Podcasts about chiswick house

Can you confidently say: “I like myself”? What would it take for you to get to that place? The Happy Place Festival Talk Stage hosted loads of speakers across the weekend at Chiswick House and Gardens, and Fearne wants to bring you in on the Festival magic! You'll hear parts of the talks given by Gabby Bernstein, Roxie Nafousi, Lisa Snowdon, Paul C Brunson, Will Young, and Dawn O'Porter, and learn a little bit from each of them about how to unapologetically be yourself.During this episode, you'll explore what limiting beliefs are holding you back, how to get clarity around who you want to be, and how to identify what values are important to you (not the ones you're being told to value!) Then, how to align your behaviour with your values to make tangible change for your future self, and – of course – how to put boundaries in place with other people so your values aren't compromised... Listen to Gabby Bernstein's full episode Listen to Paul C Brunson's full episode Listen to Will Young's full episode Listen to Dawn O'Porter's full episode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Passing the baton of discourse on the rock and roll racetrack, our Olympian hosts sprint in the following direction … … watching Toumani Diabaté play in the pitch-black Malian night. … Laurel Canyon, the Brain Damage Club and the great fire of ‘79. … the Kinks in Fortis Green Road, the Beatles in Chiswick House and other alternative London rock landmarks. … is Cerrone's Supernature nicked from the Days Of Pearly Spencer? … lower-level graduates from the John Mayall Academy – Jon Hiseman, Keef Hartley, Larry Taylor, Aynsley Dunbar – and how being sacked from the Bluesbreakers was a badge of honour. … why do songwriters value suffering over joy? … “the more seriously someone takes musical taste, the more you should disregard them”. … what connects Bob Dylan and the Life of Brian? … a blueser from Preston in a Sioux headdress and one from Macclesfield pretending to hop a freight train.   … and why “song and dance man” Leadbelly had to play “complaining songs”. Plus Birthday guest Gianluca Tramontana. The Beatles at Chiswick House:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvvVNaU_qa8Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Passing the baton of discourse on the rock and roll racetrack, our Olympian hosts sprint in the following direction … … watching Toumani Diabaté play in the pitch-black Malian night. … Laurel Canyon, the Brain Damage Club and the great fire of ‘79. … the Kinks in Fortis Green Road, the Beatles in Chiswick House and other alternative London rock landmarks. … is Cerrone's Supernature nicked from the Days Of Pearly Spencer? … lower-level graduates from the John Mayall Academy – Jon Hiseman, Keef Hartley, Larry Taylor, Aynsley Dunbar – and how being sacked from the Bluesbreakers was a badge of honour. … why do songwriters value suffering over joy? … “the more seriously someone takes musical taste, the more you should disregard them”. … what connects Bob Dylan and the Life of Brian? … a blueser from Preston in a Sioux headdress and one from Macclesfield pretending to hop a freight train.   … and why “song and dance man” Leadbelly had to play “complaining songs”. Plus Birthday guest Gianluca Tramontana. The Beatles at Chiswick House:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvvVNaU_qa8Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Passing the baton of discourse on the rock and roll racetrack, our Olympian hosts sprint in the following direction … … watching Toumani Diabaté play in the pitch-black Malian night. … Laurel Canyon, the Brain Damage Club and the great fire of ‘79. … the Kinks in Fortis Green Road, the Beatles in Chiswick House and other alternative London rock landmarks. … is Cerrone's Supernature nicked from the Days Of Pearly Spencer? … lower-level graduates from the John Mayall Academy – Jon Hiseman, Keef Hartley, Larry Taylor, Aynsley Dunbar – and how being sacked from the Bluesbreakers was a badge of honour. … why do songwriters value suffering over joy? … “the more seriously someone takes musical taste, the more you should disregard them”. … what connects Bob Dylan and the Life of Brian? … a blueser from Preston in a Sioux headdress and one from Macclesfield pretending to hop a freight train.   … and why “song and dance man” Leadbelly had to play “complaining songs”. Plus Birthday guest Gianluca Tramontana. The Beatles at Chiswick House:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvvVNaU_qa8Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘A woman walks past me wearing two white hats, one on top of the other.' Please note before you start listening: this podcast is recorded in 3D sound! So make sure that you're wearing headphones for the very best experience. The small details in life can pass you by. Unless you take the time to stop to notice them. Which is exactly what author, actor and social media personality Miranda Keeling does in this podcast series. Expanding on the observations she shares on her popular Twitter account, she invites you to join her out and about as she captures those small, magical moments of everyday life, in sound. Thanks to 3D recordings, you'll hear everything she does as if you were right there with her. There are new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. These short but lovingly crafted episodes are an invitation to escape from life's hustle, immersing you in Miranda's world for a few minutes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘A tree's branch bends down towards me, almost like an arm offering a dance.' Please note before you start listening: this podcast is recorded in 3D sound! So make sure that you're wearing headphones for the very best experience. The small details in life can pass you by. Unless you take the time to stop to notice them. Which is exactly what author, actor and social media personality Miranda Keeling does in this podcast series. Expanding on the observations she shares on her popular Twitter account, she invites you to join her out and about as she captures those small, magical moments of everyday life, in sound. Thanks to 3D recordings, you'll hear everything she does as if you were right there with her. There are new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. These short but lovingly crafted episodes are an invitation to escape from life's hustle, immersing you in Miranda's world for a few minutes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Il 20 maggio del 1966 a Chiswick House arrivano i Beatles. Chiswick House si trova in un'ansa del Tamigi nella zona est di Londra. Vecchia villa di ispirazione palladiana appartenuta a nobili famiglie, diventa un luogo pubblico sul finire degli anni ‘20 del ventesimo secolo. La villa ha un parco con molte statue, è il tentativo di imitare lo stile patrizio dell'Antica Roma a Londra. I Beatles non sono lì per un concerto. Devono girare i videoclip promozionali per le due canzoni che comporranno il singolo Paperback writer / Rain. Che uscirà due giorni dopo, il 30 maggio.

This week Emily went for a walk around Chiswick House and Gardens with Bonnie Langford and her maltipoo, Poppy. They chatted about her incredible theatre career, her stint working with two Doctors in Doctor Who, and her current tour – ‘Anything Goes'. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you've heard the horror stories of experimental pre-20th-century psychiatry, this episode might surprise you. Josie Long heads to Chiswick House in south-west London to find out about its life as a private asylum for people with mental illnesses in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Who were the people who needed the asylum's care, and what insight does its story give us into attitudes to mental health not much more than a century ago? Dr Jeremy Ashbee tells Josie about the Tuke family of psychiatrists and their humane methods, and Rosie May delves into the casebooks of the well-to-do patients, to piece together a few of their stories. Dr Sarah Chaney, an asylums historian and Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London, explains the different kinds of private and public care available to those experiencing mental health issues in this period. Chiswick House and Gardens Trust still works with local communities to promote wellbeing today, and Josie finds out more about projects in the gardens with Harvinder Kaur Bahra, Community Participation Manager. Then Josie heads to Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Kent to meet Archivist David Luck for insights into the public asylum that gave ‘bedlam' its meaning. Speaking with Shadows is an English Heritage podcast. You can find out more on these stories by going to www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows or head to the English Heritage website to find out how you can visit Chiswick House and Gardens. And if you think this story should be heard, share this podcast on your social media with the hashtag #speakingwithshadows.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest is a trained professional chef, who just over three years ago, alongside his business partner Jules, decided to launch his own restaurant, called Utter Waffle. Having since been featured in @codehospitality ‘s 30 Under 30 List. His business, accompanied by his trusty little van Reggie, has travelled all over the country serving waffles to the nation, from Christmas at Kew Gardens, Warner Bros film sets, Wimbledon, Covent Garden and Chiswick House to name just a few locations. However, like many independent businesses and restaurants, the last two years have not been without their challenges, with James being forced to pivot his business due to the effects of covid-19. Now, in 2022, they are four-time British street food winners who have featured on Sunday Brunch and ITV News, proving those 14 hour working days to be worth it and the biz to be an utter success!! In this episode we discuss where his love of cooking came from, chef influences, his favourite country for food whilst travelling around South America, his multiple kitchen nightmares, his experience on First Dates hotel and much much more!! I had such a blast recording this convo and I hope you all enjoy it! Kaz xxx

Derek D Souza started taking photos of Paul Weller over 40 years ago – snapping The Jam at various gigs and soundchecks before the famous shoot at Chiswick House in London. Attending concerts across London, he would smuggle his kit in and take photos at every opportunity, sending the best ones in to their fan club. His photographs, taken with a low-budget, manual camera from the midst of crowds in low-lit venues, caught the attention of Paul Weller. Two years later, Paul's mum, Ann contacted Derek and he was commissioned to take photos for the band's 1981 single “Absolute Beginners”. One of Derek's images from that day has even been added to the National Portrait Gallery's collection. Take a listen to hear about his love of The Jam and how he captured photographs of the band from the viewpoint of the crowd... And find out more at PaulWellerFanPodcast.com Thanks for listening - make sure that you subscribe / follow and leave a review - and if you want to support the podcast financially, you can buy me a virtual coffee (£3) at paulwellerfanpodcast.com/shop

