunday). Individual course pages show the check-in and check-out times for that course or holiday.
Why Halsway?
A home-from-home
Participants rarely come to Halsway only once - they cherish the new friends that they make here and the community of folk artists that Halsway attracts.
An unrivalled range of courses
We run a diverse programme of mid-week and weekend courses in folk music, song, dance, musicianship, art, storytelling, wellbeing and instrument making, all year long.
A stunning location
Set in the glorious Quantock Landscape, our Grade 2*-listed medieval manor offers a unique space in which to learn, away from the distractions and rigmaroles of daily life.
How do our courses work?
Course timetables
Courses usually follow broadly the same structure and you’ll often be sent a timetable in advance. Whilst every tutor will tailor their programme to make the best use of time, you can see the outline schedule that tutors and hosts often start from with when they plan their timetable. These will help you understand how days at Halsway run, but are for guidance only - every course will naturally be slightly differently.
Midweek Courses
Monday | |
|---|---|
4pm onwards | Check-in, tea/coffee available |
4.30/5pm | Some courses will have their first gathering here |
6.30pm | Dinner |
8pm | First gathering/workshop |
9pm | Bar/session/social time |
Tuesday - Thursday | |
|---|---|
8.30am | Breakfast |
10am | Workshop |
11am | Tea/coffee and biscuits |
11.30am | Workshop |
1pm | Buffet lunch |
2pm | Workshop/free time/walk |
4pm | Tea/coffee and biscuits (Cream Tea on Thursday) |
4.30pm | Workshop |
6.30pm | Dinner |
8.30pm | Workshop/Tutors’ Concert/Participants’ Showcase |
9.30pm | Bar/Session/Social time |
Friday | |
|---|---|
8.30am | Breakfast |
By 10am | Depart |
Weekend Courses
Friday | |
|---|---|
4pm onwards | Check-in, tea/coffee available |
4.30/5pm | (some courses will have their first gathering here) |
6.30pm | Dinner |
8pm | First gathering / Workshop |
9pm | Bar/Session/Social time |
Saturday | |
|---|---|
8.30am | Breakfast |
10am | Workshop |
11am | Tea/coffee and biscuits |
11.30am | Workshop |
1pm | Buffet lunch |
2pm | Workshop |
4pm | Cream Tea |
4.30pm | Workshop |
6.30pm | Dinner |
8pm | Workshop/Tutors’ Concert/Participants’ Showcase |
9.30pm | Bar/Session/Social time |
Sunday | |
|---|---|
8.30am | Breakfast |
10am | Workshop |
11am | Tea/coffee and biscuits |
11.30am | Workshop |
1pm | Roast lunch |
2pm | Final session |
3.30/4pm | Depart |
Course facilities
We have a range of work and relaxation spaces within the Manor and Mews. Most big group work takes place in the Long Room, with smaller groups using the Bar and the Brendon Room over in the Mews, which can also be converted to a workshop space for craft and art courses. We have an additional workspace in the woods - the Blackdown Studio - which can be used by groups who are reasonably agile!
At the back of the house, the dedicated dining room allows refreshments and meals to be served without disturbing other activities. The licensed bar, which serves local wine, ales and cider, as well as spirits and soft drinks, is open in the evenings, and in the winter enjoys the benefit of an open fire, as does the Main Hall. Through the bar is our library, full of folk-related treasures, and open to all guests while they’re on site. The Manor is set in six acres of grounds and gardens with direct access to the Quantocks National Landscape. It’s also an easily accessible base from which to explore the coastal and inland countryside of West Somerset.
Booking Terms and Conditions
We take a £60 deposit for each place at the time of booking. After two weeks, bookings without a deposit may be cancelled. Full payment is due 6 weeks before the workshop date.
In the event of you cancelling your place, the following rules apply:
Time of cancellation | Refund due |
|---|---|
More than 6 weeks before the event starts | Full refund less £60 per transaction |
More than 2 weeks before the event starts | 50% of total balance paid refunded (but if full balance is unpaid, no refund will be due) |
Less than 2 weeks before the event starts | No refund due |
Course cancelled by Halsway Manor | Full refund offered |
We also strongly advise taking out travel insurance. We cannot reimburse travel costs or other losses incurred by you in the event of cancellation by us or you.