English Heritage

Those of you who have read it will undoubtedly have been extremely interested in Neil Torr's blog setting out his experiences of membership of English Heritage. For those of us who have no great working knowledge of English Heritage, I have involved myself in some research that has proved very illuminating. Another question that I was keen to answer was, if we already have The National Trust, why do we need English Heritage?

It is easier to call English Heritage by that name rather than its official title, namely the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission For England. Set up under the umbrella of the National Heritage Act of 1983, it is therefore a relatively new creation, and its status is that of an executive non-departmental public body belonging to the Government.

I'm sorry if this information seems terribly dry, but it is a fundamental point in recognising the main difference between the National Trust and English Heritage. The National Trust is a charity and generally relies on fund raising and membership fees for its income, whereas as English Heritage is part funded by the government.

Yes, I'm afraid that English Heritage can be classed as a “quango”, but defying the bad publicity that such bodies normally receive, it can be seen to be one of the most worth while of these august organisations. There are equivalent bodies in both Wales and Scotland, with Cadw filling the role in Wales and Historic Scotland completing the picture north of the border.

Some of the background figures relating to the running of English Heritage make for interesting reading, and in common with many similar bodies where there is a reliance on part Government funding, times are tough in these austere times.

The year 2010 – 2011 is the most recent year for which figures are available, with about 70% of the total income of about £184 million coming from the government by way of grant-in-aid. Admissions, catering and membership accounted for a further sizeable chunk of about 27%. A budget review in October 2010 forecast a likely reduction of 32% in funding, showing how the recession bites in so many different ways.

Back to one of my earlier queries, whereby I was interested to learn about the discernible differences between the National Trust. Having established that funding is one of them, I also came across the fact that unlike the National Trust, very few of the English Heritage properties or sites as they are often referred to are furnished.

Whereas the National Trust seems to specialise in stately homes from the 16th century onwards, with emphasis on the 18th and 19th centuries with lavish furnishings, English Heritage has a greater emphasis on antiquity and conservation. English Heritage has Stonehenge and the National Trust has places such as Montacute and Tyntesfield, the difference could not be more pronounced than that. The National Trust also has substantial land holdings acting as a buffer against needless development.

Is it possible to have a favourite between the two? Now that I understand the difference a lot better, I see that it is not possible to draw a distinction between the two as they are different entities, serving different purposes. Having said that, on a couple of occasions this month, English Heritage has caught the headlines, and as a result I suspect that my heart has been drawn their way.

Firstly, I came across a news article about a fortnight ago, saying that two former missile sites, one in Northamptonshire and one in Rutland had received a Grade II listing with heavy involvement from English Heritage.

Secondly, the English Heritage Angel Awards took place recently, and amongst the winners were a World War I airfield, the Droitwich Canal, the Cockermouth Shop Front Steering Group, St. Mary's Church in West Somerton, Norfolk and work at Tynemouth Station.

These awards are far removed from the National Trust and represent a real “man in the street” attitude to repair and conservation. For that reason alone I feel that I can relate more to English Heritage.

And so we leave it, with Neil's wife Jo, and his daughter Beth wildly overacting in front of the camera in various locations around Britain, but at least rejoicing in the savings that they have made with their English Heritage Membership. We look forward to more from Neil in due course.

From The Car Park To The Cathedral, Richard III's Remarkable Journey

In what is slowly becoming one of the most surreal stories of the year, experts are increasingly hopeful that the skeleton that has been unearthed under a Leicester City Centre car park will turn out to be the remains of the last Yorkist king of England, Richard III, whose reign lasted just two years from 1483 to 1485. His defeat at the Battle of Bosworth was effectively the end of the War of The Roses between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians.

Checking that my diary didn't show that it was April 1st, I have come across photographs of people who it turns out are direct descendants of the unfortunate monarch, sucking on what appear to be lollipops in order to provide DNA samples. One of the descendants is described as a sixteenth generation relative, which really puts the researchers for the TV programme “Who Do You Think You Are” in the shade.