Direction: South west over the N72 blackwater bridge Location: Lismore, Co. Waterford Coordinates: 52.141127, -7.93067 Richard Boyle came to Ireland from England in 1588 with only twenty-seven pounds in capital and proceeded to amass an extraordinary fortune. After purchasing Lismore he made it his principal seat and transformed it into a magnificent residence with impressive gabled ranges each side of the courtyard. He also built a castellated outer wall and a gatehouse known as the Riding Gate.  The principal apartments were decorated with fretwork plaster ceilings, tapestry hangings, embroidered silks and velvet. It was here in 1627 that Robert Boyle The Father of Modern Chemistry, the fourteenth of the Earl's fifteen children, was born. The castle descended to another Richard Boyle, 4th Earl of Cork & 3rd Earl of Burlington, who was a noted influence on Georgian architecture (and known in architectural histories as the Earl of Burlington).  Lismore featured in the Cromwellian wars when, in 1645, a force of Catholic confederacy commanded by Lord Castlehaven sacked the town and Castle. Some restoration was carried out by Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork (1612-1698) to make it habitable again but neither he nor his successors lived at Lismore. The castle (along with other Boyle properties - Chiswick House, Burlington House, Bolton Abbey and Londesborough Hall) was acquired by the Cavendish family in 1753 when the daughter and heiress of the 4th Earl of Cork, Lady Charlotte Boyle (1731-1754) married William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, a future Prime Minister of Great Britain & Ireland. Their son, the 5th Duke (1748-1811) carried out improvements at Lismore, notably the bridge across the river Blackwater in 1775 designed by Cork-born architect Thomas Ivory.

I am delighted to be joined by Jay Burgesson-Carter, Managing Director of Food Show. Food Show are a high end London caterer that have been operating for 34 years and are now have the in-house contract for events at Chiswick House. Jay takes us through his fabulous party for 100 friends and family at the Tower of London. Set in the White Tower the party has a beautiful opulent feel with velvet furniture and lush floral arrangements. The event will be black tie and as glamorous as possible reflecting the celebratory feel to the occasion The guests are greeted with Billecart Salmon Brut Rose Champagne and, amongst others, The Food Show's very special Steak and Frites canape. Dinner is a real sumptuous affair including Food Show's Head to Toe chicken and sticky toffee pudding with coconut sorbet. Jay's family originates from West Africa and he has Nelson Mandela along to make a speech and most definitely wow his guests. To give a balancing lightness, and a bit of fun, Jay has a great drag act, Le Gateaux Chocolat,. Prince and Tina Turner tracks lead the guests to the dance floor and, as guests depart, fireworks light up the Tower of London. Jay's parting gift is a book of conversations reflecting his passion and skill at making people feel at ease and part of the occasion. He talks us through the importance of always treating the client as King and equally the budget as Queen. He discusses the importance of never taking anything for granted and ensuring there is enough diversity in your offering to provide consistent revenue and growth opportunities. Jay talks us through his career development from event co-ordinator up to Managing Director via three different caterers in London. he gives a great insight on how to build a career in the events industry treating every challenge as an opportunity and being willing to learn and master every aspect of running a catering business. It was an absolute pleasure to interview Jay and he gives listeners wonderful party ideas and an insight into the successful running of a catering business during the good and bad times.

HOW TO give yourself the best start to a new you in 2021. HOW TO improve your judgement, your mental wellbeing and even your sex life. HOW TO enhance your fitness performance and decrease risk of injury and break records like Roger Federer and Usain Bolt. HOW TO avoid dementia and prolong your life. HOW TO have the best night’s sleep EVER by incorporating 5 top tips into your daily routine.Tips for a better nights SLEEP:Regularity- Try to go to sleep at the same time each night, even on a weekend. This will improve your quality and quantity of sleep. Darkness- An hour before bedtime dim the lights down by half or 70% in your home and keep away from laptops, phones or any screens before bedtime.Temperature- Keep it cool, have your bedroom at around 18 degrees Celsius. You will have a better sleep if your room is cooler rather than being too warm.Walk it out- If you find it hard to go to sleep or go back to sleep, get out of bed go to a different room with the lights dimmed down and read a book, do some stretches and do this until you become sleepy again then go back to bed.Alcohol and Caffeine- Be mindful of your alcohol and caffeine intake especially before bed (A quarter of caffeine stays in your system for 10-12hours)Twitter: @sleepdiplomatWebsite: www.sleepdiplomat.comBook: Why We SleepMW Sleep Products: Shuni, Oura and BryteChris's sleep prayer: Dr Wayne Dyer Thanks to this week’s sponsor: Life Lessons Festival:The Sunday Times Life Lessons with added How To Wow. For which tickets are now on sale at Life Lessons Festival Life Lessons was an instant hit early this year, indoors at The Barbican, :"when it was still winter !", so hopefully this year it will be an absolute smash as we are holding it outdoors at the amazing Chiswick House in early spring. Our 3 day inspirational festival is back for its second year in 2021 from Friday May 14 to Sunday May 16th. Tickets are NOW ON sale at Life Lessons Festival Hopefully, I'll see you there! Also, Athletic Greens: ONE tasty scoop of Athletic Greens contains 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food-sourced ingredients, including a multivitamin, multimineral, probiotic, greens superfood blend and more, that all work together to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet, increase energy and focus, aid with digestion and supports a healthy immune system, all without the need to take multiple products. Simply visit athleticgreens.com/howtowow and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. Subscribe & Review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts). This really helps our podcast! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hello friends and thank you for downloading our How To Wow Pick Of The Pods 2020. What follows is a substantial taster of what How To Wow has had to offer over the last 30 episodes, the thirtieth being the one you are listening to right now and therefore a sense of how you might benefit from having How To Wow in your life, for an hour or so a week, in your ears - going forward. Do yourself a favour, subscribe to How To Wow for 2021 and then do me a favour in return by remembering to rate and review this greatest hits episode, cos that really helps.Thanks to this week’s sponsor: Life Lessons Festival:The Sunday Times Life Lessons with added How To Wow. For which tickets are now on sale at Life Lessons Festival Life Lessons was an instant hit early this year, indoors at The Barbican, :"when it was still winter !", so hopefully this year it will be an absolute smash as we are holding it outdoors at the amazing Chiswick House in early spring. Our 3 day inspirational festival is back for its second year in 2021 from Friday May 14 to Sunday May 16th. Tickets are on sale at Life Lessons Festival Hopefully, I'll see you there! Also, Athletic Greens: ONE tasty scoop of Athletic Greens contains 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food-sourced ingredients, including a multivitamin, multimineral, probiotic, greens superfood blend and more, that all work together to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet, increase energy and focus, aid with digestion and supports a healthy immune system, all without the need to take multiple products. Simply visit athleticgreens.com/howtowow and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. Subscribe & Review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts). This really helps our podcast! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alright, our first super guest of this half of our two part HTW best of is someone that I am aware the vast majority of people like, whereas our second guest, well not so much, or at least up until he appeared on my radio show, where we talked uninterrupted for almost an hour, a conversation that automatically doubled up as a fully baked podcast. Whilst simultaneously causing millions of people to re evaluate their opinion of him.Thanks to this week’s sponsor: Life Lessons Festival:The Sunday Times Life Lessons with added How To Wow. For which tickets are now on sale at Life Lessons Festival Life Lessons was an instant hit early this year, indoors at The Barbican, :"when it was still winter !", so hopefully this year it will be an absolute smash as we are holding it outdoors at the amazing Chiswick House in early spring. Our 3 day inspirational festival is back for its second year in 2021 from Friday May 14 to Sunday May 16th. Tickets NOW on sale at Life Lessons Festival Hopefully, I'll see you there! Also, Athletic Greens: ONE tasty scoop of Athletic Greens contains 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food-sourced ingredients, including a multivitamin, multimineral, probiotic, greens superfood blend and more, that all work together to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet, increase energy and focus, aid with digestion and supports a healthy immune system, all without the need to take multiple products. Simply visit athleticgreens.com/howtowow and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. Subscribe & Review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts). This really helps our podcast! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hello friends and thank you for downloading our How To Wow Pick Of The Pods 2020. What follows is a substantial taster of what How To Wow has had to offer over the last 30 episodes, the thirtieth being the one you are listening to right now and therefore a sense of how you might benefit from having How To Wow in your life, for an hour or so a week, in your ears - going forward. Do yourself a favour, subscribe to How To Wow for 2021 and then do me a favour in return by remembering to rate and review this greatest hits episode, cos that really helps.Thanks to this week’s sponsor: Life Lessons Festival:The Sunday Times Life Lessons with added How To Wow. For which tickets go on sale this Wednesday the 9th December at 8am, or if you're listening to this a little later, tickets are now on sale and hopefully almost sold out but give it a go anyhow at Life Lessons Festival Life Lessons was an instant hit early this year, indoors at The Barbican, :"when it was still winter !", so hopefully this year it will be an absolute smash as we are holding it outdoors at the amazing Chiswick House in early spring. Our 3 day inspirational festival is back for its second year in 2021 from Friday May 14 to Sunday May 16th. Tickets are on sale from Wednesday 9th December at Life Lessons Festival Hopefully, I'll see you there! Also, Athletic Greens: ONE tasty scoop of Athletic Greens contains 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food-sourced ingredients, including a multivitamin, multimineral, probiotic, greens superfood blend and more, that all work together to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet, increase energy and focus, aid with digestion and supports a healthy immune system, all without the need to take multiple products. Simply visit athleticgreens.com/howtowow and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. Subscribe & Review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts). This really helps our podcast! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How to be 30 years old, wait tables dressed as Mother Teresa. HOW TO end up in San Francisco straight and leave GAY. . HOW TO not worry. HOW TO come to terms with NEARLY DYING. How to completely turn your radio career around during a pandemic. Instagram: @grahnortTwitter: @grahnortBook: Home Stretch Thanks to this week’s sponsor: Life Lessons Festival:The Sunday Times Life Lessons with added How To Wow. For which tickets go on sale this Wednesday the 9th December at 8am, or if you're listening to this a little later, tickets are now on sale and hopefully almost sold out but give it a go anyhow at Life Lessons Festival Life Lessons was an instant hit early this year, indoors at The Barbican, :"when it was still winter !", so hopefully this year it will be an absolute smash as we are holding it outdoors at the amazing Chiswick House in early spring. Our 3 day inspirational festival is back for its second year in 2021 from Friday May 14 to Sunday May 16th. Tickets are on sale from Wednesday 9th December at Life Lessons Festival Hopefully, I'll see you there! Also, Athletic Greens: ONE tasty scoop of Athletic Greens contains 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food-sourced ingredients, including a multivitamin, multimineral, probiotic, greens superfood blend and more, that all work together to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet, increase energy and focus, aid with digestion and supports a healthy immune system, all without the need to take multiple products. Simply visit athleticgreens.com/howtowow and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. Subscribe & Review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts). This really helps our podcast! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

