Why

I had cause this week to consider my ‘Why’. Have you ever done that? Thought about just why you were doing what you are doing or what is driving you to get where you are going?

As a writer I often think about what motivates me to do the things I do. As a room guide at Packwood it’s also my job to interpret the house and its contents, much of this is made easier when you have a better understanding of the motivations of Baron Ash.

Packwood is the realisation in bricks, stained glass and tapestry of one man’s dream. As the house concisely reminds us he had a very clear vision about what he wanted and where this idea of his was going. It is a house of ambition, of a new era and a new time in our social history. When you, our treasured visitors ask me about the sometimes seemingly random aspects of the house (the tiny chairs or the dolls in glass cabinets) I find that giving you a sense of the man rather than the object itself makes far more sense. There is a need for a 'conceptualised view' after all you are visiting one mans home.

However I find it hard to believe that everything in this place arrived at the ‘concept stage’. I don’t believe Baron Ash sat down with his architect and imagined this space exactly as we see it today. He allowed the process and his own taste and eye for the curious and the beautiful to shape the house that we share with you today. He took what was there, what was available (to buy/conserve/restore) and what he wanted and went to work.

Because Isn't that the fun part? To have a project you feel passionately about and to work with an expert who can help craft your ideas into a reality, to have a clear plan for parts of the journey and then to allow the process to open up new ideas for you.

I promised that this post would be a thank you to the visitors I met this Sunday and it is. I had a difficult week this week and rocking up for volunteering on Sunday I was feeling a little bit like I was getting back on a horse that the day before had slung me off and into the dirt. That said there was no way I was going to let a little knock in self esteem come between me and being somewhere I loved, talking with you guys.

As always you made my day. As much as I love sharing stories with you about the rooms or our 'royal visitor' I learn so much from hearing your stories too! On Sunday I met a man who’d entirely restored his 14^th Century home; we talked floorboards! Another couple work with the team in Bath Pump Rooms & Assembly Rooms and we discussed visitor engagement vs conservation and the challenges and opportunities facing our heritage sites. I also met with a number of families with fantastically inquisitive kids all asking the age old question “Why ARE the beds so small?” **if you want to know (the real answer) come ask a room guide! I’ll give you a clue we weren't all THAT much smaller in ‘ye olden days!’**

Before I knew it the day was over and I was driving home, massive smile on my face, counting down the days to Sunday again. I seem to have spent the last 30 years working out where I fit in the world…and now I'm trying to do it all over again within an organisation! I'm working on marrying what I love, with what I do best while making the most out of both.

None of you knew how much waving to me in the car park or saying ‘You are not the average room stalker’ (a compliment I was assured!? – based on my enthusiasm for Packwood) made a difference to me that day. It is a truism that what you put in, you really do get back. It really bought it home to me that it's my engagement with you visitors that allows me to be part of the bigger picture in National Trust terms. Shared values about enjoying, sharing and protecting these special places 'Forever For Everyone'. 

So I'm going to follow in the footsteps of my ‘boss’ (Baron Ash) and have a dream and be passionate, work hard and see where it takes me. In a house so rich with ambition and the fulfilment of dreams I am perfectly placed don’t you think? Maybe you too have a kernel of desire for change in your life, perhaps you are starting out on a new journey and you’re not entirely sure about where it’s taking you or what things will look like when you get there.

Perhaps a visit to Packwood House is just what you need…