In saying that, the experts are “increasingly hopeful”, giving us a big clue that we could be on to something here. It appears to be a well documented fact that Richard III had a hunchback condition, and it has been confirmed that the skeleton is of a man suffering from scoliosis or curvature of the spine. A barbed iron arrow head in the area of the spine is another interesting discovery, once again fitting in with well known historical facts.

In the event of all of this leading to a satisfactory conclusion, then it is likely that he will be buried in Leicester Cathedral, quite a coup for the local tourist industry. In a written reply to a question posed by Barnsley MP Dan Jarvis, Justice Minister Helen Grant said "My Department issued a licence to exhume human remains which could be those of Richard III.

“Remains have now been exhumed and archaeologists are currently carrying out tests to determine the identity of the remains. Should they be found to be those of Richard III, the current plan is for them to be re-interred in Leicester Cathedral."

Leicester Cathedral first dates back to 1086, with alterations taking place as late as 1867. It holds a Grade II listing and restoration of the tower and spire has taken place over the last ten years, with about a third of the money being donated by English Heritage. In a statement that is deemed to be no more than a formality, the Royal Family have confirmed that they are making no claim to the body, and should identification prove successful, and it looks as though Leicester Cathedral could be the king's final resting place.

If you know your history, you'll probably gather than Richard has had a bit of a bad press over the years, what with the suggestion that he was complicit in the murder of his nephews Edward V and Richard of York, the famous princes in the tower. Shakespeare also gave him a bit of a mauling in the play Richard III (great imagination there). There are however plans afoot to try and clear his bad name, all of which would represent a marvellous month for the much maligned monarch.

Finally, I was chuckling at a final point raised by Joe Ann Ricca, chief executive and founder of the Richard III foundation. "If his remains are really going to be buried in Leicester, we would hope he at least has a traditional Christian service," she said.

"But it's kind of a monstrous act when you know that the former king of England had expressed the desire and a wish to be buried at York Minster."

Anything is better than a car park surely!

Surprise, Surprise. Men And Women Think Differently!

It was reported earlier in the weekend that a British Airways survey has shown that 60 percent of women questioned hated surprises and in particular would be horrified if their partner sprung a surprise holiday on them. We asked one of our regular contributors, Rosie Webb, to take a feminine view of this startling revelation. Here is her considered view:

Of course the most fascinating part of the article was hidden away towards the end, where it was pointed out that 40 per cent of women needn't worry at all as “it would never cross their partner's mind to arrange a romantic break”. Phew! Well that's alright then, because I can tell you that I would certainly fall into that category.

With that great weight lifted of my shoulders, I feel that I can view these remarkable revelations from a more neutral standpoint. For example, I would never have to encounter the same horrific scenario that faced Sophie Bailey, 33, from Southampton, whose partner even went as far as packing her case for her. Packing her case! My partner can't find the vacuum cleaner even though he hangs his coat on the handle in the cloakroom, so the chances of him finding my case would be non-existent.

Her partner then compounded his problem by not including her hair straighteners, and there we hit upon what I feel is the fundamental issue here, and that it is the different views that men and women take on the thorny dilemma as to what items constitute “essentials”.

“I don't know what the fuss is all about” opines my partner “I could take all that I need for a weekend away in a carrier bag”. Unfortunately that's true, and probably not one of our better carrier bags either. The trouble is when you have the standards of a road sweeper's arm pit, life becomes so much less complicated.

I'm sorry to say that I fall into the hair straightener camp, and while we are on about it, I bet he's booked up somewhere warm just as the first icy blast hits this country, and all my summer clothes have been put into storage.

The article suggests that women need an average of seven days and eleven hours to prepare for a surprise trip away. And the rest! Colour co-ordination is not part of a man's vocabulary, so he requires no pre-arranged timetable of events. If I say that I need time to get my "roots done", it would probably lead to a question as to why I would need to visit the local garden centre at this particular time.