HOW TO date in your 50's. How To have the row of all rows with your MUM and make it through the other side. How to adopt a child with 60 hours of interviews. How to marry your mum's friend. HOW to make yourself available for the right person. How to TITT about with Jennifer Saunders. Twitter: @dawn_frenchBook: Because of YouThanks to this week’s sponsor:Life Lessons Festival: The Sunday Times Life Lessons with added How To Wow. For which tickets go on sale this Wednesday the 9th December at 8am, or if you're listening to this a little later, tickets are now on sale and hopefully almost sold out but give it a go anyhow at Life Lessons Festival Life Lessons was an instant hit early this year, indoors at The Barbican, :"when it was still winter !", so hopefully this year it will be an absolute smash as we are holding it outdoors at the amazing Chiswick House in early spring.Our 3 day inspirational festival is back for its second year in 2021 from Friday May 14 to Sunday May 16th.Tickets are on sale from Wednesday 9th December at Life Lessons Festival Hopefully, I'll see you there!Also, Athletic Greens: ONE tasty scoop of Athletic Greens contains 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food-sourced ingredients, including a multivitamin, multimineral, probiotic, greens superfood blend and more, that all work together to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet, increase energy and focus, aid with digestion and supports a healthy immune system, all without the need to take multiple products. Simply visit athleticgreens.com/howtowow and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. Subscribe & Review: Please make sure to review, share comments and subscribe to the show on the various platforms (Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts). This really helps our podcast! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcastIf you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this episode.Competition ends March 31st 2021. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references:A dynamic and proven senior manager with over 20 years’ experience within the leisure and heritage sectors.  Paul has been Head of Operations for the Mary Rose Museum. Head of Visitor Operations for the London Historic Properties at English Heritage. Guest lecture at Southampton Solent University in Contemporary Tourism. In July 2018 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business for services to Tourism, Heritage and Conservation.www.painshill.co.ukwww.twitter.com/Painshillwww.facebook.com/painshillparkwww.linkedin.com/in/paul-griffiths-63432763 Transcription:Kelly Molson:Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in, or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world.In today's episode, I speak with Paul Griffiths, Director of Painshill Park, a beautifully restored, 18th-century landscape, designed by Charles Hamilton. We discuss the transformation of Painshill, the emotional reopening, team motivation, and the benefits of pre-booking. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip The Queue.Kelly Molson:Paul, welcome to Skip The Queue podcast.Paul Griffiths:No, Kelly. Thanks for having me.Kelly Molson:It's really lovely to have you on. Paul and I have chatted a few times. We've been kind of Twitter buddies for a while, haven't we? That's how we first-Paul Griffiths:Yeah.Kelly Molson:... got introduced-Paul Griffiths:It's how you meet people these days, isn't it, via Twitter?Kelly Molson:Absolutely. And then, we've had a chat, and now Paul's very kindly agreed to come on to the podcast, to share all about Painshill Park. But we start as ever with our ice-breaker questions, Paul. Are you ready?Paul Griffiths:Yeah, nervous, but ready.Kelly Molson:I've gone easy on you, don't worry. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?Paul Griffiths:Probably a professional footballer, but before that, an astronaut.Kelly Molson:Oh, quite different. And so, football ... I know this about you. You're a big Charlton fan, aren't you?Paul Griffiths:Yeah, I'd have been playing up front in the valley, but no I wasn't good enough to play for the park, because I don't know I'd make a professional debut. But no, that was my dream for years, to be a professional footballer.Kelly Molson:Oh, and then the astronaut, just didn't happen?Paul Griffiths:Didn't happen, no. I never did make it to space. Space Mountain, is about as far as I've got. Yeah, but that's-Kelly Molson:Same. Okay, this is another retro one. What is the most embarrassing fashion trend, that you rocked?Paul Griffiths:Ooh, that's a good question. I tell you what I had, and I don't know if any listeners will remember these. Jeans, with pictures of The Flintstones on.Kelly Molson:Yes.Paul Griffiths:And I'll have been about 12, or something at the time. And you had Fred on one leg, and Barney on the other, or something like that. And they were really trendy, for one summer.Kelly Molson:I think we're probably around the same age, because genuinely, I had those, and I can remember. Yeah, I had those. Yeah, what was that about?Paul Griffiths:No idea. I remember being really excited, on holiday. It was on a holiday camp somewhere, and there was a little market nearby. Finding them in the market, and buying them, and being really excited by this. Various other dreadful things... I remember wearing dungarees for a while, and thinking I was really trendy. But from a bloke, that's obviously a bit of a strange one.Kelly Molson:I still wear dungarees now, Paul, so-Paul Griffiths:Yeah, that's why I said-Kelly Molson:[crosstalk 00:02:43] That's okay.Paul Griffiths:... but yeah, it's ...Kelly Molson:I was thinking about this question, this morning, before I asked you, and thinking, "What would I answer to this?" And I thought, "Well, it would be the Bros era for me," because I had the Grolsch tops on my shoes. And I had a denim jacket, that had a massive patch, of Bros, on the back of it, as well. What a loser.Paul Griffiths:But you see, what I find really weird, is that people in my office haven't heard of Bros. I brought them up, as a cultural reference point, at some point. And younger people haven't heard of them. No one's heard ... I was trying to explain the whole Brosette thing, and people having watches on their shoes, and just everyone was looking at me like I was ... I was DJing somewhere once ... that's a completely different story, but put on, When Will I Be Famous? And the floor cleared, no one knew it at all.Kelly Molson:Oh, no.Paul Griffiths:Note to self, don't play Bros at a disco.Kelly Molson:Except, if I'm there, and I'd have been, I'll be right in the middle. Okay, one more of these and then your unpopular opinion. If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, for the rest of your life, what would it be?Paul Griffiths:Ooh, that's a good question. Probably McDonald's breakfasts.Kelly Molson:Oh, Paul, they are the [crosstalk 00:04:06] ultimate hangover cure.Paul Griffiths:You can't go wrong with a McMuffin.Kelly Molson:Yeah, I'm with you. Double sausage and egg?Paul Griffiths:With bacon, for me.Kelly Molson:That could be an unpopular opinion in itself, Paul.Paul Griffiths:Well, couldn't it just. Yeah, what do you have as McDonald's breakfast?Kelly Molson:On that note then, I want to know what your unpopular opinion is.Paul Griffiths:I'm going to say, that I just don't get the point of Instagram. You've got Twitter, you've got Facebook, why do you need something else? I just don't get why you need another channel. Surely two, Twitter for work, and professional stuff. Facebook great for your fun stuff. Why do you need Instagram? I don't get it, at all.Kelly Molson:Oh, no. I feel like this is going to throw up some debate, Paul. I do not agree with you on this one, so this is-Paul Griffiths:Fair enough.Kelly Molson:... definitely an unpopular opinion. I find Facebook a bit negative, whereas on Instagram, I'm just in my little, happy world of posting up all my lovely things. It just feels a bit happier, a happier place, to me. It's less ranty-Paul Griffiths:Yes, I could do it again, yeah. I just tried it for a while. I was talked into it by a good friend, and former colleague. He was saying, "Oh, you really want to do this." And after a week, I thought, "How am I going to run three different things, trying to put three different things on?" So for me, it's easier to separate my life. So I've got friends and old colleagues and things, on Facebook, and then everyone else on Twitter.Kelly Molson:So everyone, when you get promoted to Facebook, you know that you're Paul's real friends.Paul Griffiths:Yeah.Kelly Molson:Brilliant. Thank you for sharing that, Paul. I really appreciate it. Gosh, I've got so much to talk to you about today. I've been looking at your background-Paul Griffiths:Oh, that's scary.Kelly Molson:... in the attractions and heritage world, and gosh, it's very impressive, isn't it? So you're currently Director of Painshill Park, and director of, is it ... Sorry?Paul Griffiths:Well, a Director, one of the board.Kelly Molson:One of the board?Paul Griffiths:Yeah. [crosstalk 00:06:02] chair, and about seven or eight board members, who do an amazing job.Kelly Molson:Fantastic. You've been Head of Ops, at the Mary Rose Museum, Head of Visitor Operations, at London Historic Properties, at the English Heritage. You Guest Lecture, at Southampton Uni, in Contemporary Tourism, and in 2018, you were awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business, for services to Tourism, Heritage, and Conservation. It's not a bad list, is it, Paul?Paul Griffiths:Sounds good when you say it like that.Kelly Molson:Wasn't it?Paul Griffiths:I wonder who you were describing-Kelly Molson:It's you. So I want to know, where this love of the sector has come from, because you've got such an impressive background in it.Paul Griffiths:Do you know? It's a really easy answer. I went off to Uni, to study Leisure Management. And at that point, I was thinking of going more into sports, and so leisure world. So maybe running ... after we talked about earlier on about, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" Well, I knew I wasn't going to make it as a professional footballer, but well, could I work in football? Could I work in the offices? Could I become a commercial manager in a football club? Could you do that stuff? So I went off to study leisure management, and at the end of year one, we had to do a month's work placement. One of those head out for a month and I couldn't really think what to do. And in the end, approached a few tourism attractions, because I sort of got a bit more into the tourism side, in that first year. Because it was a modular degree, so we were doing four different subjects, every term. And it was very much like school, there were three terms, and we'd do from four different subjects.Paul Griffiths:And I wrote to Hever Castle, and they accepted to take me down there for a month. I was down there, with a chap called Piers, who was the business services manager, or business operations manager, at the time. Just had an amazing job. So I spent this month, shadowing Piers, who I still occasionally now. He works for the Tate. Well, he did ... last time I saw him, he worked for the Tate, so I hope he still does. Otherwise, this could be a really difficult episode, if he doesn't anymore-Kelly Molson:Awkward.Paul Griffiths:... Yeah. I still often bump into him, at ALVA events, and stuff, which was absolutely fabulous. But no, I spent this month with Piers. It was just brilliant. We put on flower shows, in the castle. I can remember driving this funny, little van. I'd never driven a van before in my life, and I was thrown the keys, and told to go and pick up this lovely old lady, with all her flowers, because it was like the local WI, doing a flower display. You know how fabulous events can be, in our industry, and it was just brilliant. The weather was fabulous. Piers' job involved wandering around ... I don't mean wandering around, but going from the tea room, to shop, to ob missions, making sure everything was working right. And I just thought, "This is just brilliant. This is what I want to do, is in a fabulous, historic setting, talking to people, dealing with loads of different heads of departments."Paul Griffiths:And everyone was really lovely, in the same way, that most people in our industry are really lovely. So everyone-Kelly Molson:Very true.Paul Griffiths:... everyone you bumped into round Hever, was just utterly fabulous. So I went back to uni, and at this point, we had to choose our ... Sorry, this is quite a long answer, Kelly. Apologies. But we then had to choose a pathway, of which we'd specialize in. So you then had leisure management as half your course, and then your pathway as the second half. And you could have done rural tourism, straight leisure management, there was a more legal side. And I chose to do heritage management, so that sort of swayed my degree.Paul Griffiths:So my degree was in Leisure and Heritage Management, a fabulous thing to have. And then, after leaving, I just wanted to get a job in the sector. And was quite lucky, just got a job in English Heritage. My first job was making the tea for the quantity surveyors, and booking their travel, and just working in the office, as basically the dogsbody, is the only way I can describe it. But it was a route in. And EH's rules then, was that they would try and recruit most jobs internally first. So you'd get a weekly jobs file come round, and I'd open it eagerly, every week, to see what was available.Paul Griffiths:And then, got this job at Down House, home of Charles Darwin, which hadn't opened to the public. It had just been taken on by EH. We had this amazing two months, getting ready for opening, and then throwing the doors open to the public. And all the fun and games that went on then, it was just ... So from there, I just stayed with English Heritage for, gosh, 15, 16 years, something like that. Thankfully, just moving into different, progressive roles, which was fabulous. And ended up, as Area Manager for London. So I had the entirety of London, with 12 sites around London. Really spread out, as well. So you had Kenwood House up on Hampstead, which was where my office was. Chiswick House, and Marble Hill in West London. As far afield as Tilbury Fort in Essex, and sort of towards the east, the Jewel Tower, which was the oldest surviving part of the Palace of Westminster.Paul Griffiths:It's the bit that you always see, behind ... when MP's are being interviewed on the news, the Jewels House always just merrily behind it. So we