This Programme seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the Stour Valley.
This Programme seeks to conserve the heritage assets of the Stour Valley, see our events for more.
Encouraging local community groups of all kinds to enjoy the Stour Valley’s heritage assets.

Managing a Masterpiece has been celebrating coming to the end of our three year programme to understand, conserve and celebrate the Stour Valley. Last week on Bank Holiday Monday (May 6th 2013) we and many of our friends who have assisted in this landscape partnership got together at the Granary in Sudbury.

The restored Stour Lighter has been launched on 27th September at the River Stour Trust Visitor Education Centre in Great Cornard.
The project to restore a Stour Lighter and put it back on the river as a working and educational tool has reached fruition. The boat has been on display at the university campus in Ipswich for two days prior to being put back in the water at the River Stour Trust Visitor Education Centre in Cornard on the 27th of September.
Yes it's back by popular demand, we will be running some more traditional willow workshops over weekend in late July. We have not agreed locations for these events yet, so if you have a local group who would be interested in hosting the course, please do get in touch.
As part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Managing a Masterpiece project, this May Access Cambridge Archaeology will be giving members of the public the chance to take part in excavations on Clare Castle in Clare Country Park. People of all ages, with or without experience are encouraged to take part! The project will be run by Dr Carenza Lewis, well-known from Channel 4’s Time Team and BBC’s Story of England and The Great British Story.
Managing a Masterpiece is pleased to announce the winners of out poetry competition. Judging of the poems has been carried out by Dean Parkin, our very own ‘Poet of the Valley’. The competition, which has been running since last year, has had an enormous response with hundreds of entries. We are really pleased to see so many people getting involved and well done to Dean for managing to get through them all.
Celebrating the Stour Valley Landscape.
Managing a Masterpiece has commissioned a 360º study of the landscape surrounding 36 church towers nestled in the historic landscape, leading to interactive tours of the area. Take the Tour.
Read more...
The hopper bus is running again for the Summer
The Hopper Bus operates Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Saturday 14th July until Sunday 14th October 2012
Read more...
Constable's Lighter.
The aim of this project is to restore a Stour Lighter and use it as a fare-paying vessel for interpretative trips along the River Stour. Lighters have been immortallised in paintings such as Constable's ‘Boat building near Flatford Mill' (1815).
Read more...Why not download our guide to recommended walks in the area.
You can find out more about the routes and download the maps here.
| Thu May 23, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
| Fri May 24, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
| Sat May 25, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
| Sun May 26, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
| Mon May 27, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
| Tue May 28, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
| Wed May 29, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
| Thu May 30, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
| Fri May 31, 2013 @08:00 - 05:00PM 1f01: Clare Castle Excavation |
The pod tour is moving on.
The Managing a Masterpiece pod has moved from Deham Church to Clare Church (May 2013). The Pod is likely to be here for the few weeks, so why not pop down and have a look. We hope it will move from Clare to Cavendish in the next month or so. If you can't make it to Clare, you also view the tour online here.
‘Take the landscape round here at Wormingford…..some would find it pretty tame. There are no hills worth speaking of, yet there is a subtlety about this landscape which I feel and see, but which remains very difficult to define. I never look for more than reality the farming the trees and the river.’ - John Nash.