What standard will I be expected to dress to? Casual, smart casual or dress to kill, comfortable or grin and bear it, flat soles or heels, cooler climate or warmer climate, etc, etc. And don't start me on the question of make up (skin moisturiser for cold weather or sun tan lotion for baking hot). Will I need to take tablets for my various weather induced allergies. Will I be dining with the captain or lounging in some back street taverna. Oh no, no, stop, I'm worn out already, all of a sudden I feel as though I need a holiday.

Finally, the one gripping revelation that made me hoot was the need to re-arrange the work schedule. They obviously don't work with the bunch of clowns that I mix with here at BritBreaks, who know little about the phrase collective responsibility, unless it involves arranging an evening of Pro Evo.

A quarter of women interviewed said that their partner's idea of spontaneity was a take away meal. Lucky them, but I am working on it. Now where did I put that suitcase?

Chances Are That Bond Has Been There Before You

Ever since I found out that the makers of Arabesque starring Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren blew up Crumlin Viaduct in South Wales as part of the plot for that particular film made in 1966, I have been fascinated by the way that locations around Britain have been quite freely used as film settings. What surprises me most is that many of these locations are very well known in their true identity, and yet when see in the context of the film become believable substitutes for the setting that the film director wants to portray.

Some of these places crop up with monotonous regularity. Lacock, the National Trust village in Wiltshire is wheeled out every time that there is a whiff of a costume drama, and the Greenwich Royal Naval College has been used in at least eight films and series since the start of the 21st century, leaving you wondering how they find time to do whatever it is that they do there.

If there is a serial offender as far as films goes, it has to be the James Bond franchise, and with Skyfall already packing them in, what better time to examine where James has already been.

In Die Another Day, he is to be found with the double for Halle Berry who is actually rappelling down the roof of the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The World is Not Enough features the scenic beauty that can only be found in the London Docklands when there is a boat chase involved, starring roles being found for Millwall Inner Dock, Royal Victoria and Tobacco Docks. The start of the boat chase begins at the actual MI6 headquarters, which also appears in Goldeneye, which has Brompton Cemetery doubling as a “Russian” church.

Not satisfied with the appearance of the real MI6 building, The Barbican has to pretend that it is the Secret Service headquarters in A Quantum of Solace. Harking back into the archives and the Sean Connery days, the Saracen's Head at Beaconsfield suffers from a severe case of overacting as the place where Major Derval spends a night in Thunderball.

The College of Arms in London plays itself in On Her Majesty's Secret Service as Bond carries out heraldry research, while Somerset House in London develops a split personality to pretend to be a Russian square in Goldeneye and The Ministry of Defence in Tomorrow Never Dies. This last film makes use of the Brent Cross Shopping Centre, in particular level four of the car park.

One of the most iconic scenes of early Bondery was the time that James and Goldfinger play golf in the film of the same name. This takes place at Stoke Poges Golf Club in Buckinghamshire, and Odd Job, Goldfinger's manservant, decapitates a statue with his reinforced hat, ensuring that the cast and crew are not invited back there in a hurry.

Back to Die Another Day, as well as another appearance for A Quantum of Solace, both of which make use of the Reform Club, which has also wormed itself into other recent films including Sherlock Holmes.

The Old War Office Building in Whitehall earns its spurs three times over, appearing in A View To A Kill, Licence To Kill and Octopussy, while the charms of the Peterborough station on the Nene Valley Railway are displayed as a substitute for a station in Cold War Berlin in the latter of those three.

The architectural masterpiece that is the IBM building in Feltham receives a standing ovation for its sympathetic portrayal as the Hamburg HQ of Elliott Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, while New College Oxford plays to type as Bond sees a language expert in the same film.

