At the Recent AGM, Which Was a Very Joyous Occasion, I Thought I Had Said My Very Last

NEWSLETTER

CHAIRMAN'S NOTES / Summer 2003

At the recent AGM, which was a very joyous occasion, I thought I had said my very last word as Chairman, but I have been invited to have one more go, because this will reach a much wider readership. The past 12 years have, for me, passed remarkably quickly and very happily. I have lost many good friends and supporters but gained new ones continuously.

Life, death and renewal is the organic way and it also applies to organisations which exist to serve people. The Centres and Associations are such creations, or should be; they do not exist to save and maintain our heritage in bricks, stones, mountains, shorelines and beautiful countryside; they serve and cherish the people who, as members of the National Trust, enable others to do all those material things. Inevitably, the future of this Centre can only be successful if it is managed by a Committee which is not just industrious but is also caring and careful in the way it leads.

I am happy and confident in handing over to the Chairman, Officers and Committee you have just elected. The Centre stand on firm foundations, it has 30 years of solid achievement behind it and now, with your support, it can go

forward with confidence. I send my thanks to all of you who have given such loyal support, and also my very best wishes for the future.

Gordon Burgess

NEW CHAIRMAN'S NOTES

I am pleased that Gordon has agreed to write some notes for this Newsletter, partly because all the items described therein took place during his reign and partly because he hasn't yet said 'farewell' in print.

All I wish to do at this point is to précis very briefly what I said at the recent AGM. Firstly, to thank you all for your confidence in electing me, I shall do my utmost to maintain the standards already set. The new committee is a good mixture of new and of long-serving members so I am sure we shall be alright.

Secondly and most importantly, I must put on record the debt we owe to the three members who have just retired. Between them they have given some thirty years to the Centre and the committee. Gordon Burgess has been an excellent Chairman, Eric Hay lock a meticulous Treasurer and Sheila Burgess has contributed much to the committee as well as organising refreshments at meetings. On top of that they have all organised talks and visits and Gordon and Sheila have also arranged many holidays for us. The committee will miss their work and their fellowship but we hope they will remain members of the Centre for many a long year.

Eric Tanner

NEW MEMBERS

We are pleased to welcome the following new members who have joined the Centre since the Spring 2003 issue of the Newsletter:-

Mr Mrs D Crawford / Stafford
Miss Pat Dudal / Birmingham
Mr Mrs R Savage / Eccleshall
Mrs B R Simpson / Great Bridgeford
Mr Mrs D Stubbs / Gnosall
Mr K Thomas / Rugeley
Mrs M Wardle / Stafford
Mrs A Wells / Lichfield

THE NATIONAL TRUST

To the Chairman and members of the Staffordshire Centre

Congratulations on your Centre's thirtieth birthday

Many thanks for all you do for the National Trust and our very best wishes for the future

Associations' Liaison Office

Thirtieth Birthday Cake made by Ann Tooth

THE CAPTIVE QUEEN

Centre Members turned out in force on 12th February, 2003, to listen to a fascinating talk entitled "The Captive Queen" superbly presented by Mrs Lesley Smith, lessee of Tutbury Castle where she now resides with her husband and son. She was authentically dressed in one of her 37 gowns, all of which were either black or white, with a soft ruffle around her neck and a string of pearls which were a replica of The Crown Jewels. On her head she wore a soft riding hat. Her underskirt was tiered and wired, and she said the most difficult part of wearing it was 'spending a penny'. However she presented the vessel to make the operation easier! Her make-up, which contained arsenic, completed the appearance and Mrs Smith gave a very vivid and humorous description of the life and times of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Born in 1542 in Scotland, Mary was the daughter of James V of Scotland and his wife Mary of Guise. She was married three times and became widowed for the first time at the age of 18. She later married Lord Darnley who was killed in an explosion, and subsequently married the Earl of Bothwell who was a divorcee. Following his death, she returned to England and placed herself under the protection of Elizabeth I. However she became a prisoner for life, spending much time at Tutbury and Chartley Castles, where amongst other things she was allowed to ride and hunt with hawks. Every county in England had to contribute towards her keep and this amounted to £52 per week.

Mary was brought to trial for treason and executed in Fotheringay Castle, Northamptonshire in 1587. She was beheaded at the third attempt. When the executioner performed his obligatory duty of holding up the head calling out "God save the Queen", he made the mistake of grasping it by the mass of auburn curls. It was, of course, a wig and the skull fell to the floor and rolled across the scaffold.

Mary was buried in Peterborough Cathedral and later moved to Westminster Abbey by her son, James VI.

Thanks go to Sheila Burgess for arranging this most interesting talk.

Donald and Diana Mellor

THE CAPTIVE QUEEN; THE OTHER HALF!!