managed to move ... when I was there, some signs, to be just behind where the interview was. It was a perfect product placement for us. But yeah, it was an amazing job. I spent most of the time-traveling, from around. I was rubbish at diary management, so I'd find myself agreeing to be in Kenwood, in the morning, and then Down House, or Elton Palace in the afternoon. So forever turning up late to those.Paul Griffiths:Yeah, but great. I loved it. As I say, I was there for, well, gosh 15 ... so from '97, to 2012, so what's that, 15 years, isn't it?Kelly Molson:That sounds incredible, and what a place for an office, as well. A spectacular place for an office. I'm just going to pick up Essex, as well, because Essex girl. So Tilbury massive, well done.Paul Griffiths:It's the thought that counts.Kelly Molson:So now, you're at your new role, this role. Tell us a little bit about the park, and how you've come to be there, and what you're doing there.Paul Griffiths:Yeah, so after English Heritage, I spent five or six years, down at Mary Rose, as you mentioned earlier. Then, came here in November 2018. I must confess, I'd sort of heard of Painshill, but I didn't really know it. And I think that sums up what its problem was, so much that even local people didn't know it was here. I came in November, as I say. It wouldn't be fair to go into details, but there had been a lot of changes at Painshill, and a lot of the team had moved on. And so, I was left with a smallish team, and then we were able to recruit some, actually fabulous new staff, as well.Paul Griffiths:So myself and the head of finance started on exactly the same day. We both arrived in our cars, parked up, getting our little boxes out, with our mugs in, and everything else, that you do on day one. And set about trying to make changes. Painshill itself is an 18th-century landscape garden. It's 158 acres, we have the most amazing views. It was designed by the Right Honorable Charles Hamilton, obviously in the 18th century, who'd done some grand tours around Europe, and then came back and set about building, and creating this quite sensational landscape garden, which includes a number of garden buildings, or follies, as a lot of people would call them, towers, crystal grottoes, hermitages, temples ... two different temples in fact, a ruined abbey, so built as a ruin. And guests, in the 18th century would walk the route.Paul Griffiths:And it was designed that people could get their easel out, at any point and paint, because every view would be picture perfect. This is a very quick, potted history. I could talk for hours on end, but I won't. The gardens were sadly lost, after the second world war, whereafter they'd been used for training and development of troops, sold off piecemeal. And it wasn't until the '70s, and '80s ... well, the '70s really, that there was a campaign to save Painshill. It was really recognized by particularly local garden history experts, that what had been one of the first, and most finest landscape gardens, was lost. It really was a completely overgrown mess, is the only way I can describe it.Paul Griffiths:And very, fortunately, and quite farsighted, for the time, the local council purchased 158 acres of the land, through negotiation, compulsory purchase, et cetera. And The Trust was then formed because the council realized they wouldn't be able to fundraise, because who gives money to local councils? So The Trust was formed, and we were given the park, on a 100-year lease with ethical rent, and basically told to restore it back to how it was in the 1700s. Which is what The Trust has been doing ever since. The Trust will be 40 years old next year.Paul Griffiths:So that's a very potted area of where we are. And today, whilst I don't think the restoration work will ever be completed, because the second you turn your back on it, a tree will grow behind you, or something, work we didn't do. I don't want to sound like I'm being rude about people who were before. And I'm not, I promise, but the site may have been coming into the insular, hence people didn't really know of it. It wasn't really managing to push itself enough. It wasn't really connected to a lot of the local, or national tourism industry things, that we all know work so well. And in this last nine ... or in the six months, or whatever we've now been through in the whole COVID situation, how much we've all worked together. And Painshill wasn't really connected in with any of those networks.Paul Griffiths:One of the things that I wanted to do, was obviously make it more well-known and get the name out there a lot more. So, Chrissie, who's my Head of Marketing, has been doing an amazing job of pushing the story out there, and getting it into so many different places, and we've been getting so much amazing coverage. In the last part of the summer, we've got on BBC News, we've been on ITV News. Really great coverage for the park. One of the first things we did, when I arrived, was to do quite a major piece of rebranding, because what we didn't have, was a brand. Painshill didn't have a strapline.Paul Griffiths:If you Googled it then, you'd come up with about 12 different names. Most of them we'd given ourselves, at some point. Whether it was Painshill Landscape Gardens, was it Painshill The Hamilton Landscape? But of course, no one's heard of Hamilton, because he didn't really do much else. Unless you're a real garden history fanatic, you wouldn't know who he was. It didn't really work, so we utilized a consultant chap, called Scott Sherrard, who did an absolutely sensational job, of pulling together trustees, and volunteers. We got local industry people, the head of tourism in Guildford along, and all this stuff, and did a few workshops.Paul Griffiths:And Scott then used his years of experience and skills, and came up with this phrase, "Painshill, where the walk is a work of art," and it just worked so well. And we've been able to use that in all our promotion and marketing, and it's just given us something to always hook ourselves onto, is that we are where the walk is a work of art. Because you have to walk, everyone in the 18th century had to walk round it. It's the way you get around Painshill. And as Hamilton described it as where you can get your easel out and paint, you can now get your iPhone out, and get your Instagram picture. You see-Kelly Molson:See?Paul Griffiths:... I found a use for it.Kelly Molson:There's always a link, as well. I love this, there's always a link to my weird questions somewhere, in these interviews. Gosh, Paul, can I just ask how long have you been in the role, currently?Paul Griffiths:Nearly two years. So November I started, November 2018.Kelly Molson:Okay, and so I'm getting that a global pandemic wasn't something that you were ever expecting to have to deal with, in your second year of employment there.Paul Griffiths:Right.Kelly Molson:I want to talk a little bit about lockdown, what it was like, what you've needed to implement, since you've been reopened. And again, let's talk about what demand has been like, because the message has been very, very clear, the whole way through, "Outside is safe." So my assumption, and I know we've chatted, is you've probably been quite busy, since you've been back open?Paul Griffiths:Yeah, it's been a very interesting time, hasn't it? For everybody, and none of us saw this ... Maybe some people did. I didn't have it on our risk register, I didn't have it on any of our planning. We'd often talked about high winds, and storms, and floods, and fires. But global pandemic, I don't think was up there, or any virus, was it? And that point being, global I think is the most remarkable thing.Paul Griffiths:I've got a really good friend, who's the development director, at the San Diego Museum of Us. And he and I, would sit, regularly chatting, during the lockdown on Zoom, and you've just got the same problems. It was so bizarre really. You have exactly the same ... "What you closing? And what are you doing? How are you re-opening?" It was just bizarre, to be sitting, chatting to someone on the other side of the world, literally, having the same problems. We went into lockdown in ... it was a worrying time, as it was for all of us. So myself, and my head of finance, we sat and we played around with business plans, and figures and stuff. At one point ... this is before ... and when you look back, it really did come quick, didn't it?Paul Griffiths:You look back on that ... and I looked in my diary recently, for something completely different, and thought, "It was only two weeks earlier, we were out for someones ... one of our team was leaving to go on maternity leave, and we all went to the local pub and had a nice meal." And we were all sat down on the table, and that was like three weeks before we were closed, or two weeks before we closed. Blimey, that was ... I was at a football stadium. I was at The Valley, the week before football was canceled, 20 odd thousand people sat around me, without really feeling anything concerning. There were a lot of people washing their hands a lot more. In fact, it was the first time at football, I'd ever queued to wash my hands. I'm not saying men normally do, at football.Paul Griffiths:But yeah, it was a really ... so we had all these business plans, and there was a genuine, genuine fear the charity Painshill wouldn't survive, because we're an independent charity. We received no government funding. We're not part of The Trust, or anyone else. We are our own, little, independent charity. And there was a genuine, "Look, okay so if we close for three months, four months ... " whatever it might have been.Paul Griffiths:You were hearing all the rumors, "We won't survive. We'll have cleared all our reserves, and would be owing the bank lots of cash, and we'd be trying to close the place down." And we was ... "Well, we can't do that." Luckily, before we had to close, the job retention scheme had been released, so we were fortunate to go into closure, knowing that was there. And that was savior number one, I think, because we were able to make 80% of our team on furlough. And isn't it funny, I'd never even heard the word furlough 12 months ago.Kelly Molson:I know.Paul Griffiths:I can remember just having a discussion in the office, trying to work out how to pronounce it. "Are you furloud, fullood, fullowed? What is this word, that now suddenly everyone's writing about?" So we were able to do that, and that really did set us up to say, "Right okay, so we'll use a lot of our reserves, but we can get through a potential three, four-month closure, and still be alive." We then launched a save Painshill campaign, and that was a really fabulous thing that we did.Paul Griffiths:And that was our head of fundraising, Karen, and Chrissie, into the head of marketing, really pushing those messages out. So we released a lot of footage, that hadn't gone out before, with a real clear message, with voiceovers. I did a few recorded voice messages from home, and they were either put over videos, or I was just talking to the camera, like I am now, saying why we needed help. And we raised about 30 grand in the end, for that campaign. It was brilliant.Paul Griffiths:10 grand of that, was a foundation picked up ... We hadn't applied to them. They picked up our campaign, and said, "We really want to support Painshill, it's so important." So, that was a brilliant start. And all these little things ... Steve, my head of visitor and commercial services, came up with this idea of selling our own wines from our vineyard. So we always sell wine, and we make our own gin, which is made from botanicals, from the kitchen garden. So all of the botanicals come from the kitchen garden, and the little gin kitchen in Dorkingshire. The little startup business turns it into the product, and it comes back in these lovely jars. We did a delivery service, around the local area. A number of our volunteers, who were happy to come and help ... because we rely very on our volunteers. Although we've shut the [inaudible 00:22:14] all our volunteers down, anyone happy in their car, to nip round the local area, delivering.Paul Griffiths:We just couldn't sell enough. We sold so much of this gin and wine, and delivered it. It was brilliant, and I think for people it was a way of supporting us, and also getting a great product at the same time, everyone's a winner. So, that was great. So we got about 10 grand in the end, from sales from gin and wine. So all these little things, kept edging away at it. Whilst at the time, we were obviously planning reopening, we've been one of the last places to close. We literally were open on Monday the 23rd of March, and it was only that night, when Boris said at eight o'clock, or whatever it was he said it. He always did these messages really late, didn't he?Kelly Molson:Yeah.Paul Griffiths:That you'd have to change your plans, overnight. So the announcement there was like, "We've got to close." And I remember sitting there, and funnily enough, I was putting my son, Barney to bed. And I was sat with the iPad, just writing, as he was dropping off, saying, "We're going to have to close. We can't pull this off any longer." But what we had done is, we'd had a little practice with social distancing, because that weekend before, and going into that week, when it was things like cafés could only be takeaways, so we reconfigured our tea room, to be a takeaway only service. You needed to have social distancing, and one way systems, so we'd started to introduce it.Paul Griffiths:So we had a little practice, which was great, and it meant that we knew how we could reopen. So we were very lucky, in the sense that when, therefore, we started planning our reopening, we'd had a bit of a go, and we knew what would work. So we probably had a little advantage on some of our friends, at other sites, who maybe hadn't had that trial to see what happened. We had to still amend it a bit further. We closed the shop and brought people out of the shop. And then there was all that, "Could you open the shop? Can you open the shop?" And we ended up reopening on the 28th of May, with four days for members. And the first few days we opened, was really emotional. I felt really emotional, having people back in. My team did.Paul Griffiths:I actually remember, during lockdown ... because although we were all working from home, we'd all pop in occasionally, to check phones, and just do little bits and pieces, and also just to make sure everything was all right, and just check on everything. And I came up with my dog, and I walked the dog round the grounds, with not a soul in there. And there was a