The Leeds Club & William Hey - A Brief History

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BUILDING AND ITS FOUNDER, WILLIAM HEY
BY CRAIG OWEN LEWIS

“It was resolved that in the opinion of the meeting it is expedient to establish a Club in Leeds to be called The Union Club on the principle of those which now exist in some of the large towns in England."

Notes from the inaugural meeting , 23rd March 1849

          Number 3 Albion Place started life in 1820, erected by the prominent Leeds surgeon, William Hey, as residences for his son and grandson. In 1849, when the Leeds Club was founded, gardens and fields bordered Albion Place and the house of William Hey was the only significant building. By the mid 1800’s, 3 Albion Place had been split in to two houses owned by a Mr Martin, which were firstly leased and then, in 1861, purchased by the Leeds Club for the sum £5,300 – a princely £563,000 in today’s money. There then followed various proposals to improve the site and, following a building project, the alterations were reported as complete at the AGM in January 1864.

"The labours have been great and the result of them has provided one of the best club houses in the country." 

Notes from the minutes of the AGM, 1864

          William Hey served as Mayor of Leeds twice during his life, in 1787-1788 and 1802-1803. He was a devoutly religious man, which was something that had been instilled in him since a young child. This influenced his stance on public morals and his policies during his time as Mayor. For example, he campaigned to ban public drinking and swearing. These strict morals weren’t readily accepted by the general population, however, and it made him quite unpopular as a result. So much so, in fact, that it was known for effigies of him to be burnt in the streets in protest.

“Dear Sir;

I hope you will excuse me for mentioning to you , that, in the conversation which we had this morning, on an important political subject, you repeatedly used the sacred name of the Almighty as a mere expletive, -- (Good God!) And allow me to submit to your consideration, whether such a use of that name is not forbidden by the Third Commandment.

I am yours, respectfully,

William Hey”

This letter was written by William Hey to, assumedly, a colleague or peer. A great example of the seriousness in which he took his faith – and to what degree he expected others to whilst in his presence.

William Hey  (23rd August 1736 - 23 March 1819) - founder of 3 Albion place, the site of The Leeds Club. He was a prominent Leeds surgeon and philanthropist. Here you can clearly see the wound that afflicted his right eye which was the result of a pen knife injury that occurred when he was a child. He is seen here clutching the Holy Bible, which, given his firm religious beliefs, is no surprise. The view from the window is also evidence of how green and spacious this part of Leeds was at the turn of the 19th century. The view is probably from his house located two doors up from The Leeds Club at number 1 Albion Place. The engraving dates to 1816.

       

This portrait by William Allen was commissioned in 1816, around the same time as the bust of him below was created. He is seen to be examining a child from the estate of Harewood, who has a broken clavicle. The lady pictured is Lady Harewood of Harewood House, who is supposedly bringing him the child to test his reputation for treating every patient equally, regardless of social standing or class.

This bust of William Hey, commissioned by his close friend Mr Armley, was commissioned a few years before he died at the age of 83. It was sculpted by George Bullock, sculptor and cabinet maker of Liverpool in roughly 1815. In 'The Life of William Hey' (1822), it is noted that "Mr. Gott was desirous of possessing a bust of Mr. Hey, but had some fears that he might not obtain the object of his wishes if he allowed his friend time for deliberation. The late Mr. Bullock, an artist of eminence, was introduced to Mr. Gott, who said, in an easy and familiar manner, to Mr. Hey, 'I shall be obliged to you if you will permit the gentleman who is with me to take a cast of you; come, sit down, it shall be done now; it will require a few minutes only.' No time being allowed to Mr. Hey for consideration, the cast was taken...". 

"[The Leeds Club is] conveniently situated in Albion-Place, Albion Street, and contains handsome coffee, smoking and dining rooms, drawing or reading, and writing rooms, spacious billiard room, excellent kitchens, lavatory, bedrooms, bathrooms etc, and is beautifully furnished and decorated, but still it has an air of domestic comfort, whilst it may almost vie with any club house out of London. This institution is found to be very convenient to the gentry of the neighbourhood, who have occasion to visit Leeds, and is also much frequented by the merchants, and professional gentlemen of the town."

In 'An historical guide to Leeds and its environs; with a plan, etc', written by T Fenteman & Sons in 1858, The Leeds Club is described as being 'beautifully furnished and decorated'.

          There are many things that make the Leeds Club building a beautiful example of Georgian architecture. For example, the great staircase that dominates the heart of the building, topped in a gilded glass dome sky-light. However, some features are particularly special. In The Leeds Room, for example, are two marble fireplaces which, whilst quite possibly original to the building, certainly date to at least 1834. Adorning the top of the fireplace underneath the mantelpiece is a crest which, at first glance, is identical that of Leeds city council. However, it is missing a very familiar addition to today’s coat of arms – that is, the owls which are seated both either side and above the coat of arms are missing. This is because the familiar Leeds owls haven’t always been part of the city’s coat of arms. They were only added in 1835. This makes the fireplaces in the Leeds Room some of the most unique, important and possibly oldest, in Leeds. 