Listening and watching as Mary, Queen of Scots talked to us in her inimitable fashion on that Tuesday afternoon, it was almost impossible to recognise her true identity. Lesley Smith, with her husband Christopher, is the leaseholder of Tutbury Castle. The castle is actually owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, which is, of course, Queen Elizabeth II wearing her landowner's hat. When, after a great deal of heart searching and hard work, the Smiths took over the lease three years ago, it was the first time since 1071 that this had happened and it was something of a gamble both for the Duchy and the new leaseholders.

There is no doubt that the viability of the Castle as a public attraction had waned, but there is also little doubt that over the past two years its popularity has soared. This is mainly due to the enterprise and enthusiasm of Lesley, perhaps because of the way in which she has stepped into the character of her alter ego, Mary, Queen of Scots. Originally, the idea was to employ a professional to take on this part but as the new opening day approached Lesley decided to do it herself. She was an instant success and now she moves easily into the new personality and it almost seems that she actually becomes the Queen. Perhaps one should say, Queens, because she now has the full array to become, also, Queen Elizabeth 1. It has not been easy and during an interview with a local newspaper, Lesley said that it had probably been the most stressful period of her whole life. When she and Christopher took on the Castle they had to make big changes and eventually they invested £300,000 on the property, thus demonstrating their determination to be fully committed. The task was physically difficult too and this has caused Lesley to have a heart problem which, when watching her performance, one feels and hopes is now well under control.

In addition to all her other tasks, Lesley is a devoted mother to her young son Henry who must surely have an enchanting time living in part of an old Castle. His school friends must be very envious and it is just possible that some of them think his mother really is the Captive Queen - I wonder whether he can be absolutely sure himself, because there is no doubt that when Lesley puts on that costume she changes her personality. I feel sure that we all wish her and her husband every success in the role they have taken on and recognise that they are helping to maintain and project an important part of the heritage of Olde England. Well done, Lesley, keep it up!!

Gordon Burgess

HIGHLIGHTS OF A SCOTTISH HOLIDAY

Golden daffodils, liquid fireworks, magnificent scenery, engineering marvels, bagpipes and haggis, a beautiful garden and tots of whisky. Yes, we experienced all these during our week's stay in "Monarch of the Glen" country at Newtonmore. During our many journeys we were stunned by the "hosts of golden daffodils" that were everywhere along the roadsides and in the gardens - a truly lovely sight. A few yards down the road from our hotel were "Waltzing Waters", a beautiful show of music, light and fountains - the liquid fireworks. We travelled through the most dramatic scenery on our various outings reaching Tomintoul, the highest village, one day and climbing to Glen Shee ski resort on our way home from Balmoral another. Pockets of snow could be seen on the highest mountains and we saw curlew, grouse and deer.

The engineering marvels were the Caledonian Canal locks at St. Augustus where boats rise 40 feet in 45 - 60 minutes through 6 locks between Lock Eick and Lock

Ness. Then the Falkirk Wheel which transfers boats between the Clyde Forth Canal and the Union Canal eliminating the need for 15 locks. This truly was an engineering masterpiece!!!

Sunday evening was a "highland evening" at the Highlander hotel where there was a special Scottish meal and entertainment. The haggis was piped in, then "addressed" by the piper before he "stabbed" it as it let out a great squeal!! The beautiful garden was Inverewe on the bank of Loch Awe. Here we saw carpets of pink and white Pagoda lilies - Erythronium - under azaleas, rhododendrons and tree ferns. One cannot visit Scotland without being aware of the whisky distilling industry so we visited Scotland's second largest distillery at Tomatin where we tasted a wee dram.

Some days we travelled long distances by coach which could not be helped as attractions are widely spread in the highlands: but we had an excellent driver in Hilary who was skilful, courteous, helpful and very brave on some of the roads she navigated so we felt quite at ease. I would like to thank Joe and Jean for giving us such a memorable holiday.

Rosemary Beynon

HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HIGHLANDS

I make no excuse for starting my story with impressions of the journey up to the Cairngorm village of Newtonmore. One rides high on the M6 and it seems to thrust straight ahead through North Staffs: with its Edwardian redbrick farmhouses and mixed farming to Cheshire where tall black and white farm-houses are surrounded by dairy cattle. Up in Lancashire one sees the foothills of the Pennines to the right and faraway on the left Morecambe Bay. Sturdy stone farmhouses surrounded by cattle and sheep begin to appear. Then on to Cumbria with its long low farm buildings and miles of wall. On up Shap reaching the crest halfway between Kendal and Penrith, we stopped at Tebay Westmoreland service area for lunch. I quote "Tebay is unique built and run by local people ... part of the Cumbrian Lakes and Hills. The buildings reflect the style of Cumbrian farmsteads - wood and stone."

