The Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire was taken over by the National Trust in 2016. I remember visiting it around 10 years previously when it was still in private hands (Lord Lichfield, cousin of the Queen was incumbent) and it was full of life and history, with farm animals mooching freely around the working farm yard and people dressed in historic costume giving talks and demonstrating Ye Olde Life On Ye Olde Farme. Slight disappointment, then, when we visited last week to find the working farm yard consisted now of a shy ginger pig in a sty, and a handful of, admittedly handsome chickens, in an enclosed run. However, great movement had been made in restoring the walled garden and there was lots of renovation work in progress so perhaps in a few more years it may be back to its previous glory.
Of course, being the National Trust, one had to dodge the inevitable determination of the entrance staff to make people sign up to a membership package. We were asked three times between the car park and the entrance, ‘Have you considered becoming members? You get in free if you sign up today.’ Well, I thought, we don’t do we? I mean, we might not part with cold hard cash on THIS particular day but you will take bank details and extract the full membership amount at one minute past midnight tomorrow. The irony is that we have been Trust members before and have talked about joining again, but the hard sell one is met with at their properties puts us off. So BACK OFF, National Trust - you may find the softly, softly approach of allowing people to make up their own minds may reap greater results.
This is Octavia Hill...
Oh yes! The mighty tour de force that is Ann Widdecombe is touring round these parts! She was my MP in Kent and a jolly marvellous one she was, too. Another woman not afraid to speak her mind, Ann is a mover and shaker. Plus she has danced with Anton du Beke. What’s not to love? Andy has declined to accompany me (surprise, surprise!) but I think it will be a highly entertaining evening.
Of course, being the National Trust, one had to dodge the inevitable determination of the entrance staff to make people sign up to a membership package. We were asked three times between the car park and the entrance, ‘Have you considered becoming members? You get in free if you sign up today.’ Well, I thought, we don’t do we? I mean, we might not part with cold hard cash on THIS particular day but you will take bank details and extract the full membership amount at one minute past midnight tomorrow. The irony is that we have been Trust members before and have talked about joining again, but the hard sell one is met with at their properties puts us off. So BACK OFF, National Trust - you may find the softly, softly approach of allowing people to make up their own minds may reap greater results.
This is Octavia Hill...
...a fine Victorian/Edwardian social reformer whose life work from the age of 14 involved finding ways to alleviate poverty and to improve working class housing. She worked closely with John Ruskin, especially on improving housing, and believed in encouraging self-reliance and bettering oneself through education, hard work and bringing ‘...beauty home to the poor.’ She introduced the term ‘Green Belt’ as she set about protecting the rural areas around London, recognising the social, health and spiritual benefits of Nature’s open green spaces. I imagine she didn’t achieve what she did by being the shy and retiring sort. Indeed, at a meeting of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners the then Bishop of London, Frederick Temple, said of Miss Hill -‘She spoke for half an hour...I never had such a beating in all my life.’
Octavia Hill is also famous for being a founding member of the National Trust. Perhaps it is her
strident spirit that the NT staff now channel in order to ‘encourage’ folk to join? Just a thought. I expect Miss Hill would be proud of them.
And it was with great excitement yesterday that I purchased this...
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