The owls, which are familiar today, originate from the coat of arms of Sir John Savile who was appointed the first Alderman of Leeds by Charles I in 1626. The three stars are taken from the coat of arms of Sir Thomas Danby who was the first Mayor of Leeds, under Charles II, in 1661. The sheep being weighed is reference to the woollen industry which was one of the main industries that made early Leeds prosper. The motto, "Pro Rege Et Lege", is latin for "For King and the law". Its motto is similar to the original used by the Australian capital of Canberra which was granted its own arms in 1928. 

          One of the most iconic symbols of the Leeds Club is without doubt our stunning chandeliers. These dominate most of the ground floor of the building and really give a sense of the kind of atmosphere that would have permeated the gentleman’s club in its heyday. All together there are 8 chandeliers and 3 wall sconces totalling 130 light bulbs. Even today candles aren’t incredibly cheap. Imagine over 100 candles being burnt on a daily basis. Only the best was provided for the social elite of Leeds.

The chandelier in the foyer of The Leeds Club building. Whilst the chandelier itself is easily appreciated, the plaster medallion which it hangs from is equally as pleasing to the eye.

          When you walk in to the Leeds Club foyer you are greeted, not only by these shimmering chandeliers, but also by a colourful mosaic tiled floor paired with Corinthian gilded columns adorned with gold leaf. The most amazing thing about the floor is that it was rediscovered whilst renovation work was carried out in the beginning of the millennium. It had been covered, and as such preserved, under an old red carpet. Today it has been restored and returned to its former glory for all guests and visitors to appreciate. 

The Corinthian columns are another attractive feature of The Leeds Club foyer. The Corinthian style is considered to be the most decorative form of Graeco-Roman architecture. These columns, and the friezes above them, are similar to those at the Parthenon in Greece. This style of architecture was very popular in the late 1700's and early to mid 1800's. Particularly, the contrast of pastel colours, such as the green of the columns, against more bold colours, such as the real gold leaf.

This sketch, based on a section of
The Pantheon, in Rome, is evidence of
the influence that Graeco-Roman
architecture had on The Leeds Club
building, and the styles of the era.

As well as all these attractive features, the Leeds Club building also boasts the oldest toilets in Leeds. The Gentleman’s cloak room is fitted with original mahogany toilet seats, marble urinal divides and sinks, a fire place, and other features such as shoe shining facilities. These are all legacies of the old English Gentleman’s club. Ladies unfortunately don’t have similar luxuries, with their toilets being modern installations added at a much later date. Originally, The Leeds Club would have had a variety of rooms suited for different purposes including coffee, smoking and dining rooms, a billiard room, bedrooms and a ballroom. Only a few of these rooms are still recognisable today. However, many of their original features remain. With 13 rooms available in total, 5 of which are fully modernised, the most popular use of the venue today is for wedding receptions and business meetings and conferences. Since The Leeds Club reopened its doors to the public in 2013, it has gained a new lease of life and enjoys business from all over the country. Although sad that The Leeds Club is no longer a gentleman’s club, in order to preserve the fabric of the building, opening it to the general public means that now everyone has the pleasure of enjoying the beautiful surroundings within. It also gains the crucial revenue that is needed to help preserve The Leeds Club for hopefully another 150 years and in to the future.

Conservation Cleaning

     As part of my role as a Conservation Assistant, the majority of my work involves a variety of different types of cleaning. 

     There are two main types of conservation that are used within historic houses such as Basildon Park. They are preventative and restorative. The bulk of what I do here at Basildon is classed as preventative conservation. This involves cleaning and caring for the vast array of objects and materials within the houses collection to ensure that their condition is maintained intact for as long as possible. For example, a few weeks ago it was decided that it would be a good idea, as the house was relatively quiet, to start a clean on the various ceramics in the house. In the case of cleaning ceramics it isn't just as simple as sticking them in a bowl of warm soapy water and cleaning them with a sponge. Rather, we need to lay out all our equipment in advance and painstakingly clean each piece by hand. 

     Firstly, we need to clear a large work space such as the large table that we have in our conservation room. Next, we put down a layer of bubble wrap, followed by a layer of wax paper to create a soft surface for the ceramics, in case they are dropped whilst cleaning (it happens!). We then have a bowl of filtered water, a bowl of water with mild detergent, a bag of cotton buds and a pile of long kebab skewers. 

     If a piece is made of more than one part, for example a soap dish with a lid and drainage bowl, we take care to ensure that we carry each piece individually to the work surface. This is to ensure that if there was an accident and the piece was dropped, then only one part of the whole piece would be damaged, as opposed to the whole piece. 

