The Tyntesfield Project

Back in 2006 Tyntesfield House a National Trust property in Wraxall neae Bristol was given  £20 m from the heritage lottery fund to carry out extensive repairs to the house and the estate making it more accesible to the public. The work started in January 2009 and uniquely the house and the estate remained open to the public. The extensive work carried out has involved rewiring the house, putting in a new enviromentally driendly heating system and repairing the roof which had been leaking water and causing damage to the property for a number of years. There was also a lot of conservation work done to the exterior of the house.

Because of this work for the last eighteen months the house has been buried under scaffolding, however the scafolding has now come down and i wait with anticipation to see if all this work is an improvement on the mansions  former glory. First time visitors to the house in the last eighteen months have either been fascinated to see the repairs taking place or been dissapointed that they could not appreciate the architectural splendour of this neo gothic masterpiece. My advice to them is go again late this summer . Here is a taste of what it looked like before the work judge for yourself when you go about the improvements

George The sixth and the kings speech

King George the sixth

I have not seen the movie the King's Speech  yet but apparently it is a moving portrayal of the kings battle to overcome his nervous speech impediment with the help of his speech therapist Lionel Logue. Apparently it is a success with Colin Firth who plays the King already recieving a golden globe and the film has the most nominations for this years baftas. Another attraction to see the film is the fact that Geofrey Rush plays the King's speech therapist. I was very impressed with his performance as Walsingham in the 2000 film Elizabeth.

However the fact that it is supposed to be a good movie is only one reason to want to see it.My understanding of this King's reign was that he never expected to be king and was a reluctant monarch.

His elder brother and natural heir Edward the 8th abdicated because of  his marriage to the twice divorced American socialite Walis Simpson leaving Albert Frederick Arthur George in the unexpected position of having to become the ruling monarch, My understanding of the character of George the sixth was that he was a highly strung and nervous individual. He had to adjust to the role of monarch and then in a short time had to deal with the fact that Britain was at war with nazi Germany. With the support of his wife Elizabeth - Bowes Lyon( the present Queen's mother) he became an inspiration to the nation in the way he dealt with the crises.
In september 1940  a bomb landed and exploded in the courtyard at Buckingham palace and the King and Queen narrowly escaped with their lives, they refused to leave the royal residence and visited the bomb hit areas of London and other cities to boost morale. During this period the King worked extremely hard to lift the the people in their darkest period in recent history. He had to adress the nation on many ocassions and deal with the anxiety caused by his stutter.He also formed a strong relationship with that other war time heroes such as the prime minister Winston Churchill and they met every tuesday during the war to discuss the progress in the war..

Many people believe that the Kings death in 1952 was a result of the stress incurred during the 2nd world as from 1940 up until Pearl Harbour, Britain stood alone in its defiance of the German enemy.

So i haven't seen the film yet but i will do. Isn't it refreshing that the film focuses on a King who despite his inadequacies united  and boosted the morale of  the nation and people. The film may not focus on the 2nd world war but isn't it worth reflecting that with out this British stiff upper lip our nation could have been slaves to an evil fascist power.

This is Britains past and history and i often think about all the money and investment that goes in to talking down this nation and its empire legacy why dont these people focus on what is great about our past. An historian recently said to mr everybody knows about the 2nd world war my answer is do they?

Literary Heritage & Censorship



Next month a new edition of the adventures of Huckleberry Finn is being published. This book has always been surrounded by controversy and is the fourth most banned book in US schools because of its racially charged content and in particular for use of the N word. The decision to create a new version was made by Alan Gribben of Auburn University who is editing the book for Alabama based New South. Mark Twain is considered a literary genius and his books were written in a different century. Many people are critical of this censorship and sanitisation of the past. My own thought are that history should not be censored  but should reflect the thinking and actions of people of the time warts and all because only then can school children learn about the past however unsatisfactory and thoroughly racist it was.History and the times can not be rewritten

however unsavoury and racist it might seem

Downton Abbey

The National Trust is often criticised for its sentimental and sanitised interpretations of its great country estates. But dont the public love this sort of thing look at the success of the ITV television production of Downton Abbey. The television series that was partly filmed at High Clere Castle in Hampshire has been the most succesful British period drama since B rideshead revisited.



Tyntesfield in The snow

A picture of Tyntesfield taken in the really bad weather