Podcasts about kenwood house

On this weeks episode, Blake is joined by Perry Powell to discuss an infamous art theft at the Kenwood House. Perry also shares one of his paranormal experiences! If you've had a paranormal encounter email your story to hauntedhometownspodcast@gmail.com cause everyone loves a ghost story!!

Bubble Trouble has spent 90+ episodes in the studios exposing sycophants and stenographers. More recently, we went from the studio to the stage, with both of us top billing the Financial Times Weekend Festival at Kenwood House. Richard's panel, aptly titled ‘The new goldrush: how to make money out of tech.' So this week we want to get back to the show title - ‘Bubbles' and ask: Is the bubble back? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robyn Grew is the new CEO of the Man Group, which manages more than $150 billion over multiple hedge funds. On September 3, she joined Katie Martin, the FT's Markets Editor, at the FT Weekend Festival at Kenwood House in north London. Perched on high stools behind a kitchen counter meant for a cooking demonstration, Grew and Martin discussed how the end of the low-inflation era has forced a rethink for everyone from retail investors to managers of sophisticated hedge funds. For a free 90-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedofferFollow Ethan Wu (@ethanywu) and Katie Martin (@katie_martin_fx) on X, formerly Twitter. You can email Ethan at ethan.wu@ft.com.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not all that long ago, you might have done the same job – or kind of job – for your entire career, but as life expectancy increases and social mores change, a growing number of people are pivoting to new jobs in middle age. In this episode, recorded at the FT Weekend Festival at London's Kenwood House, Isabel Berwick speaks to three experts to find out why changing careers can have surprising benefits – and how to do it best. Isabel is joined by Jan Hall, founding partner of leadership consultancy No 4 and co-author of a book exploring career change for senior leaders; Ana Baillie, a former financial and professional services lawyer now studying to be a midwife; and FT contributing editor and columnist Camilla Cavendish, author of ‘Extra Time: 10 Lessons for an Ageing World.'Want more? For a limited time this summer, we're making related articles FREE to read for all Working It listeners:The City workers who swapped the office for the great outdoors New job, new you? Well, maybe . . .Would it be unwise to leave my well-paid job to pursue a career in film? I have done the same job for years — how do I now move my career on?FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what's coming next. We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? Which topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn On X, formerly Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwickSubscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we explore Chinese cuisine with cook and food writer Fuchsia Dunlop. In the west, misconceptions and prejudices surround Chinese food: that it's unhealthy, or oily, or simple. In reality, it's a cuisine with ancient roots, that Fuchsia strongly believes is “endlessly thrilling”, and among the best and most sophisticated in the world. Fuchsia is the author of six books on Chinese food, including her newest, Invitation to a Banquet. She tells Lilah there's a lot the west can learn from how people in China approach food.-------We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We're on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links: – Fuschia's book is called Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food– Our episode with Fuschia on the noodles of Shanxi on Apple, Spotify and our website– The FT's review of Fuchsia's book: https://www.ft.com/content/29a158e8-6b30-494e-91d4-d6348a12cfde A few relevant pieces we love published in the FT by Fuchsia: – “Tofu is a cornucopia of taste. No, really” https://www.ft.com/content/ea3d24e8-fd27-42e8-8f9d-805da91769d1 – ”The west hasn't got a clue about bamboo”: https://www.ft.com/content/aea65ab3-f6c0-402b-83fa-e27f8262af3f– ”How to cook with lettuce — a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe”: https://www.ft.com/content/1cfbee9f-b92a-444e-a468-aaeea3f0e605 –Fuchsia is on Instagram at @fuchsiadunlop-------Join us at the FT Weekend festival, on Saturday September 2 at Kenwood House in London. It'll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festivalSpecial FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we go to one of the world's largest museums, so a former guard can teach us new ways to appreciate art. Patrick Bringley was a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a decade. He recently wrote a memoir about his time there titled All the Beauty in the World. He takes Lilah on a tour of the museum, and they explore how to appreciate the nuances of the space: everything from how lighting changes how loud people talk in a gallery, to why it is important to visit museums alone. How do you figure out if you like Van Gogh? Should you be asking that question in the first