     We then examine the piece to see if there are any cracks, chips, loss of glazing etc, that should be taken in to consideration when cleaning, and for the condition report that is written after cleaning each piece. Using the kebab skewers and the cotton wool, we carefully twist the cotton wool around the skewer to create a long cotton wool bud. This helps us to get in to the difficult places, ensuring an even clean. We soak the cotton bud in to the detergent, straining it of any excess moisture, and start to clean the piece. This is the long and boring bit, as some of the larger pieces can take quite some time. After this has been done, we then repeat the process using the filtered water. 

     Finally, when the piece is clean and dry, we write out our condition reports. I personally find this bit really difficult as we are expected to sketch the piece we have cleaned, and I am a terrible artist! We make sure to list any chips, cracks, loss of glazing etc, on to our diagram to ensure that the next time the piece is cleaned, any deterioration of the item can be easily recognised. 

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Here you can see the tools that I mentioned above. This item came from the Crimson Bedroom and is part of a wash basin, soap dish, water jug and chamber pot. This particular item is a 'slop bucket', which the chamber pot would have been emptied in to before being taken downstairs to be disposed of. The part on the left is an 'anti splash' lid, that ensures that the unlucky person whose job it is to carry the bucket downstairs, isn't splashed with any of the waste contained within. It certainly wasn't a particularly pleasant job, to be sure!

Here you can see me in action, cleaning one of the wash bowls. It is actually a really nice piece, which has been hand painted and is part of a much nicer, larger set. 

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     So far during my time here, I have learned how to clean a variety of materials; metals, ceramics, textiles, gilding, lacquer work, wood. However, the one that I find to be most rewarding to clean is textiles. Once shown how to do this once, I made it my mission to clean as many textiles in the house as I could. And it makes such a massive, visible difference. As part of my training, I was let loose on a George III sofa, which dates from the late 18th century, and is situated in the houses "Sutherland" Room. 

     Similarly to the way we clean ceramics, the first thing we do is prepare our work station in advance, laying out all the tools we need in preparation for the task. In this instance, we need a dust sheet, a vacuum cleaner with adjustable suction, some thin netting, a square wooden frame covered with netting and a flexible netting mat. 

     The vacuum is placed on its lowest suction setting, to ensure that as little disturbance is done to the textile in question, but enough to suck up the dust. The vacuum head has to be covered with some of the thin netting and masking taped in place. This is done to ensure that the vacuum only catches the dust particles and not any stray fibres which may be lose on the surface of the fabric. Similarly, this is why we have the square frame and netting mat. These too also act as an extra barrier between the surface of the textile and vacuum itself. The flexible netting is used on non flat surfaces such as folds and creases.The netting frame is used on items such as cushions. Once everything is in place, you carefully vacuum over the exposed area. Then once that has been done, you can examine the item to see if it should be done again.

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Here you can see myself cleaning the George III sofa using the equipment mentioned above. In this instance, I decided to use the netting mat as it was easier than the frame on this particular surface.

Another photo, again showing the work in progress.

The finished result. After the sofa had been done, all of the sofa cushions were taken off and cleaned as well. The whole sofa took me two days to complete and more than 6 hours of work.

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     I like to place an extra piece of netting between the hoover head and the hoover tube, as then I can remove the head between vacuuming and examine how much dust has been sucked up. It is amazing how much dust can be removed from such a small area. When you look at the item after cleaning, it really is visible just how much difference you have made to it. It is important to keep textiles clean of dust. A lot of dust can begin to weigh down on some of the more fragile fabrics such as curtains or drapes and eventually cause them to tear under their own weight. This type of conservation work ensures that we don't have to call in the restorators too often, although sometimes this can not be avoided as time takes its toll. This is the difference between preventative and restorative conservation.

     As mentioned earlier, there's only so much preventative conservation that can be carried out before a piece needs to be restored. A perfect example of restorative cleaning can be seen in the Crimson Bedroom bedroom in the house, which contains a variety of deep red furnishings, dating from 1829. The set comprises of a bed, curtains, stool, chair and sofa. The bed in particular is one of the best examples of William IV style upholstery and was probably built for royalty by the royal upholsterer George Morant. It has recently been restored fully in 2013, after being in the house since Lady Iliffe purchased it from Ashburnham Place for the grand total of £100! The video below tells you a bit about the bed.

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    So, as you can see, this is just some of the work that I do on a daily basis in the house. I still have a lot to learn, but so far I have enjoyed every single minute of it. It is exactly 4 weeks today until I leave, and I will be so sad to go. When you find a job that you truly love, you never work a day in your life. I hope to find some employment after this that can bring me as much joy as I have heard here these past 8 weeks. I look forward to sharing with you all what is to come.