Not satisfied with appearing in Eyes Wide Shut and Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Elvedon Hall in Suffolk offers lavish interiors in The Living Daylights, although there are no fond memories for General Pushkin who gets assassinated there. Stonor House in Oxfordshire offers a virtuoso performance as the house that Koskov is abducted from in the same film.

Eilean Donan Castle doubles as Castle Thane in The World Is Not Enough, and at the same time RAF Heywood switches nationalities to become the American Air Base Felstadt in Germany in Octopussy.

You will perhaps need to suspend your powers of belief to see Epsom Race Course as St. Petersburg Airport in Goldeneye, but it just about pulls it off, while Penbryn in West Wales gamely recovers from being the setting for a bit of “hows your father” between Bond and Jinx (Halle Berry) in Die Another Day.

Malaysia House in Trafalgar Square becomes Universal Exports in The Living Daylights, and Stowe School is a funeral type setting in The World Is Not Enough. The Langham Hotel in London still has a fit of the vapours after being draped in Russian flags during Goldeneye, and St. Giles Church, Stoke Poges is said to be the resting place of Tracy Di Vicenzo-Bond in For Your Eyes Only. The North Thames Gas Works surpasses itself with a guest appearance in the same film.

Go back in time to see the appearance of the Princess Margaret Hovercraft at Gosport, Hampshire which illuminates Diamonds Are Forever, so far back in time in fact that it now proudly stands in the Hovercraft Museum. “M” would be delighted to know that he/she (Bernard Lee or Judi Dench) lives in a splendid Thames-side mansion at Marlow as seen in Her Majesty's Secret Service, and RAF Northolt which is an airfield, thinly disguises itself as two other airfields in Goldfinger and Octopussy.

By some miracle Ascot Race Course becomes Ascot Race Course in A View To A Kill, while Count Lippe meets his end at Silverstone Race Track in Thunderball. Finally the West Coast of Scotland played host to a motor boat chase in From Russia with Love.

And what about Skyfall I hear you cry. Well I understand that Glencoe in Scotland makes a guest appearance along with several London venues. Have fun trying to spot them.

Not Long Left To Catch The Blackpool Illuminations

How time flies. It was actually on the 31st August that members of Team GB switched on the famous illuminations this year. At that time, we were promised a fabulous 66 days until the end of the display on the 4th November.

Now here we are, coming to the end of October and the 4th November end date is approaching fast. Kids of all ages love this wonderful spectacle and as usual there are great deals to be had on accommodation and entertainment at this most popular of coastal resorts.

Set out below are the times for the final run in of this year's display:-

Wednesday 24th October: 6:30pm - 10:30pm
Thursday 25th October: 6:30pm - 10:30pm
Friday 26th October: 6:15pm - 12am
Saturday 27th October: 6:15pm - 12am
Sunday 28th October: 5pm - 11pm
Monday 29th October: 5pm - 11pm
Tuesday 30th October: 5pm - 11pm
Wednesday 31st October: 5pm - 11pm
Thursday 1st November: 5pm - 11pm
Friday 2nd November: 5pm - 12am
Saturday 3rd November: 5pm - 12am
Sunday 4th November: 5pm - 11pm

http://www.visitblackpool.com/illuminations

Notorious Newquay Lobster Gets Into The Halloween Spirit

And you thought that only humans got excited about Halloween! Straight from the “they couldn't make it up department”, a one clawed lobster who is a recent addition to the residents of the Blue Reef Aquarium at Newquay, has startled everyone by changing overnight to a rather fetching pale blue colour.

He has only been at the Aquarium for about eight months, having been donated by local fishermen, and appears to have molted to show his new colours in time for the end of the month frolics. Jenni Smith, spokesman for the Aquarium, seemed to be suggesting that the dramatic change was purely co-incidental.

"It's certainly not an albino lobster and, although it was a paler than normal, it wasn't until it molted that we really saw it in its true colours. "Although it probably wouldn't do it many favours out in the wild, the lobster's shell really makes it stand out in its new display and it's safe from the unwanted attentions of any would-be predators."

