Watch highly trained sheepdogs round up geese and ducks; learn how to make your own scarecrow and get close to magnificent shire horses at Groombridge Place Gardens, near Tunbridge Wells, over the bank weekend, August 23rd to 25th.

Colin Gordon, star of BBC TV’s ‘One Man and His Dog’, will be putting his sheepdogs through their paces at the Scarecrows, Shires and Sheepdogs event, and will explain the complex system of commands and whistles the dogs work to. And to add to the challenge - and the fun - they will be herding ducks and geese instead of sheep.

There will be scarecrow making demonstrations and workshops where visitors can learn this bygone skill and make their own. Two life-size real scarecrows will be mingling with visitors, entertaining with scarecrow stories.

The Working Horse Trust will be bringing their magnificent shire horses and will be giving grooming demonstrations and explaining their complicated harnesses as well as commentating on the different breeds of shires. There will also be dray rides.

A skiffle band will be playing on the lawns by the restaurant and there will be face painting and balloon modelling to entertain the children.

Throughout the event all the much loved attractions will be there too, including Adam the zeedonk who is half zebra, half donkey and his friend Peaches the miniature donkey; the challenging Dark Walk obstacle course; giant swings; Romany Camp; hilltop fort and birds of prey flying demonstrations, canal boat rides and much more.

The 17th century formal gardens will be at their peak, with scented roses and honeysuckle, quintessentially English herbaceous borders and perfectly groomed lawns.

The house and garden featured as Longbourn, the Bennet’s home, in the recent Pride and Prejudice film which starred Keira Knightley, and there is a museum with a collection of photos taken during filming and an exhibition of period costume. There is also a museum dedicated to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a regular visitor at the beginning of the last century.

Entrance tickets are £9.95 adults, £7.95 children and seniors and a family ticket to admit two adults and two children is £32.95. For more information visit www.groombridge.co.uk or call 01892 861444.