agenda
April is set to be a blockbuster month, especially for cultural enthusiasts, with a number of dazzling exhibitions both in the capital and beyond
National Trust Easter-egg hunts
If keeping kids active and inquisitive is top of your list over the school holidays, then head for one of the National Trust’s many locations throughout the UK to embark on an outdoor adventure where you can follow a trail to find chocolate Easter-egg treats. Various dates (nationaltrust.org.uk).
Cambridge Literary Festival
Start planning your summer reading list now and be inspired by this year’s speakers – a varied list that includes Booker Prize-winner Paul Lynch, broadcaster Clare Balding, journalist Sathnam Sanghera, spoken-word artist George the Poet and former Green Party MP Caroline Lucas. 17–21 April (cambridgeliteraryfestival.com).
Spring Plant Fair, The Garden Museum
Those with green fingers know that, for a blooming summer garden, spring is the time to get digging, so The Garden Museum’s plant fair lands at the perfect time. Shop shrubs and more grown by expert planters and specialist nurseries for your garden, balcony or allotment. 14 April (gardenmusuem.org.uk).
‘Beyond Form: Lines of Abstraction, 1950-1970’, Turner Contemporary
Abstract artworks (primarily sculpture) by more than 50 women artists, including Marisa Merz (pictured), are shown together in this exhibition curated by art historian Flavia Frigeri, which maps how they confronted cultural, social and political shifts. Until 6 May (turnercontemporary.org).
‘Polly Braden:Leaving Ukraine’, The Foundling Museum
This mostly portrait series by Polly Braden, a London-based documentary photographer, is both timely and sensitive. The images on show are an intimate portrayal of some of the many families forced to leave their homes after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. 15 March–1 September (foundlingmuseum.org.uk).