She added: "It's particularly timely to have such a ghostly new addition to the aquarium in the run-up to Halloween and it will join our other spooky residents including our shoal of ghost cardinals and giant batfish in the main ocean display."

Apparently, lobsters are some of the oldest inhabitants of the planet, and excellent specimens can live for about fifty years. This molting, or shedding of the hard outer covering can happen up to four or five times a year until they are fully grown.

http://www.bluereefaquarium.co.uk/newquay.htm

The Vikings are Back, and There's Bound to be Fireworks

Any sensible person would know that you get involved with Vikings as little as possible. What with all that raiding and pillaging, there's always trouble when they are around. It seems to be a lesson that the organisers of the annual firework display at Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire have failed to learn, because once again they have invited them to the festivities, regardless of the consequences.

Having seen off Jack The Ripper last weekend, and girding their loins to rip into Halloween at the end of the month, they obviously feel that they are on a roll, and the Vikings are scheduled to make their appearance on two of the three nights that the displays take place. They even call the event “Vikings and Fireworks” so there is nothing like meeting the enemy head on!

The entertainment takes place on the three nights, namely Friday 2nd November, Saturday 3rd November and Sunday 4th November. Friday and Saturday nights the gates open at 6pm, with the Vikings expected to show up at about 7.30 with fireworks soon after.

The third night, on Sunday 4th November is said to be a family night (whether Vikings and families are a good mix I wouldn't like to say!). Designed to make sure that the younger members are tightly tucked up in bed early enough for school the next day, the festivities kick off with gates opening at 3 pm, with the Vikings making their usual rumbustious appearance at 5.30 with fireworks afterwards.

Apparently the Vikings do what they are best at, and this includes a moonlight battle (no sophistication involved), and there is even a Viking funeral planned, although I can't imagine which of the Vikings will volunteer for that privilege.

The castle owners are confident that there will be enough of the castle left to continue with a full programme of events between now and Christmas, and it's worth having a little peek at their web site at http://www.tutburycastle.com.

From Quiet Hamlet To Famous Shipyard And Back Again

While travelling around the south coast, it is easy to miss a quaint little hamlet on the Beaulieu River called Buckler's Hard. It sits very quietly on the western bank of the river, a couple of miles down stream from the village of Beaulieu itself, and is part of the Beaulieu estate that runs to some 9,000 acres.

When first constructed in Georgian times, probably sometime about 1720 it was to be called Montagu Town, as a mark of respect to John Montagu, the Second Duke of Montagu, and the intention was that it would used as a free port to trade with the West Indies, with the import of sugar a top priority.

It was planned that it should have an eighty foot wide street suitable for festivals and markets, although as unsettled times made the country suspicious of the intentions of our international neighbours, it was readily seen that the plentiful supply of timber from the nearby New Forest would make Buckler's Hard ideal as a place to build ships.

It opened as a civilian shipyard in the 1740's with Henry Adams, a Master shipbuilder in control. The first warship built there was the 24 gun HMS Surprise. As the eighteenth century passed, the shipyard was responsible for building more and bigger warships, three of which, the Swiftsure, the Agamemnon and the Euryalus served under Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Indeed Nelson was the captain of the Agamemnon in 1793, and the announcement of his death at the Battle of Trafalgar was written on board the Euryalus.

The Adams shipbuilding dynasty had moved into the building of merchant ships and cutters, but by the 1850's the ship building business was in decline, and the future of the area and the river was to be one based on the leisure industries.

There was a return to importance during the Second World War when the area was responsible for building and repairing motor torpedo boats, as well as the construction of the floating Mulberry harbours used in the D-Day Normandy Landings. Sir Francis Chichester began and ended his single handed voyage around the world in Gypsy Moth IV at Buckler's Hard.

