Glyndebourne

What could be a more perfect display of a happy English summer than a picnic taken on the lawn of a country house during an opera festival?

Glyndebourne appears archetypally English, that is until you notice the Alpacas grazing the cow parsley nearby and get wind of the plans to build a 230ft green energy turbine.

Glyndebourne began in 1934 when John Christie and his wife, singer Audrey Mildmay, staged a two-week festival of two Mozart operas in their home. Their son, George, launched the Tour in 1968 and developed the Festival into an internationally acclaimed three-month season in the world-class opera house he opened in 1994.

"Now in its 75th year, Glyndebourne is still as surprising as organisations half its age."