2012 was a great year for Charlecote. We’ve had some ups and downs, babies, flooding, big projects (and headaches) and an awful lot of fun too! Here is just a flavour of 2012 at Charlecote Park…
January – Our year began with us taking time as a team to do some training together. We are rarely all in one place at one time as Charlecote is such a busy site! All of our permanent team – as we were at the beginning of the year – are pictured below.
February – saw us opening the house again after the winter clean. Our conservation assistants didn’t get to put their equipment away quite yet! As part of the ‘Local Leap’ initiative they spent the ‘extra’ leap day volunteering at St Mary’s Church in Warwick where they put their skills to good use and cleaned one of their monuments!
March – Restoration work continued in our Woodland garden with new paths going in and we discussed lots of this ongoing work with visitors to the Edible Garden Show.
April – Easter came along with many visitors and many hundreds of chocolate eggs! We also had our lambs arriving – the first one being named Pickles.
Pickles and his mother
And although it had been filmed back in 2009, the second episode of Antiques Roadshow featuring Charlecote Park was aired!
May – Our team grew this month when Pam (our House and Visitor Services Manager) had a baby! Noah arrived earlier than expected because he couldn’t wait to meet us all!
The garden team also went off to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – not exhibiting but gathering ideas…
June – The country went Jubilee crazy in June – including us! We had a brass band playing in the rain, Union Jack cupcakes, bicycles and a special Victorian Jubilee display in the house.
Bedworth Wind Band played on despite the rain and kept us entertained!
Later in the month we celebrated a special birthday. 75 years of the National Garden Scheme. We held a special birthday event and welcomed back former Charlecote resident, Dame Judi Dench. Oh and it rained that day too…
July – Before the school holidays and 6 day opening for the house, our House Elves took a day trip to the Harry Potter Studios and even got to see some real conservation in action.
‘Thank you for your patience whilst we make improvements to the visitor experience’
House Elves at Hogwarts
August – This was our busiest time of the year with Children’s Club activities, outdoor theatre, bank holiday baking, 2nd Hand Book Fair and the rewiring work started to make a real impact…
Busy in the kitchens!
September – We won a special award for our venison and our honey and also celebrated the relaunch of the Woodland Garden. At the same event our long-standing volunteers John and Betty were awarded their 30 years service badges! We also had to vacate our offices so they could be rewired!
John and Betty officially open the garden!
Our temporary office in the gun room…
October – did you join us on a Deer Park Safari? Lots of you did and we didn’t let the rain dampen our spirits too much! Some of us went along to Westminster Abbey for a very special memorial service to National Trust founder, Octavia Hill. It was quite a day! Oh and the rewire packing up continued with vigor!
Lauren, Emma and Ruth at Westminster
November – The electricians moved into the house proper this month – it looks so different. So did the park and the cellars… we flooded!!!
December – Christmas time! Christmas trees! Christmas events! A most wonderful time of the year!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Thank you for all of your support over the past year. Whether you are a volunteer, visitor, facebook or twitter fan – we couldn’t do what we do without you and your support! Here is to another great year ahead…
Visited in August on one of the year’s better days weather-wise and was really impressed.