Since 1963, there has been an impressive museum at Buckler's Hard, set amongst the original Georgian buildings. Life size models and background soundtracks combine to tell the story of the area, and the home of Henry Adams, the Master shipbuilder is now an atmospheric inn, naturally called the Master Builder's. The then Princess Mary was a visitor during the Cowes Regatta Week of 1920.

All in all, a first class day out, plenty of fresh air and a quality history lesson.

Fairytale Castle has Fairytale Setting

With the half term holiday slowly creeping up on the horizon, it may be time to start thinking about where to take the kids for a day out. The weather can sometimes be disappointing, and so an internal venue is preferable, and it must be something to entertain them, but at the same time be cheap (well, Christmas is coming up!)

I know, what about a castle! Yes, I know, they are mostly ruins, certainly out of doors, and once they've seen one pile of stones, they will quickly get bored. But what if I could introduce you to a castle with a roof, a drawbridge, nice warm souvenir shop, a cosy cafe to have a quick nibble, and a number of rooms for them to explore.

Not very likely I hear you say. But, ladies and gentlemen, (pause for drum roll), I give you ….. Castell Coch, the only two bedroomed detached castle in Britain. You'll need to get to Tongwynlais, a little village that steadfastly refuses to be engulfed by the northern suburbs of Cardiff, but if you can get there, the word fairytale will not be far from your lips.

Castell Coch, or “Red Castle” if you prefer, is in fact something of a folly, taking the form of a nineteenth century Gothic Revival. There has, indeed, been a castle on the site for many years, probably dating back to the thirteenth century, but what you will see today is the result of a collaboration between John Crichton-Stuart, the Third Marquess of Bute and his architect, William Burges. Some more of their work is available to view, with the equally impressive and much larger Cardiff Castle.

The site was cleared in 1871, with work delayed until 1875 because of the heavy financial burden resulting from the work at Cardiff Castle. Despite the fact that it would never see battle (Victorian England had moved on slightly), a drawbridge was incorporated and “murder holes” to pour boiling oil.

The standard of the internal work is such that it continued for a further ten years after the death of William Burges in 1881. The castle is nowadays in the care of Cadw, and it holds a Grade I listing. Not surprisingly, it has appeared on film and television with regularity as a setting, most recently in Robin Hood, and two episodes of Doctor Who.

Ladies Who Did More Than Just Lunch – Mrs. Ronald Greville D.B.E.

I was carrying out research on Polesdon Lacey, the magnificent Edwardian house and estate that is to be found in Surrey. The research was for an article on National Trust properties, and my research introduced me to a rather remarkable lady, who was born Margaret Helen Anderson, and by marriage became Mrs. Ronald Greville As you will see below, hers is a quite remarkable tale, and encouraged me to consider writing an intermittent series of blogs and articles centering on ladies of strength and character, who defied the conventions of their respective times and became successful in a male dominated environment.

Having stumbled on Mrs. Greville, it would seem churlish not to start with her story. Her progress through life was not helped by an inauspicious start, being born illegitimately to Helen Anderson and William McEwan in 1863. One important card fell Margaret's way, however, and that was the fact that her father was a multimillionaire, part of the McEwan's brewing family, who still produce beer in Edinburgh today, under the Scottish and Newcastle umbrella.

At the time of Margaret's birth, her mother was still married to her husband, William Anderson, and it was for this reason that young Margaret took the family surname. William Anderson was employed as a porter at the McEwan's brewery, and upon his death in 1885, William McEwan did the honourable deed and married Helen.

It sounds as though William McEwan was far from being an absentee father, and displaying the strength of character and purpose that would mark out her later life, Margaret took more than a passing interest in her father's business. She fully immersed herself in all aspects, and through her own expertise was awarded a seat on the board.

