Hawarden Estate's Walled Garden School in North Wales is introducing On the Horizon, an inspiring 24-hour event on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 July that will provide life-changing conversations about the future, by bringing together leading thinkers, writers and creatives in a wide range of fields. 

On The Horizon will facilitate conversations about things that really matter and discover ways in which we can make a difference to our own lives and those around us. Guests can expect to engage with some of the most inspiring voices of today on the future of fashion, communities, education, the environment, and much more.

Panellists across a range of subjects will include Patrick Grant, deep diving into the future of fashion, Adah Parris on the future of art and culture, and Laura Trevelyan – co-founder of Heirs of Slavery - on how we must learn from the past to shape our future. Primarily taking place in Hawarden's newly-opened Walled Garden School, this event invites guests to participate, not just spectate, with open forum discussions and practical advice on how they can establish future-proof businesses, set up charities, or pivot careers to something more inspiring.

Hawarden is the ancestral seat of the Gladstone family, and was the home of William Gladstone, the famed Victorian Prime Minister. Each of the talks will take place somewhere beautiful, unusual and intimate on Hawarden Estate, either in the elegant West Room in the 19th century Hawarden Castle, the Walled Garden itself or the Temple of Peace - William Gladstone's private study and a room of national importance that is not normally open to the public.

It was here that the four-time British Prime Minister used to invite eminent academics and members of his Cabinet to discuss policy, and to this day it remains a place of conversation and debate. On the Horizon offers a fresh perspective on this tradition, with colour, creativity and passion at the fore of this new festival-style event.

Guests can join On the Horizon from 4pm – 11pm on Friday including a fire-cooked feast and access to Hawarden's wood-fired sauna and hot tubs; 9am – 4pm on Saturday; or the combined programme on Friday and Saturday. Attendees can choose to stay the night in one of the Estate's stunning holiday homes.

Perhaps the most spectacular stay is within The West End (sleeping 4 or 10), a superlative newly restored property within Hawarden Castle and directly above the Temple of Peace. Here, as with On the Horizon, there's an intoxicating contrast of old and new, with original works by artists such as Hirst and Weiwei hanging beside the historic mullioned windows. 

Ticket Prices:

  • Friday (5 July) tickets cost £85 per adult, with under 16s £20, including a dinner;
  • Saturday (6 July) tickets cost £35 per adult, with under 16s going free;
  • Friday and Saturday (5 & 6 July) tickets cost £120 per adult including dinner, under 16s cost £20.