Until then,

Best wishes,

Craig

Don't Panic!

     Wow, so I can't believe how incredibly busy I have been these past three weeks. It feels like forever since I last wrote in my blog, but I have so much to share with you all. I hope that, now I have access to the internet again (long story), I will take the next couple of days to share with you all my progress and some of the exciting things that have been happening here at Basildon Park. As there is a lot to catch up on, I thought I'd stagger my posts over the coming days until I am up to date with that has been happening.

     I will start with what I think is one of the most exciting things that I've done since I have been here in Basildon. It also comes under the most nerve racking, scary and apprehensive thing I've done since I've been here. Last Wednesday it was sprung upon me that we were to move some paintings in the library in to the conservation room on the top floor. This was in preparation for an examination by an art conservator who was coming to write a report on the condition of the paintings prior to their loan in Versailles at the beginning of next year. When being told this, my mind immediately tried to imagine the library and which paintings were in there, before I realised that they were all really big pictures! I asked Neil and Emma, "Which paintings are we moving exactly?" and they replied, "The two Charles de La Fosse paintings, 'The Rape of Europa' and 'Rinaldo and Armida', the big ones by the entrance". They weren't kidding. These things were huge. They're both an impressive 163.8 by 134.6cm. Logistically, taking them down off of the wall was quite a challenge. It required 5 of us to carry it up the 2 flights of stairs to the conservation room. 

    Firstly,we had to clear our path in preparation for transporting the painting. This involved moving furniture in the library in order to have space to place the ladder near the paintings. We also cleared the staircase hall and made sure the stairs were free. We then lay down a series of dust sheets on the floor directly underneath the painting, as well as ensuring that at least one of us has a steady supply of foam blocks. The foam blocks are used when needing to rest the painting on the ground, or against a wall. (Trust me when I say that these paintings are *heavy* and so the foam blocks saved my back and hands as we took regular breaks in carrying it). When all of that was laid out in preparation, I was responsible for climbing up the ladder, unscrewing the electric light which was fixed to the frame, and then carefully unhooking the painting off its hooks on the wall. I say 'carefully', but that is an understatement. 

     I have never been so careful with anything in all my life. Then came the scary part, which involved carrying it out of the library door, in to the entrance hall, through the door in to the grand staircase hall, up the grand staircase, through the conservation room hall way door, through the conservation room door, and finally on to their pedestals in the conservation room. As the doors were barely much taller than the frames of the paintings, we had to get on our hands and knees to ensure that we didn't knock any of the gold leaf gilding off the frames in the process of moving them. We only knocked one of the paintings once. Luckily, no damage was done at all... except to my nerves as my heart was in my throat! After carrying the first painting to the conservation room, it was then that our House Steward, Neil, informed us of their 6 figure value and 330 year old age. I wish he had saved that until *after* we had taken both paintings upstairs, and not with one left to go!

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Rape of Europa - The scene shows the story of the abduction/rape of Europa. In Greek mythology, Zeus was infatuated with Europa and to get close to her, morphed himself into a tame white bull.Whilst gathering flowers, Europa came across the bull, caressed his flanks and eventually climbed on to his back. Zeus took that opportunity to abduct her and ran to sea, swimming all the way to the island of Crete. It was there that he revealed his true identity and Europa became the first Queen of Crete. Zeus later recreated the shape of the white bull in the stars,which is now known as the constellation Taurus. It is likely that this was painted shortly after  'Rinaldo and Armida' between roughly 1686 and 1702, as a pendant to it.

Rinaldo and Armida - The scene in this painting is taken from the poem by Torquato Tasso, 'Gerusalemme Liberata', which was written in 1574. It shows the abduction of the crusading knight, Rinaldo, by the Saracen witch, Armida. To the left you can just about see a small pillar, upon which was an enchantment which lured him to Armida's island where he was lulled to sleep by a water nymph. Armida emerged with the intent of murdering him, but was instead overwhelmed by his beauty. She then bound him with woodines, lillies and roses, before carrying her away captive in her palace. It is likely that this was painted in France in 1686.

Myself standing next to 'The Rape of Europa' painting. This gives you a better idea of the scale of the painting. The best thing about having them off the wall like this was being given the rare opportunity to examine them up close and to really appreciate them in a different way. It's quite a privilege, really.

Neil, our House Steward, examining our work after taking down the first painting, 'Rinaldo and Armida'. You can see the dust sheets underneath the painting, and it is also resting on foam blocks, to protect the weight of the painting from itself as it sits on the floor. Even getting it off the wall was pretty tiring. And that was the 'easy part'.