Margaret managed another shrewd move on her path up the social ladder, when, in 1891 at the age of 28, she married the Hon. Ronald Henry Fulke Greville, eldest son of the 2nd Baron Greville (why settle for less!). He is described as “charmingly unambitious” and the strong willed Margaret was able to delightfully control the way that the marriage worked. Through family connections, Margaret or Maggie as she also became known, was introduced to King Edward VII, who together with his favourite, Alice Keppel, was entertained at the Greville's beautiful London home.

Also becoming a close friend of Queen Mary, Maggie was now at the pinnacle of London society. The final piece of the jigsaw was the purchase of Polesdon Lacey with its fabulous South Downs views. When they carried out extension works, the Grevilles ensured that there was an extra suite of rooms for Edward VII.

Tragically, Ronald died prematurely in 1908, and because he predeceased his father, he never ascended to the peerage. They were childless, with suggestions that Maggie had not had children as it would interfere with her socialising. Upon Ronald's death she threw herself into her social life, travelling widely and entertaining lavishly for the best part of the next thirty years. She was created a Dame Commander of The Order of The British Empire in 1922.

She undoubtedly divided opinion, but remained close to royalty, and indeed the future King George VI and his wife, Princess Elizabeth (we know her these days as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother), spent part of their honeymoon at Polesdon Lacey. Whereas, there were those in polite society who found her difficult to like, she was supposedly very faithful to her staff, including a couple of butlers, who were occasionally the worse for wear.

As with many other like minded people, Maggie unfortunately became obsessed with Nazism, and sought and gained an audience with Hitler, which left her, according to reports as “delighted”. This did however serve to make her less popular. Her last appearance in society was as she was recovering from pneumonia, and not to be deterred she was transported up the stairs in a wheelchair, being described in reports as “an august presence”.

She died in September 1942, appropriately at the Dorchester Hotel, and is buried at her beloved Polesdon Lacey. In her will which was valued at about £1.5 million, she left the majority of her jewellery to The Queen Mother, plus a sum of £20,000 to Princess Margaret. In visiting the house, which is now in the care of the National Trust, you are surrounded by mementos of her life, together with many of the items that she purchased on her travels.

The present Duchess of Cornwall (formerly Camilla Parker-Bowles) has been seen wearing the Greville tiara and diamond necklace that was part of the gift to the Queen Mother, and so Maggie still lives on.

Maggie will be remembered as a faithful friend to those that she accepted, with less appreciative people calling her snobbish, vulgar, shrewd and extremely rich. What cannot be denied however, is that despite her unfortunate start in life, Maggie took full advantage of the important cards that fell her way, and through her own determination and strength of character, made a success of her life. Find time, if you can, to visit Polesdon Lacey, because her character is still deeply embedded in the house.

There Could Be Tricky Moments In Blackpool This Halloween

Halloween is always a time for any self respecting person to be on their guard, with legions of witches suddenly appearing like flying ants on that one day in the year. While the younger members of the family marvel at the spooky light from a hollowed out pumpkin and hold bright sparklers as a practice run for Guy Fawkes Night five days later, bigger folk run the gauntlet of trick or treat, and wisely keep a lid on the mother in law jokes.

One place where your nerves will be tested to the limit this year is the at the Blackpool Tower Dungeon where, I am reliably informed, a new and rather tricky character could be making his debut.

Described by the web site as “stepping out of the shadows and into the murky limelight” will be none other than The Trickster. Said to be bringing a new dimension to the art of Trick or Treat, the Tower owners confidently expect the Trickster to be in occupation from the 1st of October through to the 4th of November. We are told to expect him to delight in offering surprises ranging from a terrible torture to a sweet treat as he lurks around corners to surprise, frighten and delight you. He is said to be eagerly awaiting the opportunity to practice his dark arts at the original Home of Halloween.

It may be the best part of the month before Halloween itself, but it is hoped that he will be in occupation soon, and it will get busy, mark my words. If you want to check on things contact the Dungeon on 0871 222 9928 or take a look at http://www.the-dungeons.co.uk/blackpool/en/index.htm.