part of me that thought, "Wow, this is quite special. I'm walking round Painshill, and there's not a soul here." But then the main part of me, was like, "This is really sad. I feel a bit weird, there should be people here. I want public, and people, and stopping, chatting to members and visitors."Paul Griffiths:But what was really emotional was the response we were getting from members who were coming back. There was two particular different incidents. One lady said she'd not been out of her house for nine weeks, and this was the first time she'd come out.Kelly Molson:Wow, yeah.Paul Griffiths:And that was like, "Wow, you've put a lot of trust into us then, because you're coming here, on your first time out." And the second woman ... this was really quite emotional, said ... The stuff we'd sent out, like videos, pictures ... because we were doing lots of blogs, because obviously, you weren't seeing the seasons, and people love ... they'd seen a bit of the daffodils from this blog, and the bluebells, and [inaudible 00:25:20]. All this had just gone without anyone seeing it, this year. And then we had all the chicks, and all the wildlife, giving birth to all their little ones, pottering round the lake. And we were able to put lots, and lots of pictures out. And this woman's come up and said, "All the stuff you've put out, is the one thing that's kept me going."Kelly Molson:Oh, gosh.Paul Griffiths:And you're just like, "We're a tourist attraction, and that's not normally how you ... " I'd never been thanked so much, for basically just doing my job, because we'd got the doors open. And people just kept stopping, saying, "Oh, thank you for getting it open." And just carried on. We opened to the public on the 1st of June, and the numbers have just been phenomenal. I think because we've been very public on how we'd done the social distancing side of it, so people knew before they came. We did a little video, very basically filmed, but it worked really well. Just showing how you were going to come in, which was your route, where the toilets were because we'd closed our main toilets. You'll remember, Kelly, but that was the subject on everyone's lips, wasn't it?Kelly Molson:Toilets.Paul Griffiths:"How do you do toilets?"Kelly Molson:Big issue, yeah.Paul Griffiths:Biggest issue. And we were very lucky, of course, because we're outside. So we closed the main toilets, and put some posh Portaloos in. And people liked them, because there was one cubicle. You opened the door, went in and did your business, came out, and off you went. Bit of a quick hand sanitizer, and off you went, sort of thing. And it worked really well. And yeah, the numbers carried on. August was great, September was good, October has been good. It's just for us, it's this whole, when will the bubble burst? In terms of numbers, which I hope it won't. But it's been very difficult planning, as I know it is for all our colleagues and friends that we chat to.Paul Griffiths:You can't, really, realistically, start planning events and things for next year, because you just don't know what you can do. How many people are going to come to a wedding? How many people are going to be able to come to an event? And things like that.Kelly Molson:I've got so many questions, Paul. Thank you for sharing all of that. That little story, about that lady has really just ... it's just made my heart just pump a little bit. I can completely understand why you were so emotional about that. It's so heartwarming, isn't it?Paul Griffiths:Mm-hmm (affirmative).Kelly Molson:You forget how much places mean to people, what it means to them.Paul Griffiths:I've never been in a job ... I've been in this industry ... I've never done anything else, as you talked about earlier. I've always worked in attractions. And I've never been on first name terms with people before, in an attraction. Or people will stop me, to ask how I ... I used to do a quite a bit of running. I haven't run properly for a while. Literally, we're talking 5K park runs here. I'm not saying marathons or anything. I had a bit of a knee injury, and this chap, regularly now, stops me to ask how my knee ... It's just really nice, because people see us as being part of the ... it's where they come. We do have people who come every single day.Paul Griffiths:They come and walk the dog, they stop, and they have coffees, but part of their experience, is chatting to the staff, as well. It's-Kelly Molson:Is that something new, since lockdown then, or did that happen before, as well?Paul Griffiths:It definitely happened before. I think since lockdown, I've certainly found I've got chatting to a lot more people. I don't know if that's maybe I've changed. I don't know, it just feels that maybe I'm just getting to know people, after I've been here for two years. And I think because I'm ... I'm not meaning this ... trumpet playing, but because I, as director, fronted up a lot of our campaigns, to appeals, and was filming videos of me, talking saying, "We really need support, please ... " and we had a number of ways that people could support us. One of which was, "If you're a member, please stay being a member. Please don't leave us and go. Please renew." We made the decision very early on, that we would add some time onto membership, and went out there. Maybe because we've got a lot smaller membership base, we were able to get our messages out very quickly to people, and tell them what we were doing.Paul Griffiths:And I think, because we are a small, independent charity, with only one attraction, we were only making decisions for one place. Which, I think was harder for some of our friends, and colleagues, where they've got hundreds of sites, or whatever. They were having to consider all sorts of different scenarios, weren't they? When we were only ... consider one.Kelly Molson:I want to ask about membership, actually. Membership and locality, were two really key topics, at the Visitor Attractions Conferences. What we were hearing is that, in a lot of attractions, people purchased memberships, while those venues were locked down. And we were seeing something like a 23 to 25% increase in memberships, across some attractions. Did you find that happened at Painshill? And has your audience changed, as well? So do you have more people coming back, that are locally based now, as well?Paul Griffiths:I'll answer the first part of the question straight away. Yes, we managed to retain our members, and even saw some growth during lockdown, because it was one of the big things we were pushing, saying, "Look, when we reopen, you'll be able to come out and see Painshill, will be able to enjoy the landscape." And I think we certainly have seen a lot of people joining, since we reopened. Because of our small visitor numbers, and because we're only one site, we made a call very early on, as well, that members wouldn't have to book in advance. And that really helped us, because I think we gained a lot of members, because they quite like that flexibility. So if you're a day visitor, if you like, you want to buy a day ticket, you needed to book a slot. That's been great, and there's a number of things we've talked about on that.Paul Griffiths:But for members, I think not having to book meant that they could just have that flexibility to come when they liked, and stuff. And I think that's really helped us push those members. The challenge of course, is we need to keep those members, because my trustee board won't expect to see a dramatic drop in visitor numbers. And they'll be asking me, quite rightly, questions of what we've done. One of the things we're trying to plot now, is what can we do to really impress those members, that if when we get to 12 months from now, you're not having to pre-book anywhere else anymore. Although I'm starting feel like this is going to be on a lot longer than, I think, any of us did think.Paul Griffiths:I just had another [inaudible 00:31:27] there. Why I'm saying that is, because when we reopened in May, I was making decisions based around a summer attraction. And I now have [inaudible 00:31:36] year-round. And we're now having to think, "Well, actually we need to give some thought to heating, and keeping people warm." So our volunteers, and front of house team, we took out ... In the pre-COVID days, at Painshill, you came into the shop, which also doubled up as a visitor center, like so many sites do. And you'd buy a ticket at the desk, and then you'd go and have a lovely time. Whereas, we decided to not make people go in through the shops. They didn't have to go inside, so we bought a couple of little pods, and put them outside, and there's a screen and stuff. And people would turn up with their membership card, or their tickets, and show them, and off they'd go. And I've [inaudible 00:32:15] people.Paul Griffiths:But now, I'm having to think, "We're getting deep into autumn, actually we can't stick two volunteers outside, however many hats and gloves they've got, because it's going to get wet and cold." I hadn't thought of that, in May, because I didn't think we'd still be doing this. Here we are, in autumn, and I think a lot of people were probably in the same boat, but those who opened early, particularly. Actually, we weren't thinking that far down the line.Paul Griffiths:The second part of your question, Kelly, about different audiences. We don't have a great deal of data in the park. Painshill went a bit GDPR bonkers and got rid of everything. Kelly Molson:Right.Paul Griffiths:When Chrissie came onboard, we had about 500 on our database. It's now up to about 10,000. So we're actually building a bank of supporters now, who ... it is brilliant. We've certainly, and totally seen different audiences this summer. We saw a lot more younger people, during the height of summer, particularly if lots of places were still locked down. Lots of people sunbathing, and sitting round, bringing little chairs, and reading books for the day.Paul Griffiths:Traditionally, our [inaudible 00:33:25] time, was an hour to an hour and a half, but people are now spending half a day, if not a whole day.Kelly Molson:That's great.Paul Griffiths:You'd see families turning up, with full-blown picnics. Tables, tablecloths, all sorts of ... and they're putting themself in a spot, then kids were going off and having a lovely time. It's nice, lovely to see it. The only problem with that, is our car park really struggled of course, without having the turnover. And we had a few complaints from members ... and I totally get where they were coming from, but there's not much we could do about it, where they were turning up in the afternoon, for their three o'clock dog walk, to find the car park full. So one of those things we just have to keep managing, and working on.Kelly Molson:Thank you. I want to go back a little bit, actually, because you've mentioned pre-booking, a few times. And it's definitely a topic that ... well, it's a very key topic, mixed opinions on it, I think. I, personally, think that pre-booking is a brilliant thing, and I want to know how you feel about it. Has it worked for you, do you think, and would you like to keep it?Paul Griffiths:Yeah, it's definitely worked, and yes, I'd love to keep it. It's been great, and it's been particularly great during these times because we're managing numbers. So a weekend in October, where we had 1500 people in because we were sold out. Painshill sold out, I never thought when I joined, we'd see the sign saying, "Painshill have sold out," which is lovely in itself, but it has been able to manage the numbers. It's mainly just to make sure that members aren't having a poor experience. Also, people are turning up, and one of our biggest problems is, we are very weather dependent here, and if it's wet, we tend to have a much quieter day.Paul Griffiths:So what we're finding is, if it's raining now, people are still turning up, but they're just putting on their waterproofs. Maybe under their breath, cursing their bad luck, but actually walking around with an umbrella, and getting on with it, and having a nice, romantic walk in the rain, or under an umbrella, cuddled up, whatever. But yes, I'd love to keep it, because it has meant that numbers are coming in. It's brilliant, I remember in your podcast with Carly. I think Carly used the example of Warner Brothers, owning Watford. And I was in that same boat, because when they opened ... and I can remember being in a seminar, where people were talking about it, saying it was pre-booked only. I was like, "No one's ever going to come." And of course, as we know, since it's opened, you've not been able to get a ticket for either love nor money. Kelly Molson:Yup.Paul Griffiths:What a success story, what an amazing attraction, as well. Despite running a historic landscape, I find myself always looking at those bigger attractions, as places that we could just learn so much from. The service, and just everything that these places do, I always think is so good.Kelly Molson:Yeah, I totally agree. I think that there's been a behavioral change, right? People ... they're okay to pre-book now, because it's an expectation of what they need to do, to go and visit the place that they want to go to. I just can't imagine why anyone would want to take that away, if you've already changed someone's behavior to purchase in advance. It doesn't make any sense to me. So I think that they will-Paul Griffiths:No, I agree with you completely. The only thing I think, which would take it away, is if people are upset about it, and it's a demand from the public. They want to just get that flexibility back. I can't deny, there's some times when I have really got frustrated, with the lack of flexibility for places. My little lad, Barney, desperately wants to go swimming, and yet, we just cannot get booked in to go swimming. Now, in the past, we'd have just decided, on Saturday morning, "Let's go swimming this afternoon," rocked up to one of four or five, local swimming pools, and gone and had a lovely time.Paul Griffiths:And the worst-case scenario is, they'd have said, "Oh, there's a half an hour wait, and you've got a band for a session." And you went and sat in Costa, or whatever, and had a coffee, and then cracked on when it's your time. But now, not being to make those decisions, I think is just ... it is a shame, but I think we're very different on that fact, because we're not massively limited. We do have a limit, and we have sold out a few times, but on the majority of days, there are tickets available.Kelly Molson:I think it's what you said earlier, as well, about the length of time that people are spending there. Now, actually