place? -------We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We're on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links: – Patrick Bringley's memoir is called All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me– The Water Lilies by Monet that Patrick and Lilah were looking at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437137 – A recent review of the current Met show of Van Gogh's Cypresses, by Ariella Budick: https://on.ft.com/3qDrKRB – An FT series on the world's best house museums: https://on.ft.com/3KU6tdk -------Join us at the FT Weekend festival, on Saturday September 2 at Kenwood House in London. It'll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festivalSpecial FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're talking about the politics of Italian food. Earlier this year, the FT's Marianna Giusti wrote a viral article called "Why everything I, an Italian, thought about Italian food was wrong", which looked at the origins of classic Italian dishes like pizza and pasta carbonara. In response she got dozens of furious emails and was condemned by some of Italy's top politicians. Today Mari is on with the man whose research she profiled, historian Alberto Grandi, to discuss how Italy's right wing has taken up what Alberto calls “gastronationalism”.– Mari's viral article with Alberto: ‘Everything I, an Italian, thought about Italian food is wrong' https://on.ft.com/45yV1LO – The FT's Amy Kazmin on Italy's efforts to protect Italian food against insect protein and lab-grown meat: https://on.ft.com/45iq3b9– Slate's Decoder Ring also featured Alberto and Mari on the origins of parmesan cheese: https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2023/07/parmesan-cheeses-journey-from-italy-to-wisconsin-------We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We're on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Our FTWeekend Festival is back on Saturday, September 2 at Kenwood House in London! It'll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festivalSpecial FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.--------------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, musician Jenny Lewis joins Lilah to break down how she writes a song. Lewis's music has paved the way for many famous pop stars and singer-songwriters today. She brings us through her trajectory: from child actor supporting her family, to lead singer of the beloved indie band Rilo Kiley, to solo artist who just, at 47, came out with her fifth solo album, Joy'All. Lilah asks her what she had for breakfast, she says “one weed gummy”, and they're off.– Read Lilah's profile of Lewis at http://ft.com/content/12695d22-fc85-48df-848c-00ca4802f79f -------We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We're on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Our FTWeekend Festival is back on Saturday, September 2 at Kenwood House in London! It'll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festivalSpecial FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.--------------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoClips used: Psychos and Giddy Up from the album Joy'all (2023), Blue Note RecordsRabbit Fur Coat from the album Rabbit Fur Coat (2006), Team Love RecordsRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, musician David Byrne joins Lilah in the FT's New York newsroom to talk about how he makes creative choices. Byrne has been an enduring cultural figure for more than four decades, known for always doing something new. His current project is Here Lies Love, a disco musical on Broadway about Imelda Marcos, a former politician and first lady in the Philippines. He's also revisiting his days with Talking Heads, as a remastered version of their seminal concert documentary Stop Making Sense will be rereleased this month by the indie studio A24. Byrne rewatched it recently, about 40 years after its release. “I'm looking at my younger self … and he seems like a stranger,” he tells Lilah. “And I go, ‘Who is this strange guy?'” – Read Lilah's profile of Byrne at https://on.ft.com/44SpQLK-------We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We're on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Our FTWeekend Festival is back on Saturday, September 2 at Kenwood House in London! It'll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festivalSpecial FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.--------------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoClip of Burning Down The House is from Stop Making Sense (1984)Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The voice behind the Mercedes EQS advert, Louise Golbey is a an established Soul singer /songwriter on the London music scene and beyond. A BBC Introducing Alumni (Glastonbury, Maida Vale) and regular performer at legendary venues Ronnie Scotts, The 606, Pizza Express and The Jazz Cafe, she has played alongside Paloma Faith, Jessie J, Sam Smith, Lianne Lahavas & Ed Sheeran (who is also in one of her early music videos). She has performed at Glastonbury, The Isle of Wight, Cross The Tracks, The London Jazz Festival, BluesFest and Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Louise is one of the most in-demand openers on the live music circuit, supporting George Benson at Kenwood House, En Vogue and Roberta Flack at The Indigo2, a sold out UK tour with The Stylistics, and Roy Ayers, Evelyn Champagne King, Omar, Heatwave and Eric Benet at The Jazz Cafe. Louise also performed at The o2 arena for the Electric Soul Festival in 2019 (hosted by Trevor Nelson) alongside Kool and The Gang, Brand New Heavies and Level 42.  