Shakespeare & Charlecote: A Match Made in Heaven

"There was a star danced, and under that was I born." - Love's Labours Won

This post is about four months late. I’ve been meaning to write it day after day, week after week, sorting through the photos, thinking of what I could write. Then I completely forgot, and put it on to-do list that only ever seems to lengthen. That was until I saw on my calendar, under 11^th February, ‘LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST CINEMA’, scrawled in black marker pen, and I thought to myself, today’s the day I write about Charlecote Park, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and my love of Shakespeare.

Images copyright of the RSC

Images Copyright of the RSC

You know all about The Vintage Twins’ love for the National Trust, and when I found out last year they had teamed up with the Royal Shakespeare Company for me it was a match made in heaven.  My love affair with Shakespeare started years ago, when I was presented with Charles and Mary Lamb’s ‘Tales From Shakespeare’. I was hooked. One English Literature degree, a dissertation on Shakespeare's history plays, and an RSC Key Card later, I'm here to tell you about two wonderful plays.

Back in October (where did those four months go?) I went down to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see Love’s Labour’s Lost and Love’s Labour’s Won (Much Ado About Nothing). Director Christopher Luscombe is nothing short of a genius, setting these two romantic comedies either side of the First World War.

And the RSC is now bringing these wonderful plays to you, or at least, to a cinema near you on the 11^th February and 4^th March!

But here’s the twist, local National Trust house Charlecote Park makes a wonderful cameo.  The inspired set replicates rooms from the house. Tiny details, such as the carved fireplace, are noted, making the audience feel as though they have been transported to 1914. The WWI connotations are so important and significant, from the solemn ending of Love’s Labour’s Lost, a scene which made me cry. The celebratory, carefree mood of Love’s Labour’s Won is also scattered with hints to the horrors of the war.

The two, quite frankly, hilarious plays are absolutely wonderful. From the incredible sets, to the sumptuous costumes, the music, and most importantly the talented cast, it’s a gorgeous experience. Check out the amazing leads Michelle Terry and Edward Bennett, who are so very likeable and funny.

 

Obviously a trip to Charlecote Park was sandwiched between the two plays. There are links to Shakespeare’s own past, rumour has it the playwright was caught poaching there. With deer roaming round the magnificent park, you can well believe it. Not to mention the Folio which you can see in the library. The house still feels alive, with cooking demonstrations in the kitchen, a tour round the stables and a working farm (check out the adorable pigs!). The house is one of my favourite National Trust properties, with it's friendly staff, beautiful grounds, and rich tapestry of history threaded throughout the interior. It is well worth a visit! 

So for an evening filled with wit, humour, love, loss, and a beautiful stately home, go and see Love’s Labour’s Lost and Love’s Labour’s Won. You won’t regret it. 

Gaskell's House: Manchester's Hidden Gem

Helen ventured out in the snow to uncover the secrets of 84 Plymouth Grove...


84 Plymouth Grove sounds very unassuming. Not quite as grand a title as Chatsworth, Nostell Priory, or any of the other heritage houses we've written about here on What They Wore Yesterday. But there is something special, something different about 84 Plymouth Grove. It was not graced by dukes and duchesses or by royalty, but by some of the most talented and famous writers and thinkers of the Victorian era.
  Finding hidden gems is always great- whether its picking up a pair of vintage trousers for 50p at a car boot sale, or stumbling onto a heritage site as amazing as 84 Plymouth Grove. What makes it even better is when it's slap bang on your doorstep.
  So, welcome to 84 Plymouth Grove, seated at the heart of Manchester and once home to the sensational Elizabeth Gaskell!

She wrote the truth about the poor, the north/south divide, and the struggles of women, and what's more, she did it at a time when her husband was a junior minister, and had half of his congregation raving about the inappropriate writings of his wife. She had her own bank account and wasn't afraid to travel alone. She educated her daughters and encouraged them to live their own lives. She opened up this house, which she was so proud of, to artists and writers- Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte were amongst the visitors. 

  Her novels were visionary and she was a woman ahead of her time. (She also created the role of John Thornton in North & South, and anybody who has seen Richard Armitage take on the role knows how swoon-worthy he is. Cheers Elizabeth!) So stepping into her house was an incredible experience- mainly because the whole house is reconstructed so that you can sit, stand, walk, look, wherever she would.

The fires look so real you almost want to reach out and warm your hands, and me and my friends Clare and Liz had to double check whether the cakes on display were edible...

It really is a remarkable place. There are no ropes, no rooms off limits- you can breathe in how they lived through the rooms on display, and see what they wore through the amazing wedding veil exhibition in the living room. 

My favourite room was William Gaskell's study, where I sat to write my own sermon- mainly preaching the wonders of his wife- at his writing desk. The maps on the wall gave an impression of what Manchester was like at the time, and it really is amazing how different the city where I wander every day was. Elizabeth and I saw very different sights when we looked out of the same window. 

Of course, when do either of the What They Wore Yesterday ladies visit a heritage house without heading straight to the tea room? Look how delightful and delicate the china is! Tasty cakes and all sampled in the heart of every house- the kitchen. 

Please, please, fellow northerners- go and support this little house, that is bursting at the seams with the stories of a woman who told some of the most important stories of her time. The volunteers are kind, helpful, and friendly, and from the first step over the front door, you feel at home with Elizabeth herself. 

Becoming Ellen: A 'What They Wore Yesterday' Heroine

"Ellen Wilkinson, I am told, has red hair. But this, my chivalry takes for granted, is not her fault. Neither is it her fault that she was educated in Manchester. Manchester can happen to anybody."

Ellen Wilkinson and I have a lot in common. 

History is at the root of these stories we tell. Stories about the National Trust, the 1950s New Look, and the nostalgic wandering through tiny Devon villages in 1930s dresses.

   So, it might come as a bit of a surprise that our latest What They Wore Yesterday muse is somebody who has sort of been forgotten by history. I say sort of- her name is etched on buildings, printed occasionally in text books. If I'm honest, I didn't know her story until my recent stint of being buried in the archives of the People's History Museum, where four boxes hold everything you could want to know about her- almost. 

   Her name was Ellen Wilkinson, a formidable, fire-haired, 4ft10 northern politician, famous for walking the Jarrow March in 1936 alongside her impoverished constituents, and for taking on the political world at a time when women were still supposed to be staying in the kitchen. Oh, and she started out as a student suffragette. Brilliant. 

   In all the newspaper cuttings that were written about "the spinster of Westminster", at least a third of them were written about the vibrant colours she wore, or how she was doing her hair. She loved wearing bright things- she said it was to counteract the dull colours of her working-class childhood. One journalist even described her as the "best dressed lady in parliament".  Great reading for the thirties fashion fan side of me- not so great for the feminist in me, roaring to be heard. Does it really matter what she wore?

She may not have always followed her head- sometimes she downright followed her heart- but what isn't refreshing about that? One of the best things about her was her energy, and her passion, and her determination. She was different at a time when women weren't supposed to be different, but she didn't care. 

I believe that Ellen was so aware of her fashion tastes being publicised, she used it to add to her distinctiveness, and to gain more attention for her politics. She gave them what they wanted, but played them at their own game. 

This blog documents what people did- and wore- in the past, and how we can bring it into modern day. Most of the time, remembering what they wore isn't as important as remembering what they did, but here, wearing Ellen's signature green, I hope I do her some justice. 

   There's one red-headed fire-brand in Manchester yet.