your venue is a day trip. It's not just, "I'm going to pop there for an hour, and walk the dog." People are changing the amount of time that they're going to spend there. And then it becomes ... There's another thing about pre-booking, that makes it a little bit more special.Paul Griffiths:Yeah-Kelly Molson:Do you know what I mean? You've got to plan in advance, you're going to do it, and actually you've got that build-up of excitement, because you're going there. I think that's quite nice, as well.Paul Griffiths:I think that's why we also saw all these very, very luxurious picnics, as well, because people had planned, amongst two or three friends ... obviously, no more than six, but had planned to come and meet. We were seeing lots of people, as I was saying earlier, with tables and chairs. But one of the chairs would have a little birthday balloon on it, because obviously, people were coming to do that, rather than go to a restaurant or a pub. And that's particularly before they re-opened. And obviously, now it's just difficult, because we'd like to see our friends, in other hospitality parts of business, supported. But there is a bit of nervousness, isn't there, about people wanting to do things like that?Kelly Molson:Yeah. There is.Paul Griffiths:Every day, the news now, is full of more and more stories of where this could go. And this isn't going away, is it? As much as [inaudible 00:38:39] before.Kelly Molson:We had a question from one of our lovely, regular listeners, Richard G, on Twitter. And he wanted to know how you shared your vision, and motivated your team, to realize the vision for Painshill. And I guess part of that is, how have you kept your team motivated, during the last few months?Paul Griffiths:Gosh, they're two really good questions. I think I mentioned earlier, that we've been able to recruit quite a lot of the team, because the people that were here, when I arrived, really wanted to drive the place forward. I think a number of them wanted to change it for some years, and hadn't been able to. And my philosophy has always been about trialing stuff, "Let's give it a go." I often see that, rather than sit, and write a lengthy business case ... I'm not really a massive fan of writing big, lengthy stuff, but you could give it a go, trial it, and see if it works. You think, "Well, actually it's brilliant." Or if it doesn't work, you can quietly close it away, or never talk about it again, and pretend it didn't happen, unless something has gone disastrously wrong, of course, but I wouldn't go that fast.Paul Griffiths:So I think in terms of motivating the team, initially it was just about people wanting to take the place forward. I made it very clear that I think there was lots and lots of quick wins we could do, just to transform the place, and give it a tart up. I wouldn't say I was a yes man, in the sense, but I will try and say yes to good ideas, and say, "Well, let's give it a go," or, "Let's see how we can develop that. And let's see how we can take that forward." And certainly, getting everyone together, and onboard, and sharing things. It's so important, isn't it? That people know what you're trying to achieve, and buy into it, and you get people on board very early on.Paul Griffiths:In terms of division, of course, things like, as I've mentioned earlier, the work we did with Scott. Everyone was involved with that. The entire team were involved with that, and feeding into it, at some point. So everyone at Painshill, members of staff, lots of trustees, everyone ... We'd almost signed up in blood to ... because we'd all been part of designing that new strapline, that thing. So actually taking that forward ... and everyone knows that we've got to make Painshill, financially sustainable. It can't survive without being sustainable, and it hasn't been for some years, because the only years, when you look back, that Painshill made a profit, if you like, is where very generous donors, in the past, were writing large checks.Paul Griffiths:And those people aren't always around, and there's more of a demand. So we've got to make our operations side financially sustainable, so that if we're getting visitors in through the door, we'll generate enough money to pay the staff, and cover the costs, and stuff. So I think it was a stark motivation, in the sense that we have to make this place work, and let's really try and have some fun while we're doing it, as well. We work in an industry, which is making great memories for people, and giving people great days out. You want people to be leaving going, "What an amazing place." And there was a lot of quick wins. Signage needed changing. There was no guidebook. There was nothing for people to buy, and take away, and learn about. Kelly Molson:Right.Paul Griffiths:The tearoom was quite bland ... is the right word, so we've now to create a bit of a sense of place. We've put some quotes up, on the tearoom wall, from where Painshill's featured in either literature, or people's comments. So two presidents in the United States have visited Painshill, and Adams gave a great quote, about it being the best piece of art seen. And so, we've got that up there, and Painshill features in War of The Worlds, and so we've got a quote up from there. There was a wonderful piece, in a newspaper, about how Queen Victoria used to like to come and promenade here, with Prince Albert.Kelly Molson:Nice.Paul Griffiths:So we've got [crosstalk 00:42:21] there. So actually, it creates a bit of a sense of where we are, and that we've arrived. And in terms of motivation, I think people have motivated themselves, and I think there's been a real ... there was a desire to make sure we got through this. And since reopening, this has been, this outpouring of people, and love [inaudible 00:42:40], I think has driven the team on. I think there has been a lot of exhausted people, and I think you're seeing that across our whole industry, aren't you? Because there's a lot of people, who have worked very hard, without much of a break, since March. I certainly saw it on the face of some of my team, who've been working all the way through the six or seven months, not being on furlough. And I'm not saying being on furlough was easy, from any stretch of the imagination, because I don't think it was, because most people actually wanted to do stuff, and wanted to help.Paul Griffiths:A bit like when you had Rachel and Carlton on, the other day, and Rachel was saying, on the podcast, she wanted to be doing stuff, and couldn't. And I think that was the same for my team. They wanted to volunteer, they wanted to help. Lucy, who looks after our volunteers, wanted to keep doing the volunteers [inaudible 00:43:23]. Of course, we couldn't let her, because she couldn't be doing work for Painshill. Whilst I understood why the regulations came in, I think it affected charities in a way, because they couldn't let people just still help, and keep everything afloat.Paul Griffiths:So yeah, I think it's been an interesting time, and it's been hard work for everyone in our industry. But I think what's pulled it through, has been the fact that everyone's worked so closely together. I think the fact that organizations, like ALVA and the amazing work Bernard's done, through the last ... Well forever, but for particularly [inaudible 00:43:57]. Letting people enjoy webinars, or getting those daily updates, when you're not a fee paying member of ALVA, because you're not a big enough attraction. But actually, the realization that everyone's in it together, I think has just been amazing. And I'm just so grateful for what everyone's done, during this time.Kelly Molson:Yeah, it's been lovely. I think that's been one of the most wonderful things to come out of this. Paul Griffiths:Yeah.Kelly Molson:We're coming towards the end of the podcast, Paul, but I've got two more questions for you. You know we always end up on a book recommendation, but before we get to that, I want to know what's next. So we're in the run-up now, to Christmas. Paul Griffiths:Yes.Kelly Molson:What have you been able to plan, for Christmas, because I'm guessing, it's not what you were expecting to be planning.Paul Griffiths:What we do at Christmas, is we have what we call a Santa Snow train, a land train basically. So if you think of one of the things that potters up and down the seafront, during the summer, with a pretend train at the front, and a few carriages. And the train would chug round the landscape, and delivers kids to the crystal grotto. And then the kids would wait in a tent, with the elves, and they'd play games and stuff. And then the elf would invite them in to meet Santa Claus in the grotto, so you're seeing Santa in a grotto, which is perfect, of course, in many ways. And then you pass them back. We run it during the day, and into the evening.Paul Griffiths:Of course, when it run into the evening, we needed lighting and stuff like that. So there was a lot of outlay of costs, and a lot of concern. And also, we were really struggling to make the train social distance-able. Our booking system wouldn't quite allow it, and couldn't be made to allow it, without us parting with a large amount of cash, which of course, was just adding more onto the risk. So a couple of weeks ago, we made a quite emotional team. We know it works, because some people have spent since last Christmas planning it, and getting everything in place. So actually to have to make the decision to cull it, was really, really hard work. But we made that call, that we would pull the whole event, and really just try and see what we can start again.Paul Griffiths:Now, we've worked with a company, who are relatively local to us, by sheer chance. We got in touch with them ... well, I found them on the internet, and then only discovered, after talking to them, they were not even a couple of miles away. It's one of these, who do large models, so we've used them for the dragons that we're having in half-term, and we've also had some dragons before. So they are doing, what we're calling the Snowfari trail around the grounds. And this is just literally, people will walk round the grounds, in their own little bubble. So no train, no grotto, no tent to wait in. Because obviously, the other thing to it, if we have kids waiting in the tent, we've got to entertain them.Paul Griffiths:Now, last year, myself and a number of other parents, as it were, brought in out of ... not out of date, toys that their kids had stopped using. So Barney's old train set, was merrily set up for playing. And kids were loving it, because they'd come in play around a bit, and off they'd go. But of course, we couldn't let kids do that. They can't be handling toys, that other kids have just handled. So we've got the Snowfari coming, which is going to be a really ... Well, I hope and I know, cracking walk around the grounds, looking at penguins, and polar bears, and looking for reindeer, and there's some gingerbread men in a big tree.Paul Griffiths:And then we're doing a sort of tea with Santa. And this will be quite a limited capacity, but we are doing some form Santa event. And that's just used in decking up one of our ... a function conferencing room, but in a nice, Santary way, and kids and families will come in, sitting in tables and then we'll ... socially distance obviously, have a cup of tea. It's not like an afternoon tea, but tea and a slice of cake, or a mince pie. And then Santa will come in, tell a little story, and then you go up individually, to meet him. So at least there is a, Santa is not, not coming to Painshill.Paul Griffiths:The main thing will be the trail, I'm going to try and push that, so people can walk outside, wrap up warm, and just enjoy the landscape, with multiples of animals, all over the place.Kelly Molson:Yeah, I think that sounds really fun. I think that there's some Instagram-able moments there, Paul, isn't there? For sharing on social media, for sure.Paul Griffiths:Yeah, I'm sure there is. I'm sure people can have a lovely time with Instagram.Kelly Molson:We'll convert you, eventually. Thank you for sharing all of that. Last question, which we ask all of our guests, which is, do you have a book, that you recommend, that has helped shape your career in some way, or you just would like to recommend to our listeners?Paul Griffiths:Oh, gosh. Yeah, I thought a bit about this, actually, and I was trying to think of a book. I'm just trying to think of one about work. But then I noticed ... I was going to pick one by one of your former guests, actually, which was Creating Magic, by Lee Cockerell. I, back in my Mary Rose days, we had a team away day, and I bought everybody a copy of this, before ... so none of them can apply to get the book off you, Kelly. I made everyone read it, before we then had a session, because what was in there, was so many good points about ... all around trying to take away problems from visitors. And I was so impressed with that. And that's why I've always been ... I mentioned earlier, looking at the larger attractions, or companies, or how they manage to do stuff, and think, "Well, how could we do that, to make things easy?"Paul Griffiths:I was so impressed with the story, that Lee told in one of his podcasts when they started taking the luggage from people. So actually, wave goodbye to your suitcase, at Heathrow now, and you next see it in your hotel room, in Orlando. So I just noticed it, and that's a really, really good book.Kelly Molson:Great. That's a really good book recommendation, and I'm sure that when Lee listens to this episode ... because if he isn't a subscriber, he absolutely should be-Paul Griffiths:Definitely, yeah.Kelly Molson:... He'll be delighted, that you've recommended that. So thank you. As ever, if you would like to win a copy of that book, then if you head over to our Twitter account, which is Skip_the_Queue, and you retweet this episode announcement, with the comment, "I want Paul's book." And you will be in with a chance of winning it.Kelly Molson:Paul, thank you. I've loved having you on the podcast today. I think it's been a brilliant episode. I'd really like to say a big thank you for how ... again, everyone that comes on, is superb, but people are so honest, and so open, and so happy to share their experiences, so thank you for doing that today.Paul Griffiths:No, thank you for having me. It's been great.Kelly Molson:Thanks for listening to Skip The Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five-star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue, is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency, that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

