A Hemming Bird, Love Letters and a Tennis Raquet

The Grove Museum of Victorian Life

Ramsey Isle of Man

Visit Grove house to slip back in time. The Victorian rooms are crammed full of bibelots, furniture, heavy curtains and there are even bobbles on the shelf covers. Cases display fans and trinkets used in every day life by the people who lived in the house. I saw my first hemming bird in one of the cases. (Yes, hemming, not humming). Upstairs you can visit a bedroom, sewing room, nursery and maid’s quarters.

           


And there is a costume room, showing examples of the type of clothes worn during the life of the house. These outfits are presented in well placed glass cases so that a good view of each dress is possible. The oldest outfits provide a glimpse of tightly corseted figures. There is a beautiful cream carriage cloak with fringe detail. An unusual thing to see is what the well dressed Edwardian lady tennis player wore. From her boater to her plimsolls, via a floor length skirt and belted jacket you can see how women suffered for their sport. One gorgeous terracotta coloured suit from the 30s had an embroidered pattern on the jacket front, with the same on the jacket cuffs. Closer inspection showed this to be hand done and it livens up the suit a lot. My favourite dress was a plum frock with a cream neck drape and falling scarf effect, edged with self covered button detail. 1930s I should think.
                                         

        
                         


                                                                                    
                                                           

This house has a fascinating history. There are photographs of the family who lived here and a picture of three of the ladies seated in the front parlour. When you stand in the room and look to the corner the likeness was taken, not much has changed. You can listen to spoken memories from one of the ‘girls’ who lived her life in the house. And then there are the love letters on the bedroom mantelpiece. What happen to Ned? Why did she not marry him? We shall never know. 

This is a lovely house, with a warm family feeling and comfortable red carpeted stairs with shiny brass stair rods. A gorgeous bunch of fresh flowers sat on the hall table next to the calling cards on the silver tray.  Definitely worth a visit.

Ps the loos are spotless and the staff are welcoming and really know their stuff.

 

http://www.manxnationalheritage.im/attractions/grove-museum-of-victorian-life/

‘Hot Water Bottles, Buckets of Stained Glass and Please Don’t Lick the Wallpaper’

The Gaiety Theatre

Douglas, Isle of Man

Up the marble steps. Push on the polished brass handle to open the door and make your entrance into the wood panelled foyer. Under the glittering chandelier a bust of theatre designer Frank Matcham gazes towards the sea.You have arrived at the Gaiety theatre.

The theatre opened its doors in 1900 as the Gaiety Theatre and Opera House. Matcham had performed miracles in seven months transforming the shell of the Pavilion into a venue for high class entertainment. Social classes were segregated by ticket prices, the luxury of their surroundings and even the entrances they used to access their seats. The fact that the theatre looks so magnificent today is a tribute to the time, effort and dedication of the people who had the vision to save and preserve such a special place. Many tales were told by our knowledgeable guide. Not often does a tour commentary include the words ‘hot water bottles, buckets of stained glass and please don’t lick the wallpaper’. Our party wound its way through corridors and up stairs, where all was carpet and wallpaper and chandeliers, for we were starting off as toffs and going to the stalls.

Once seated the glory of the auditorium is all around you. 












The original drop curtain masks the stage from view.








Then watch the furling of the magnificent tasselled and fringed green velvet curtain that is a show in its self (and as the curtain opening motor cost £140k I should think so too). 

You find out why flying bars had a lot in common with whistles, glimpse fly combs, lighting rigs and three special traps.

From centre stage gaze out at where the audience would be and imagine a first night crowd in furs, diamonds and white tie standing up from their green velvet seats and applauding you to the rafters.

Reality bites and you go downwards on stone staircases, past brick walls painted white and a sign saying ’No quick changes here’. Then you see the machinery that helps to make the magic.

Old green metal lighting generators and the intricate wooden beams that allow for scenery to go up and demons to come down and (unique to this theatre) a very special Corsican trap. This trap is all about facilitating ghost movements, but you need to see that for yourself. 