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     The next day, they were examined by the art conservator. She is a lady who specialises in art conservation, and works mostly freelance but also for the National Portrait Gallery in London. She examined the paintings under a special light, and ultimately decided that they were probably not suitable for such a long journey as to Versailles. She explained that if they were left on the wall, they would most probably by okay for another few decades. However, if they were to be transported, it would almost certainly need to be relined (which means replacing the canvas on the painting), removing the cracked glaze and recolouring the areas that have faded underneath it, and cleaning the surface of the painting before re glazing it with a modern varnish. This would take an awful lot of work and, ultimately, is in the hands of the gallery in Versailles,as they are the ones who would be paying for the restoration. Why do they pay and not the National Trust? Because as a form of compensation for having to loan the paintings out for such a long time, it is generally agreeable for the other party to pay for any transportation or restoration costs that are needed to be carried out before they are given on loan. This is why it is interest for the National Trust to loan its collections wherever possible.

     They were only off the walls for 24 hours, before we had to do it all in reverse the next day!

     It was by far the most exciting thing I've done since I've been here. I hope there's more to come. That's all for now. I look forward to sharing with you all the rest of my news later in the week.

Until then,

Best wishes,

Craig

Who? What? Where? When?

     If you remember my last post, I mentioned that I have been pretty preoccupied lately with my project work. Well, after working on it for a couple of weeks now, I thought I'd take the chance to share with you all what I have been working on.

     But first, in order to do that, I need to give a brief history of the house and how my project ties in with that history. I think that it's about time I did so, as I have barely mentioned anything about the background of the property I am at, or why I find it so amazing.

     Basildon Park is a grand Georgian mansion, designed in the Palladian architectural style. This took its influence from the classical Greek and Roman temples, and was very keen on the use of symmetry, which is something that is easily seen throughout the house, and indeed, when also viewed from the front of the building as you first approach. It was built between 1776 and 1783 for Sir Francis Sykes, a Yorkshire man who made his fortune at a young age during his time in the East India Company. It was upon his return to England that he commissioned an architect, John Carr of York, to build a home for himself and his family that would also serve as an obvious display of his wealth and status. Unfortunately for him, however, he was to soon face a series of corruption charges against his time in India, and as such many of the rooms in Basildon Park were left unfinished at the time of his death in 1804.

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Basildon Park - As seen in an engraving from 1794, just over a decade after its completion. Based on an artwork by Edward Dayes (1763 - 1804)

Basildon Park - Built in the Paladian style by architect John Carr in 1776. It took its inspiration from the classical Greek and Roman temple buildings, as is obvious from the front of the building. It was also a style obsessed with symmetry, which is also something that can be seen from the front of Basildon.

Tabley House - This house, in Cheshire, was also built in the Palladian style by John Carr. It is very similarly in many ways to Basildon, and gives an example of how similar many of the buildings of this style were.

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     By the time of the 3rd Sir Sykes in 1829, the house was put on the market. It was eventually bought by the Liberal MP James Morrison in 1838. It was Morrison, along with his architect J. B. Papworth, who completed much of the interior of the house, particularly the rooms left unfinished since the time of Sir Francis Sykes. It was to stay in his family throughout the 19th century until the death of Ellen Morrison in 1910. 

    Then came the sad years for Basildon. And not only for Basildon, but for most of the world. By 1914, the Great War had turned Europe upside down and inside out. During this period, the house was used as an army convalescent home, and much of its former grandeur was left looking tired and faded as a result. By 1929 it had been sold to a property speculator, Mr. Ferdinando, who had planned to sell it to America and ship it over brick by brick. Luckily, for the fate of Basildon Park, America was in a time of deep depression, and not even the rich were willing to take on such a massive project. In the mean time, however, Ferdinando saw fit to strip the house of much of its original fireplaces, doors, plasterwork, gilding and anything that was resellable. 

    Then came the Second World War. The house was once again to be used for military purposes, with troops, clerks, labourers and German prisoners of war billeted in and around the house. Indeed, the cabin which I live in, "Ivy Cottage", is the last remaining hut of many which were dotted around the grounds and used to house the German prisoners of war. The house's grounds was used to train and prepare American soldiers for the D-Day landings in Normandy. 

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Basildon Park - The entrance pillars to the house are missing the wrought iron gates that adorned the structure prior to the Second World War. In this photo you can also make out a sign which says "Working Camp". The home was used to house many German POW's who were stationed here even after the war, awaiting to be returned home.

This photo clearly shows the sad state of the house after the Second World War, and the damage that was done under the management of Ferdinando. Many of the windows are smashed, missing or boarded up. Many of the doors are removed. The grounds are overgrown with weeds. In the winter of 1947, the house suffered damage from a major fire on its upper floor, destroying much of the interior of the North wing of the house. The ceiling collapsed in to the room below. Evidence of this fire can still be seen today in the wooden beams of the loft, and the floorboards of the library.