The food is local produce and it has a superb farm shop - the best of British foods for sale. Sitting having a snack one watches water birds and fishes in the pool and faraway the Northern Hills of the Lake District. Skirting Carlisle the road crosses into Dumfries and Galloway. Glasgow is bypassed and soon Stirling Castle is on the horizon - this is the beginning of Scotland for me; as we take the A9 right through to Perth - gateway to the mountains and on to Newtonmore the land becomes more mountainous, with castles, including famous Blair, in the distance. It is a different world - the Highlands of Scotland.

Newtonmore lies between the Cairngorms and Monadhliath mountains and beside the river Spey not far from Aviemore.

Scotland !
Who can doubt it now?
The Loch Ness monster

Visiting the Highland Estate of Rothiemurchus, part of the Cairngorm National Nature Reserve is an experience. The 30,000 acres have belonged to the Grant family for over 500 years - whisky people?

/ We were met at the Visitor Centre by Willie McKenna, Head Ranger and with our coach driver Hilary's skilful navigation, enjoyed a terrific 10 mile tour of the area. Part of the old Caledonian Forest and so dotted with Scots pines - a species there since the Ice Age. We walked around whilst others were trekking, mountain biking or touring by Land Rover. Hilly tracks led to an upland farm where Highland cattle grazed. We saw them fed and noted their sturdy, shaggy frames - meat exported to Europe, especially Germany.
Scotland – our former Chairman posing beside his namesake!
Willie told me there are over 35,000 roe deer in the Highlands: many are bred for meat. In open hilly fields stags and hinds are kept apart. How lucky we were to feed a small herd of 9 year old females - they would be slaughtered at 12 years. They are completely unlike the fallow deer that roam Cannock Chase. On returning to base we walked over to the Trust fishery with 500,000 rainbow trout on view. Rothiemurchus Estate is a magnificent region and as we viewed on a hot day we could see distant mountain peaks covered with snow. /
Scotland – our new Chairman’s wife – obviously very much at home
Another side to Scotland - the huge "Falkirk Wheel"

Newtonmore lies in "Monarch of the Glen" country. Indeed twice we saw a little filming which means traffic is halted; there are batteries of lights everywhere. We even had a wave from Dougal, the clown of Glenbogle House ... ! After passing through Laggan village, and seeing the school where Katrina taught, we journeyed along the shores of Loch Laggan. This loch is fierce, wild and boasts the largest freshwater beach in the country - it features in the Monarch series. There's a spot along the road where Glenbogle House, in reality, Ardverikie House, can be glimpsed across the water. It is 3 miles along a private road to the House, where in 1847 Queen Victoria is said to have stayed. In 1934 Loch Laggan was damned. Quite an engineering feat, as the water is then channelled into another loch, then tunnelled miles to the power house at Fort William, many miles away.

Lunch on this day was at Spean Bridge. Above the village is the commando Memorial to those who fell in W.W.II in that strenuous form of warfare. The commandos trained in this rugged region.

This highland commands a magnificent view of surrounding mountainous terrain. Even on a fine day, it's windy. Seeing the memorial made me very sad at the realisation of such a loss of young life.

A tricky moment! Everyone had to dismount

This was our longest trip over to the N.W. Highlands, along the now familiar A9, starting Invemess and through Wester Ross to Loch A we and Inverewe Gardens. In1862 Osgood Mackenzie built a house at the side of Loch A we. Three years later he started a garden on barren ground. Soil was imported and tons of pebbles removed. Today, these gardens house not only plants from all over Gt. Britain, but many rare trees, flowers and shrubs from the Southern Hemisphere. Protected by a pine-shield belt and warmed by the Gulf Stream, they flourish. Many birds are to be seen here, especially blackbirds, robins and chaffinches. The whole estate is owned by the Scottish National Trust.

Last day off to Balmoral, through the Grampians via Tomintoul the highest village in the Highlands. Time for refreshments at the Duke of Richmond, not changed in structure or furnishings since the days of early Victorians, nevertheless giving us a good Highland welcome with coffee and shortbread produced in a trice! On we travelled over minor roads with steep gradients through the mountains, through the Lecht Ski Centre to drop down by a river farm and on to Balmoral.

The castle stands in a wooded vale by the river Dee. We were able to view the ballroom, oak panelled with a minstrels' gallery under which hung large portraits of Prince Albert and Victoria

Today when a ball commences the Queen and Duke are piped in from the opposite end from a low balcony and steps into the dancing area. Round the side of the castle sheltered by trees, is the tea room/shop: all very modern and well designed. Serves super Balmoral broth and sandwiches and Scottish foods.