Still working on my mother's 1929 travel diary. She spent Christmas of 1929 at Lockskinners Farm, a centuries old house in Kent. Down the road is Hever Castle at Chiddingstone. On 31st Dec, 1929 she writes:
"Tuesday 31st. This has been a perfect day to finish up the year. I loved the walk to the bus and along the road towards Edenbridge. Here I paid a shilling for the services of a haircut. It's not a specially charming town but seems to have only the one street. It has two stations, a flour mill and leatherworks. The Eden is a pretty little river but Lord Astor had it altered so that it would go through his grounds. Such marvels money can do. We got out at Hever Brock, walked up the road past the old Henry VIII, [Inn} which Major Astor has recently bought, so the wife of the curator at Hever told Jesse. She told us her husband had made son, John, aged about six, come out of the chimney, dressed as Santa much to the delight of the children of the district who were being entertained. Through the woods along a slippery path. Major Astor has a green Rolls-Royce (he is lame from the war,) and he passed us on the way to the shoot. So, to our home [Lockskinner Farm] with still a glorious huge log fire.
This visit on the 10th January was not written up in the diary so I can't use her words however it is a fabulous place and is described thus:
Beautifully evocative 13th century double-moated castle containing a comfortable Tudor manor house built by the Boleyn family - the whole lavishly restored and extended by William Waldorf Astor, the American millionaire, from 1903. The home of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife and mother of Elizabeth I. Features: The award-winning formal gardens were laid out over 30 acres between 1904-8 and include the Italian Garden - a walled 4-acre enclosure, topiary maze, Rose and Tudor Gardens, 110-metre herbaceous border, lake.
@joluise if you tag "1929" and go to "photos' you can find all the other postings I have done on the diary! She went all round Britain in a 1928 Morris Oxford.
You have such wonderful treasures that your mother has left you. So wonderful that you are recording all of this. What a great gift.
When I was in the hospital, I shared a room with a lovely couple--he is 95 and she is 86. He told such wonderful stories and I asked him if he had recorded them. To my surprise he had and gave me one of the books about his town. And is going to send me another one which will contain his memories of WWII when he served in England with the Canadian forces.
I find it so exciting holding pieces of paper with history such as this. It's like they bring the whole story back to life. What a special thing to have. But isn't that surprising that she did not write about going to see it!
A wonderful account of your mothers travels...so interesting that I bet the present family would be interested in your mums tales of their house|!! A personal invitation too....there will be hordes visiting now every Sunday no doubt ...the only way they can keep these family mansions afloat.
@olivetreeann Thats right, Ann- she wrote at that time (see later) but Ive been right through the later bits and nothing. She visited the area twice so I took her words on her first visit. This letter was tucked in another diary.
@happypat Lord Astor was dead when she was there but she talks about Major Astor who was the son. He has probably gone now too. Apparently it was just opened to the public in 1983.
I've been to Hever and it is indeed a wonderful place. Of course they make much of the Astors AND Ann Boleyn. I love the letter - it's very Pride and Prejudice having permission to visit a private house like that!
When I was in the hospital, I shared a room with a lovely couple--he is 95 and she is 86. He told such wonderful stories and I asked him if he had recorded them. To my surprise he had and gave me one of the books about his town. And is going to send me another one which will contain his memories of WWII when he served in England with the Canadian forces.