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     And so Basildon was a ruin by the end of the Second World War. The only remnants of its former grandeur being in the obvious size, scale, and design of its facade. And so it would have remained, if it wasn't for Lord and Lady Iliffe. Looking for a new home to start their married life together, they eventually discovered Basildon Park. Having been in Lord Iliffe's Father's ownership for sometime after the war, they decided to purchase the house and restore it to its former glory. This was no easy task, given the post war period of rationing. However, with Lady Iliffe's keen eye for interior design and with many former stately homes being demolished after the Second World War, they were able to furnish it so well that many of the rooms look as though they were original to house itself. 

    Lord and Lady Iliffe lived in the house until they passed away; Lord Iliffe passed in 1996, Lady Iliffe in 2007. They gifted the house to the National Trust in 1978, along with a large endowment, to ensure its future. 

    And so, that brings me on to my project. As much of the house today is on display as it would have been in the time of the Iliffe's after their purchase of the house in the 50's, I have decided to go the other way and use the 18th century kitchen as a way of telling the story of the house I have just told you - the story before the Iliffe's. I have been challenged with making the room that would have been the 18th century kitchen according to Carr's original designs, in to a more presentable, interesting and lively experience for visitors. 

I have decided to concentrate on the lives of the "Downstairs", the servants, butlers, cooks etc, as opposed to the nobility's who took residence there over the past 3 centuries.  

The room at the moment is very dull.

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     As you can see, the space is very cluttered, and has no real organisation or purpose to it at all. It is vaguely a "Kitchen", but needs a lot more work. I am very excited about what I will be doing with this space. I plan to make the experience much more sensory, with sounds and smells. It is a work in progress, and I can't wait to share the finished result with you!

     For now, I have made a map of the ground floor of the house, illustrating just how much of the space would have been used to house the many servants and domestic rooms and out buildings. I will share that with you now as a sneak peek of what is to come.

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My map illustrating how much space was reserved for the many domestic rooms and outbuildings.

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I look forward to sharing with you all my progress on this.

Until then,

Best wishes,

Craig

Want to ask a question?

Just a quick update.

I have enabled comments on all of my posts, as of now. If you have a question about a particular post, would like to find out more about what I do, or about the house I work at, please feel free to post a comment. 

Whilst I will do my utmost to reply to every one, please understand that due to limited internet access, I am only online a few times a week.

I look forward to hearing from you all!

Best wishes,

Craig

Happy Easter...Oh wait, it's over already?

    So Easter is finally over! I say finally as we have received over 4,000 visitors in the past 3 days to the house and grounds. Luckily for me, however, I came away relatively unscathed by the whole experience, having been preoccupied with my project work (more on that later...) I would like to point out that I erroneously wrote in my last post that I was dreading that coming weekend as I mistook it for Easter weekend. (Doh!)

   This week has been quite a strange one, and rather different to what I have done with my time here so far. Monday and Tuesday of last week I received my two day Tour Guide training, courtesy of Neil, one of the house stewards. It's always a pleasure working with Neil as he is one of the few staff to have worked in the house when the Illife's were both still alive. He has some amazing, and often comical, stories of what it was like to have known and worked for them. Having worked at Basildon for over 25 years, Neil is without a doubt one of the most knowledgeable people in the house when it comes to the Illifes. I can see myself being Neil in 25 years time, and would be quite content being so.

    The training consisted of various group activities; drawing a 'perfect' tour guide and labelling him/her with qualities; carrying out a mock tour of the house; learning about the different types of visitor to National Trust properties and how to cater for them; and so on. It was pretty useful stuff, and I feel I am now ready to give my first official tour of the house. Again, the stories Neil has passed on to myself, Jess and Helen, are so  unique and informative that I feel as if I have always known Lord and Lady Illiffe. I hope to be able to pass on these stories and knowledge in my own tours. I'll let you know how my first tour went as soon as it happens. 

    Spring is very much in full *ahem* spring (excuse the pun) in Basildon Park. The estate is full of bluebells, cowslips, primrose and so on. I took the time on my day off last week to take a walk with Helen around the grounds and through the woodlands. It is the first time I have explored them, and I wasn't disappointed. I encountered a pretty tame pheasant, which I have been told has been nick named Fergus by the house staff. Apparently, he likes to chase cars! I saw this for myself a few days later when a car driving no more than 5miles an hour up the driveway was forced to slam its brakes on as a rather irritated pheasant tried attacking its wheels. It was hilarious. I just hope he doesn't get run over one day. As of a few days ago, we have also noticed that Fergus has other male rivals, I imagine all competing for the female pheasant that has been spotted on site.

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One of the many Spring blossoms that are around the road leading from my
cottage to the big house. The grounds are dotted with them.When I walk to work in the morning
it rains blossom petals. When you look down the long straight road, it almost looks
as if it's snowing. I can definitely think of worse ways to get to work in the morning!