A buried river running from Acton to Chiswick House.

NARRATOR: Lord Burlington designed the villa we know as Chiswick House in about 1725. It’s one of the most important examples of Palladian architecture in the country, a style named after the work of 16th-century Italian architect Andreas Palladio. Palladio was inspired by the classical buildings of ancient Rome and he tried to recreate the formality and proportions of those buildings in his designs. The Palladian style was later adopted in England by the celebrated architect Inigo Jones – which explains why so many older English buildings look like Roman temples. Lord Burlington, also known as the ‘Architect Earl’, was inspired to design his own building in the Palladian tradition here at Chiswick. The house was intended as both an architectural exercise and a residence – although most of its owners never lived inside. During the 18th century, it was fashionable for the wealthy to build retirement and holiday retreats on the banks of the Thames. Today’s house is the lone survivor of these retreats: it originally served as an annexe to an early 17th century manor house, but this was later demolished. Like the House’s Classical style, the gardens were also inspired by ancient Rome. Burlington wanted to create […]

NARRATOR:  Chiswick was one of the first historic parks to be taken into public ownership for use by the nation. Today, the house and gardens are run by the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, supported and championed by numerous volunteer groups and societies. Local residents have a long tradition of coming to Chiswick for all sorts of recreation, from picnicking to exercise. Some have even got married here. Although the Gardens have evolved over the centuries, one thing hasn’t changed: Chiswick remains an oasis in urban west London, a place of tranquility and beauty that can now be enjoyed by all. Thank you for taking this tour of the gardens. If you’d like to visit the house, it’s open between April and October. The gardens and café are open all year round. We hope you’ll come back to Chiswick again soon. Goodbye.