The grey concrete floor is dusted with glitter and scraps of gold ribbon…more magic I expect.

Then it’s up, up and not away but to the Gods. 
The magnificent wedding cake of the auditorium can be seen in all its glory from this vantage point. 















There are costumes on display up here, souvenirs from the Centenary productions of ‘The Telephone Girl’ and ‘The Corsican Brothers’. 

  

 
Still we go up. Climb some steep brick stairs and there, up under the roof, is the final sanctum. The projection suite from the cinema incarnation of the 1920s. 
The equipment is simply astonishing.     

Then we clatter down from the cheap seats via the plain red staircase, past ‘No ice creams past this point’, past the colours of a stained glass window. 

And finally to the foyer and back to the twenty-first century.
Take a bow Gaiety. Your show should run and run.

  

Break a leg in the limelight....

....and other stories and photos from the Gaiety Theatre on the Isle of Man.. Front of house. On the stage. Backstage. Up in the Gods and down by the Corsican trap....Watch this space....

Summer in the Seventies.

WHEN  I started this blog I wrote about accessories. Scarves. Shoes. Bags. Hats.

Today I am writing about summer clothes. I am in a quandary. Being what is now termed a 3rd Ager (scary but at least avoids the P-ns---n-r word) I feel I fall between several sartorial stools. 

I still like long flowing 1970s dresses from the era when I was a teenager. I have yet not felt any desire to wear a white cardigan in the summer. But nothing seems to be right anymore. Summer frocks now seem to be exclusively sleeveless. My upper arms are neither toned, tanned or much to look at. Last night I sat in a restaurant with a kimono type top on over a tee shirt. It was a hot evening. It was even hotter under the kimono top. But like many other 'big' (I know. Euphemism) women the top stayed firmly on. I do not know whether I should be used to this by now or whether I am being punished for not dieting. (the latter obviously.)

I would live to hear from any other 60 somethings about how they feel about clothes…not just summer, but year round.

Is ours the generation that will never switch to being dressed differently?

Our mothers went from war time hats/gloves and full makeup, through to coordinating outfits by Berkertex or Jacques Vert. Evening dresses were long, cocktail frocks knee length and you would not wear trousers unless playing golf.

I still like and wear what I wore 40 years and always have done. Trousers/jeans/mid or floor length skirts or dressses. Working for a Uni helped as I never needed 'office clothes'. But now I sometimes see femmes d'un certain âge looking as if they have been in a time warp since the Isle of Wight Festival. (The proper ones in 69/70 obviously. Described by Wikipedia as a 'counterculture event'. Bless.)

So, as I do not think I look like that, there must have been some evolution in my personal style I suppose. Leggings for instance. They are wonderful. Those and a big tee shirt will get you a long way. Although I avoid tee shirts with ' Hendrix' or 'Summer of Love' or 'Woodstock' on them. (See femmes d'un certain âge.)

Leggings were only worn by ballet dancers in the 1970s. Leg warmers did make a brief appearance as 'fashion wear' in the late 70's, but came and went, thank goodness. I can't not include the confession that I had a matching set of gloves and legwarmers. In red, yellow and orange. Sorry for that mental storm.

I finally threw out all the ethnic patterned cotton long skirts with elasticated waists, as I looked like a sack with a string tied round it. Then they came back into fashion. But they are so long. Maybe I have always been short rather than overweight???

So will I ever move onto 'evening wear? I dressed 'up' for the restaurant, but that was baggy cotton trousers, tee shirt and kimono combo. 

Are there people who go out for dinner in elaborate frocks? 'Famous people seem to wear frocks made of as little as possible, preferably with a thigh split and side boob to the fore. Notable and chic exceptions to this are Helen Mirren and Dame Judi Dench. Those beaded coats Dame J wears.Covet. 

I hope to hear some feedback. Maybe there is a shop somewhere that I have not found yet. One that successfully straddles the fashion gaps between Primark/M&S/John Lewis and hunting on the web. Let's hope that there is a fashion fairy out there who knows…….

An Afternoon With Edwardian Elegance.