The number one Pheasant in the park, Fergus! He's become a bit of a celebrity with the visitors. Due to his tame nature,
he is easily photographed and loves posing for the camera whilst strutting his stuff. He better not turn his back too long, though, as other male pheasants have recently been spotted on site, so he has competition for the female!

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    It seems that as Spring is in mid swing now, the house staff decided to have a much needed Spring clean in some of the rooms of the house not open to the public. We started on Neil's flower room. Helen and I took the best part of two days rearranging, tidying and chucking away what wasn't needed. Although, we did find some pretty interesting things in the process. 

     It was also the time to retire some of the more tired items in the house in to storage. One of these items was a rug which, according to Neil, had been in the Cloak Room for over 10 years. That's 10 years of muddy feet, boots, hells, kids dragging their feet etc along it, that have all made it look rather tired. It was a great opportunity to teach me how they store away such items.This can either be temporary storage, for example in the case of a filming event such as Downton Abbey, or a more permanent storage for the items such as this particular rug, which are too tired to stay on display, but too valuable to simply dispose of. The process involves layering the surface of the rug with thin tissue paper. The rug is then flipped upside down, with more tissue paper added on this side. We then roll the rug, with the weave on the outside, on to a hollow tube. Finally, we wrap the rug in a wax coated paper to prevent damp, before sealing it all with masking tape, labelling it, and putting it away in storage. 

    I also took the time over the few days cleaning to replace any light bulbs that had blown out. Some are relatively easy, such as the many table lamps and candelabras. However, some are not so easy, particularly the bulbs illuminating the portraits on the walls, or in the ceiling lanterns and chandeliers. This involves closing off a section to the public and carrying a big ladder out of storage. 

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The Flower Cupboard, tucked away in what would have been servants quarters, was a little cluttered before Helen and I tidied it. This is the finished result of our two days work. All of the fresh flowers throughout the house, as well as the fake floral arrangements, are hand made by Neil and our resident florist. 

We did find some pretty cool things whilst clearing the cupboard, such as this 1950's croquet set. I'm not sure it's been used in a long time, but it definitely fits in to the image of the house!

The rug from the cloak room, wrapped in tissue paper and ready to be sealed with the wax coated tissue. This is taken in the Conservation Room, which is a treasure trove of items which are waiting to be restored and ready to be put back on display. It also contains many various bits of plasterwork, spare chairs or furniture etc which are waiting for a day where they may become useful.

As mentioned earlier, some of the portrait light bulbs are quite hard to change. These are two of the Apostles, St Peter and St Matthew, painted by Italian painter Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787). They make up a series of portraits which hang in the Octagon Room, consisting of God the Father, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Matthew, John and Evangelist, Saint Thomas, Saint Andrew and James the Less. Almost all paintings in the house are of a religious nature or of landscapes. This is because Lady Illife, after buying the house in the 50's, said to Lord Illife, "I don't want any pictures of other people's dead ancestors on the walls".

Me finishing the polishing of the floor in the South Pavilion. It needed to be treated with a solution of 50% vinegar, 50% water, firstly. This was to remove the old layer of floor wax. It then needed to be waxed by hand, before being buffed by this machine. This has to be done a few times to get a nice shiny floor. Made me appreciate how hard it can be to keep up standards on presentation, even on something as overlooked as the floor!
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     So, as you can see, it has been a busy week or two! It hasn't been all plain sailing along the way, though. I've had my head in the clouds on a couple of occasions this week, it seems. Most notably (and to much hilarity from the other staff), I managed to lock myself in the Exhibition Room. I have also dropped a pair of keys off the landing on to the floor below (luckily before any of the guests arrived), as well as nearly knocking on the paintings from the Octagon Room on to the floor whilst changing the light bulbs. It's all a steep learning curve, though, and so far I have managed to not break or damage a single thing. But still, better not tempt fate, eh?

    I look forward to seeing what the next few weeks will bring! Hopefully, I will have an opportunity to give my first tour of the house between now and writing my next entry. 

Until then,

Best wishes,

Craig

Half the Police Force of Reading...

     I'm coming to the end of my second week here at Basildon Park, and it already feels like I've been here forever. Normally, that would be a bad thing. However, this is a purely good feeling. I feel like I've always been here and I never want to leave.

     This week, I finally managed to finish polishing Lady Iliffe's silver dinner service. When I placed the last few pieces back on the table I felt pretty good about myself. Seeing the table all laid out looks amazing. Especially with the now newly polished silver. As the Dining Room was used in the 2013 Christmas Special of Downton Abbey, the table is laid out as if the characters of the show are just about to sit down to dinner there, with place cards for all of them. 

