Well hello and happy Tuesday to you all, I trust you all had
a marvellous weekend and enjoyed bringing in BST and Mothers day with some
gorgeous weather! I can’t seem to find the words to convey just how excited and
proud I was this particular Sunday; as for me along with it being a jolly
special day for all it was my first day as a Room Guide at Packwood!
As you will be aware this blog was started as a way to share
that experience with you and to give you a ‘volunteers eye view’ of this
special property (hint for you there is almost always cake in view…it really is
how you imagine it to be) marvellous! I will tell you ‘my’ story of the house
but as for the house’s many stories, well that will require a visit!
As you may have seen I had been doing a little swotting up
in readiness (didn't even touch the sides!) I even had my husband testing me on
Friday night - he’s a tough marker incidentally and if I got a date wrong would
exclaim “Come on you should know this!” Harsh.
Fortunately the other volunteers were more understanding about learning
as I went along!
When I arrived I met with Jane and we ‘opened up the house’.
To see the property in such an intimate way and to go round ‘waking her up’ was
such a wonderful experience. I say this and yet she clearly hasn't warmed to me
yet (some of the blinds need an expert hand – which I certainly do not have as
yet!) Opening curtains and winding clocks Jane moved around with a loving
fluidity and a keen eye for detail, I was reminded gently I should leave things
looking as Baron Ash would have wanted them (in other words neat and tidy!)
Basically once I think it’s tidy enough, do it again!
Volunteers are grouped in ‘Days’ each with a Day Leader who
hosts a morning briefing and allocates volunteers to their various posts
throughout the day. Break times (or as I like to call them cake times) are also
given and cover provided.
I started in Queen Margaret’s Bedroom (named for the bed
after Baron Ash acquired it at auction) along with the wall coverings known as
‘poor mans tapestries’; these are painted canvas but to my mind (and eye)
easily as beautiful. Each room has a folder containing information about the
room and each of the pieces within. I can tell you these folders were referred
to by me as ‘The Oracle’ and were consulted on a regular basis! I also learned
a great deal from the other volunteer room guides. They are a fantastic bunch
of seriously knowledgeable people!
After the first cake break I went up into the Fetherston room. This room, previously Baron Ash’s bedroom currently holds a display from
the weavers guild Stratford Upon Avon Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers This room has an interesting display of textiles, natural dyes and weaving
looms with a loom ‘in progress’ as they complete a section of a replica of one
of the tapestries at Packwood. There are some smaller looms for people to get
involved and have a go at weaving themselves. I must confess I was in my
element in this room! As a keen crafter just being around textiles and raw wool
makes me happy (no honestly!?) I lost an hour up there getting children (and ‘grown-ups’)
all excited about weaving. One father was so amazed at his particularly hectic
little boy sitting quietly for so long with such intense concentration he
promised to make him a loom when they got home! I am assured the boy will make
an expert weaver!
My final room was the downstairs drawing room. Another
interesting room it houses Queen Mary’s teacup amongst other beautiful objects.
I chatted to a lot of visitors in this room, it was lovely to see people really
interested and inspired by the mixture of elements to the house and wanting to
know more about the man who bought it all together.
As expected whilst the place is a dream and the other
volunteers a delight it really was the interactions with you, the visitors that
made my day. It was so lovely seeing little children’s faces light up when they
spotted their hunted for Dalmatian (there are several hidden throughout the
house for children to spot!) or having a laugh with a Scottish family out for
mothers day – Mum I hope he did buy you that cake after he was so rude about
you incidentally! Hearing peoples stories about why Packwood is special to them
made me feel quite at home even if I was ‘consulting the oracle’ a little
often. Sometimes listening is more important than sharing a thousand facts.
Baron Ash I hope I did you justice for my first day. I was as
always sad to leave and eager to return and in the meantime I shall enjoy my
‘further reading’!
And here's a few photo's from that beautiful sunny day...have we tempted you yet?
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