National Trust and the Centenary

[Michelle Young]

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunham-massey/history/

Michelle

[CarylW]

Noticed the Dunham Massey plans in a local rag last year, and I'm looking forward to visiting after March this year.

It will be very interesting to see the house as it was at the time it was Stamford Military Hospital.

Thanks for the reminder Michelle.

[J Banning]

Hi Michelle & Caryl,

I did specific research for the National Trust on this project and gave a a couple of lectures to the Dunham Massey volunteers, providing information to show where the men had come from and where they had been wounded prior to their arrival at Stamford Military Hospital. More details can be found on my website: http://jeremybanning.co.uk/2013/11/28/lecture-at-dunham-massey-hall-national-trust-property/

I am very much looking forward to seeing the property when it reopens. The staff have put in a great deal of work to ensure the project is carried out to the highest standards.

Jeremy

[CarylW]

All the more interesting Jeremy. This must have taken (and probably still is taking) an enormous amount of effort and planning. I expect I'll be paying more than one visit and it's good to have something like this not too far from where I live. Visited the Dunham Massey house and grounds before but I can't wait to see it transformed into a military hospital.

[CarylW]

Dunham Massey have a Facebook page where they have photos of the work taking place. The arrival of the replica iron hospital beds.

https://m.facebook.com/DunhamMasseyNT?id=251953934922140&_rdr

[Michelle Young]

Thanks Jeremy and Caryl, most interesting

Michelle

[Michelle Young]

Sadly Jeremys stirling work gets no mention in the NT magazine article

[J Banning]

Yes, I noted that too. And not even a link on their website. I will be contacting them and asking that this is rectified. A bit late for the magazine though...

[CarylW]

Dunham Massey have produced a short video about the project now

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6BfxqyMz7E

[John_Hartley]

We went to visit this week.

It's a job well done, in my view. Lots of information about the war generally (for the "ordinary punter" not we anoraks). Interesting information about the work of the hospital (and the casualty chain more generally).

One room is set out as a ward. Another as the dining/recreation area. A small operating theatre has been set up in the hallway (which seemed the least realistic to me). There are costumed "living historians" wandering about - nurses and patients - chatting amongst themselves in character.

It was very busy but then it was school half-term. Entrance is in with your general house and garden ticket. That's £11.20 which some may think is a bit of a dear do, if you've only come to see the hospital. And you'll have paid another six quid to park. To keep folk moving through, there's timed entrance slots, every 10 minutes - we had to wait for 50 minutes for our slot.

[John_Hartley]

Dunham features on BB1 tonight at 7.30 in "World War 1 at Home".

[J Banning]

Lots of different Great War programmes around the regions tonight. Here is the link to the Dunham Massey one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b045gjf6

[Phil Wood]

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sandham-memorial-chapel/our-work/

[KathrynWhite]

Had a very interesting trip to Dunham this week. I like that they have actors wandering around as if they were injured soldiers; something a little different from most NT houses.

In a small crowded room on the upper floor there were folders containing information pertaining to the soldiers who were there during the war. I snapped a quick photo on my phone of a soldier from the Gloucestershire Regiment who caught my eye and upon returning home I tried to investigate him further on LFWW and Ancestry to no avail. (Pte J Garland, 1/5 Glos)

Does anyone know anything or anyone at Dunham: are these records digitised or could they be? There were some interesting photos and things which I'm sure would be of great interest to many who cannot make it to Altrincham to read them for themselves.

[John_Hartley]

Beento visit Quarry Bank Mill, at Styal, Cheshire.

Always an interesting place to wander about (and the scones in the caff are pretty good). There's currently a war display, mainly charting the activities of members of the Greg family who owned the mill. Two sons served and died in the war, daughters served as VADs, etc. There's also more about a few of the workers and some background to the local memorial.

It was interesting to note that the war basically finished off the business. The two sons who were killed had been involved in the management but the surviving son had no interest in cotton spinning and it was he who closed the enterprise, donating the buildinds to the National Trust in 1939.

[jon_armstrong]

I went to Dunham Massey this weekend. I don't know if the actors were all on their breaks but there was only one nurse / patient thing going on where he was blinded and she read him a letter. The actress playing teh nurse did a pretty good job except whoever directs them needs to tell her how to pronounce some of the words as she got 2 or 3 wrong. In one room one of the displays had the curious statement that a former patient "must have survived the war as he was awarded the Victory Medal". Not a massive deal, but does make you wonder how much of the other stuff I have no idea about (like medical information) has similar issues.

Will try to get up to Styal soon as this is of significant interest as I've spent more years than I care to remember researching the village war memorial on and off, so it will be interesting what they have that I haven't found or had access to.