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The newly polished silver. At the end of the table, you can see
a blue dress, which was worn by Shirley Maclaine, who plays Martha Levinson
in the 2013 Christmas special of Downton Abbey.

A closer look at the silver dinner service; this particular seat has been 'reserved' for the Countess of Grantham. The more observant of you will notice that the knives are facing the wrong way around. This is because Lady Iliffe, when moving to her new apartment on site in her later years, took the silver dinner service with her. In its place, this silver plated version, which is an exact copy of the original, was made. As she resented the idea of people considering her cheap, or being able to see what the hallmark might have been if it were real silver, she insisted that the knives point outwards, hiding the stamp which would show that the cutlery was *only* silver plated.

A close up of one of the dresses as worn by Shirley Maclaine, Martha Levinson, in the 2013
Christmas special of Downton Abbey.

None other than the lady herself, wearing the dress above.

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     On Sunday morning, Helen and I were at work at 9:00am as we are supposed to be. However, for some reason, we were still waiting to be given our orders for the day as management were running late; by 9:30am we decided to just go ahead and start opening the house ready for the day ahead and come back to the office later to see what needed to be done for the rest of the day. We went from room to room, unlocking them, tidying up and hoovering ready for the day ahead. At about 10:00am, we had a shout from Neil, one of our superiors, to come downstairs as Tim, another one of our superiors, wanted to have a word with us. I looked at Helen, and Helen looked at me, and it was evident that neither of us could think what we might have done wrong for us to be called downstairs in the middle of our work for Tim to 'have a word' with us.

     It turned out that as we had arrived ahead of the other staff that morning, and went about our business, that we had accidentally set off the houses alarm system. This was due to the fact that there was no body there to deactivate it before we entered the building. We both assumed that as there were already other members of staff about the house, that it was safe to go ahead and open up. As Tim ended up putting it, "You both nearly had half the police force in Reading out to Basildon House this morning". Oops...

     As it happened, we both weren't in the wrong. As we were walking home that evening after the days work, we both realised that it simply couldn't have been us. Mainly because there were other staff already in the building, and also because Tim mentioned briefly that the alarms were triggered at a certain time after 8:00am. Both Helen and I were still in bed at that point! So, no harm was done, whoever it was that it might have actually been in the end!

     As one might expect working in a stately home as old and as grand as Basildon, there are plenty of stories from the staff about their experiences with the 'supernatural'. I, myself, have already had one that made me jump. Tuesday morning was a particularly grey and miserable day. That morning, I was in Lady Iliffe's bedroom hoovering and polishing ready for the days guests. As I walked across the floor, I heard what sounded like I had stood on a dogs tail. It was an eerie yelping noise that was so distinct. The rational side of me ended up putting it down to a creaky floorboard. 

     The next morning, I was hoovering again. This time, I decided that as I opened each room and carried out my tasks that I greet the room by saying "Good morning!" and then hum and whistle my way through, so as to pierce the dead silence that you get whilst being the only person on the entire top floor of the house. After finishing the Green Chintz bedroom, I turned off the hoover, turned around, and saw Helen standing there in the corner of the room scaring the bloody hell out of me! We both have an agreement now that if we enter a room that we know the other is in, we will make a large amount of noise by whistling, coughing, or something similar, to warn that other that we are approaching. Hopefully that will avoid similar things happening in the future!

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I took this photo of myself outside work that morning, deliberately taking it in black and white to capture the mood of the day and to exaggerate how spooky the house can be, even in daylight.

Lady Illife's bedroom. It's a very cosy room, and more homely than the state rooms downstairs. But it can still be quite spooky when you are the only person on the floor in the morning and the evening. I think it has something to do with the high ceilings, maybe? 

The Green Chintz bedroom, where Helen scared the life out of me! Notice the 1950's teas maid on the bedside table. The house is a really interesting clash of 18th Century furnishings mixed with 1950's mod-cons. This is due to the fact that the Iliffe's lived here from the 50's until the day they both died; Lady Iliffe surviving her Husband having passed away at the age of 90 in 2007.

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     As Jess and I both had the day off on Wednesday, we decided to take a day trip in to Reading. I knew it was close to here, but I was still surprised that it was only just a 10 minute train journey, with the return ticket costing £3.80. I can definitely get used to public transport at that price. The only downside, though, is that the bus service is far from perfect. Both Jess and I were the only people on the bus to the station, and the last bus on a weekday is at 4:20pm. We are looking in to getting a bike. We are also planning a trip to Windsor Castle and to London to see a West End show.

     I have had time off since Wednesday and am going back to work on Easter Sunday (God help me!). Apparently, Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday are some of their busiest days of the year. Mothering Sunday had over 800 guests through the house in one day. I can't imagine how bad it might be on Sunday. And, I am the only intern in on that day! I will let you know how it goes.

Until then,

Best wishes,

Craig