Day at the AA: Hooke Park

Open Day for Offer Holders, Applicants and Prospective Students

We invite prospective applicants, offer holders and their guests to join us for Day at the AA in our Hooke Park site in Dorset on Thursday 20 March. The event is an opportunity to experience first-hand what it is like to study in our woodland campus and to find out about the facilities you may use whether your course is based in Bedford Square or Hooke Park.

Hooke Park contains a growing educational facility for design, workshop, construction and landscape-focused activities, representing a 40-year history of experimental timber construction. The site is home to the Design and Make MArch and MSc postgraduate programmes, sees visits from AA units and programmes, and hosts numerous short courses, lectures and events through the year.

Day at the AA: Hooke Park will include an introduction to Hooke Park, lunch, a tour of the main highlights of the Hooke Park campus including our facilities like the Fabrication workshop and Assembly workshop, as well as the on-site lodging and refectory, and a Q&A session with programme heads and current students.

A separate Day at the AA at our Bedford Square site in London will take place on Friday 21 March. For further details, please see the What's On page.

Schedule - Thursday 20 March

09.20 - Outbound Train London Waterloo - Crewkerne

11.48 - Arrive Crewkerne (Taxi pick up will be arranged from the station)

12.15 - Arrival @ Hooke Park12.30 - Coffee / tea - Intro to Design + Make (Studio)

13.00 - Lunch

13.45 - Tour of the Campus

15.15 - Tea in refectory - Q+A session

15.40 - Depart Hooke Park for train station

16.20 - Return train Crewkerne to London Waterloo

TRAVELLING TO HOOKE PARK, DORSET:

Attendees are required to make their own travel arrangements to Hooke Park. We have limited places available on a mini-bus to collect attendees who are arriving by train. Please see further details below.

REACH US BY TRAIN:
The most convenient route for travel from London is to Crewkerne (2.5 hours). A mini-bus will be available to collect attendees arriving on the train that departs London Waterloo at 9.20am and arrives at Crewkerne at 11.48am. The mini-bus will drop attendees back to Crewkerne station in time for the train departing Crewkerne at 4.20pm and arriving back in London Waterloo at 6.49pm.

Please use the booking form to indicate indicate whether you would like a space on the mini-bus. The mini-bus has a limited number of seats and will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. Reservation requests for the mini-bus must be received by 12 March 2025.

Please note: only the cost of the mini-bus will be covered, all other transportation costs including the train fare should be covered by the attendee.

Dorchester, Yeovil and Maiden Newton stations are also nearby. See Trainline for details of train departure times.

TAXIS:
Taxis for transfer to Hooke Park can be pre-booked with Just Drive Taxis at 0800 062 2111, Novus Taxis at 01308 297 000 or with Dorset to Doorstep on 07725548013 (dorsettodoorstep@gmail.com).

REACH US BY CAR:
Road access is via the main entrance gate on the north-east side of the site, close to Hooke village. Approach from Crewkerne via the A303 and A3066, from Beaminster via the B3163, or from Dorchester via the A37 and A356. The approach road to Hooke Park is narrow and single-track in places.

FOOD AND DRINK:
Lunch will be included and available in the refectory on campus. Please use the booking form to give details of any dietary requirements by 12 March 2025. We regret that dietary requirements of which we are informed after this date may not be able to be accommodated.

ADDRESS:
Architectural Association
Hooke Park, Beaminster
Dorset DT8 3PH