NARRATOR:  At the end of this path is one of the key features of Chiswick’s garden, a series of radiating avenues forms known as a patte d’oie, or ‘goosefoot.’ It probably dates from 1716 and has been restored to its original appearance. Each avenue ends in an ‘eye-catcher’ – an ornamental building intended to draw the eye to the end of each vista. Today, you can see a rustic house and a Doric column, although only the rustic house is original from Burlington’s time. The large lawn behind Chiswick House is closed at one end by a dramatic semi-circular hedge known as the exedra. Here, you can see a recreation of Burlington’s collection of 18th-century sculpture, including copies of antique figures said to be the ancient Roman figures of Caesar, Pompey and Cicero. They were brought back from Rome by Lord Burlington and the originals are now inside the House. The statues of the lion and lioness, completed about 1733, were probably sculpted by Flemish sculptor Pieter Scheemakers. This area of the garden also features Cedar of Lebanon trees, planted nearly three hundred years ago. Lord Burlington was amongst the first aristocrats to introduce this type of tree to an […]

NARRATOR:  After Lord Burlington died in 1753, Chiswick House was inherited by his daughter, Charlotte, who married the 4th Duke of Devonshire. The Devonshires were one of the richest and most powerful families in England. Under their ownership, which lasted for 140 years, Chiswick continued to change, with innovative designs that reflected cutting-edge trends. In 1788, the 5th Duke expanded the house, adding two wings that contained kitchens and living accommodation and Chiswick became a proper country mansion. The sombre Duke, who preferred dogs to people, and his wife, Georgiana, made the house a centre of political society, where they threw lavish parties. Georgiana was a fashion icon, famous for her enormous ostrich feather headdresses, her towering hair-dos, and her manner of speaking, the ‘Devonshire House Drawl’. She was equally infamous for her addictions, extramarital affairs and gambling debts. However, she loved Chiswick, calling it her ‘earthly paradise,’ her refuge. At the end of the 19th century, the house became another sort of refuge: it was let to the Tuke brothers, who opened a private asylum for wealthy individuals with mental illnesses.

NARRATOR:  Burlington added the Obelisk to the garden in 1732. Built into its base is a classical sculpture of a man and a woman, probably carved to record a marriage. It had been given to the young Burlington in 1712 and he had it inserted into the base of the obelisk in 1728. The sculpture was replaced with a copy in 2006, and the original is now on display in Chiswick House. Lord Burlington was just 10 years old when he inherited his title from his father. His inheritance included a house here at Chiswick, vast estates in Yorkshire and Ireland, and a fine town mansion in Piccadilly — today the home of the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1719, on a tour of Italy, he met William Kent, where Kent was training as a painter. By 18th century standards, they were an unlikely match: a formal and reserved aristocrat and a warm, witty and irreverent Yorkshireman. But they formed a close lifelong friendship. In fact, when Kent died in 1748, he was buried in Lord Burlington’s family vault. Kent became one of the most influential designers of the 1730s and 1740s with the support of Lord Burlington. The art […]

Next weekend sees the start of the Chinese New Year so we rounded up the best events to celebrate the Year of the Rooster in style. Head to the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House & Gardens before trying out some of Camden’s brand new Pan-Asian cuisine at Miusan. Northern indie ska band Analog Bombs will be spreading the chilled out grooves at the Dublin Castle, and local artist William Lethorn has a fantastic show, Exhibition of Paintings, at Arts Depot. Package by: Lacky Ahmed, Joseph Hughes and Violet Macdonald William Lethorn at Arts Depot :: Analog Bombs at Dublin Castle :: Magical Lantern Festival :: Miusan Restaurant :: Back to homepage :: Follow us on Twitter :: File Download (3:38 min / 4 MB)

In Minute 57 of The Whole Shebang, Mike, Jenny, and special guest Cat continue to look at the success montage including Cooper's lackluster costuming, the stately homes of Old England including Chiswick House in Cat's Architectural History Minute, Cooper's poor impression of Mickey Rooney, the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland comedies of the late ‘30s and early ‘40s, the many urban legends surrounding Walt Disney, the similarities between child actors Mickey Rooney, Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis, and yes, yet MORE costumes to review, including Brian's white suit which leaves nothing to the imagination, the Venus in Furs trying gamely to glam up, and Mandy's fantastic colorful sundress, and then we talk a lot about Eddie Izzard's acting in Velvet Goldmine and his recent appearance in the press for chasing down a beret thief. And we reveal the reason behind our trip to England– Cat's wedding to her husband Drew– and give a free commercial for the tasty wedding catering of Burger Bros. in Deal, UK. Find us on the web at thewholeshebangpodcast.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Patreon at wholeshebangpod.

N Quentin Woolf and Mathew Lyons duke it out with the weather and aircraft noise at Chiswick House to discuss how the history of London got made. Photo: shadow_in_the_water See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.