Look what I found in the costume store in Henfield Museum. 

I was on the track of items Edwardian… dresses, blouses and stoles.  

This old gold dress is in two parts…the front panel is completely separate. You tie it on like an apron. I suspect that the 'apron' and a missing bodice front were designed to be swapped for other fabrics to change and vary the look.

Having dressed the mannequin I dug deeper and accessorised the ensemble with a red silk parasol that took up the colour of the embroidered red flowers on the fabric of the dress, sadly the silk on the parasol is shattered, but the colour and style still shine.

Shawl next. Cream silk embroidery on a cream silk background.

When I placed it round the shoulders of the model, see how perfectly it draped. The fringe fell just so. 

Add a small white crocheted Dorothy bag and Voila.

Madame Edwardian is ready for her public.

                        

This pink and lace confection must have been stunning when it was made. Very sadly the silk in the skirt has failed, but the bodice….even seen en déshabillé..is exquisite. 

I like this photo with that bodice front and centre, the Edwardian ensemble behind it and behind that a 1930s wedding dress…

Then there was the Edwardian blouse which had pin tucks, lace, crocheted 

French knots for fastenings which all together added up to a wonderful confection of style, daintiness and seamstresses skill.

This shot epitomises how diverse and interesting a museum can be. There's the Edwardian outfit, and behind it a dolls pram, the corner of the wedding dress case, some local prints, the (working) clock mechanism late of  the Village Assembly rooms and don't let us forget the rack of tuned shepherds crooks just visible on the left….

Looking the other way you can see how full the museum is of things to discover, investigate and be fascinated by.

This extravaganza was instigated by the promised visit of two lovely ladies from Preston Manor in Brighton and was designed to show them what Henfield Museum has tucked away in its boxes and cupboards and cases. I relished finding Edwardian items to show them. And so I opened boxes, gently removed tissue paper and brought out items of elegance and age.

I supplied costume details and Alan the Curator details on everything else they saw, including the Violet nurseries memorabilia…but that’s another story.

Henfield Museum

http://www.henfieldhub.com/henfield-museum

Preston Manor is a gem of a house to visit. You really feel as if the family are just in the other room. Perfectly furnished and set in the Edwardian era, there is a great deal to see.
My personal favourite is visiting the world of' 'Downstairs', as well as 'Upstairs'

Situated on the outskirts of Brighton, on the fringes of  Preston Park,  Do go. It's lovely.

http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/prestonmanor/

A simple guide to exhibitions

HOW TO 101; EXHIBITIONS

First the idea

Then the meetings

Some emails

The proposal of exhibits

The opening of the Museum boxes to see the exhibits

The joy when they look like their description

Erecting the screens.

Not yellow.  Green?

                     

Blocking out the display       

That’s a lot of info notices to
write            

Why is this costume so long?

If this jacket does not sit right one of us will be sorry

Research    

Mistype parlour (Milking) learn a lot about freerunning

Type edit PRINT

Scan photos

Print and have new cartridge Right There. (JIC)

Do creative things with tissue paper, mannequin and Velcro

Wonder if the red basket uses enough space 
But a rehearsal needs its props

Plastic water bottles added as…..bottles

Or will a milk churn and bottles be bigger?

Get bucket with blue tack, tissue paper, picture hooks and velcro strips.

Zip up briefcase in purposeful manner

Pack it all in car

The rain made that task quicker

Collect the props

Put milking stool in a box

Carry Adolphus’s portrait

Carefully

Drive to venue

Take it all out of the car

Put screen section A in foot B

Repeat

Hang that there and this here

And there you are

An exhibition appears before your very eyes

You realise Dress rehearsals are A VERY GOOD IDEA

You take some pictures

You stand back and really look

You go home. 

Content.

CYBER PATHWAYS SCI FI SHORT STORIES

Thank you Amazon

‘seventeen fascinating and spell-binding stories written by various authors from Europe and the USA’

I’m in there.

So what’s not to like?

www.amazon.co.uk/Cyber-Pathways-Science-Fiction-Short-Stories