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The Grand Opening #5

...oomful of visitors staring open mouthed at me! In another room my dad had his racing car surrounded by displays and photos of his racing career.  The Entrance Hall was turned into a café area next to the kitchen, which had once been the old Butler’s Pantry, and my job was to bake scones and make sandwiches for the hungry visitors and groups that often came for a day out.  Although I would make the scones earlier in the day, we would always leave a few in the oven so that there was a lovely smell of home baking floating around the place – a sure-fire way of making sales!  Another way of generating sales was by giving us three kids an ice cream to eat out...

Skools out for summer! #14

...d our own visitors to attend to in the holidays.  Sometimes my friend Janine came round to stay for a few days and this would break the monotony a bit.  Once we dressed up in the Victorian dresses that were on show and walked around the grounds and then over to the church in them.  People must have thought they were seeing ghosts! Another time we decided to play tricks on the visitors by using the secret door in the Library. There were two secret doors, one which was always open and used by the visitors to wend their way around the house and the other was on the opposite side of the room and always closed.  The doors, when closed, looked like part of the bo...

The Grand Opening #5

...oomful of visitors staring open mouthed at me! In another room my dad had his racing car surrounded by displays and photos of his racing career.  The Entrance Hall was turned into a café area next to the kitchen, which had once been the old Butler’s Pantry, and my job was to bake scones and make sandwiches for the hungry visitors and groups that often came for a day out.  Although I would make the scones earlier in the day, we would always leave a few in the oven so that there was a lovely smell of home baking floating around the place – a sure-fire way of making sales!  Another way of generating sales was by giving us three kids an ice cream to eat out...

THE RENOVATIONS BEGIN #4

...n for the visitors when the house was eventually opened to the public – a dungeon with an “Execution Chamber”!  These rooms were underground, underneath the terrace, so my dad dug a hole through the ground and made an opening into the Flower Room below.  visitors would carefully climb down a ladder to gaze at an aristocrat being beheaded by a burly Axeman behind bars!  A skeleton in chains was hanging on the wall for good measure!  Not quite what went on in Victorian times, but the visitors seemed to like it!  I don’t think that ladder would pass any health and safety rules today though!...

Reburbishing our Mansion #4

...n for the visitors when the house was eventually opened to the public – a dungeon with an “Execution Chamber”!  These rooms were underground, underneath the terrace, so my dad dug a hole through the ground and made an opening into the Flower Room below.  visitors would carefully climb down a ladder to gaze at an aristocrat being beheaded by a burly axeman behind bars!  A skeleton in chains was hanging on the wall for good measure!  Not quite what went on in Victorian times but the visitors seemed to like it!  I don’t think that ladder would pass any health and safety rules today though! Don’t miss next week’s instalment:  The Grand Opening If...

Our mansion gets a facelift #4

...n for the visitors when the house was eventually opened to the public – a dungeon with an “Execution Chamber”!  These rooms were underground, underneath the terrace, so my dad dug a hole through the ground and made an opening into the Flower Room below.  visitors would carefully climb down a ladder to gaze at an aristocrat being beheaded by a burly axeman behind bars!  A skeleton in chains was hanging on the wall for good measure!  Not quite what went on in Victorian times but the visitors seemed to like it!  I don’t think that ladder would pass any health and safety rules today though! Don’t miss next week’s instalment:  The Grand Opening If...