With a lot of support from BBC 1 Xtra, 6 Music, Jazz FM, Mi Soul, Radio 2 and radio stations across Europe over the years.  Louise has released several EP's and singles, her first album ‘Novel' features a track with Omar and Mo Pleasure, as well as production by Mercury Music Prize nominee producer Drew ‘Beats' Horley (Ty, Estelle, De La Soul, Roots Manuva) and Aamir Yaqub (Rihanna) She has written tracks with Example, The Newham Generals and Dan Dare (who was behind the Joel Corry /MKEK hit Head n Heart in 2020) and is currently working with Grammy winning songwriter Rob Davis (‘Can't Get You Out of My Head'). Louise has written for TV series, film and adverts and also hosts The Songwriter's Podcast in association with The Ivors Academy and PRS for Music M Magazine. Louise recently released her second studio album ‘Renaissance' which has been very well received and showcases Louise's strongest and most personal recordings to date. #Music #MyMusic #LouiseGolbey #Jazz #StoryTelling #Podcast #Top20

In this the third part of our look at Hampstead, we look closer at Kenwood House, a stately home on the heath and also at 'Billionaires Row!' Join us as we discover more above these... Also a big thank you to our show sponsor, Libsyn, who host this podcast. If you're thinking of starting your own podcast, then there is no better time than now to do it!

Country Houses are a huge inspiration for our host. After a childhood of being marched around the most incredible houses in the UK, he learnt to love them for their artistic and cultural importance in the landscape of Great Britain. Today, Harry is on a mission to highlight their cultural significance, dispelling their connotations of a grandma's day-out and instead inspiring people to see the benefit of a storied artistic experience that truly connects people with the history and objects of our past. Harry is lucky enough to have worked at one of the UK's finest stately homes and so had plenty of first-hand experience of the people who visit them and how to make them more accessible to all. This week, Harry is joined by two women championing the importance of stately homes. Firstly, we hear from historian and producer at History Hit TV Alice Loxton, who shares some of the stories behind some of her favourite homes, and talks about why more people should get involved with them. Also joining the episode is historian and author Charlotte Furness who discusses her thoughts on how to open up these buildings for all, as well as the reasons they still matter in our cultural landscape. She also shares with us the fascinating history of Anne Lister, a remarkable woman who features in Charlotte's latest book and whose diaries are still studied today as a record of hidden LGBTQ+ voices in the early 19th century.  Harry Stevens is the host of Young at Art and is a 21-year-old art and interiors obsessive passionate about opening up the art world to all. At Young at Art Harry speaks to the tastemakers who are defining a new image of art and design today, with new episodes out weekly. If you enjoyed this episode and want to find who we will be speaking to next, you can follow the podcast on instagram @youngatartpodcast. Today's guests can be found on instagram at @charlottefurnesswriter and @history_alice, and Harry can be found at @planetstevens. For more information about the podcast, please visit the website, www.youngatartpodcast.comThe podcast's cover art was drawn by Beatrice Ross, @beatricealiceross and the intro music was written and performed by Maggie Talibart, @maggie_talibart.  Houses to Visit1. Althorp House, Northamptonshire. A hidden gem only an hour from London, Althorp House has one of the best private art collections in the UK with works by Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, Van Dyke and Stubs. Featuring a mix of both modern works and inherited family pieces, the collection at Althorp feels fresh and relevant today. Althorp is also the family home of Princess Diana, and has been lived in by the Spencer Family for over 500 years. https://althorpestate.com 2. Kenwood House, Hampstead, London.Set on London's Hampstead Heath, Kenwood House is owned by English Heritage and was once home to a fascinating character from aristocratic history, Dido Elizabeth Belle, widely considered UK's first black British aristocrat. Dido's story is fascinating; her father Sir John Lindsay was a white Royal Naval Officer and her mother Maria Bell was a black slave living in the British West Indies. She was also a niece of William Murray, later the 1st Earl of Mansfield, who was influential in his views towards the abolition of slavery in the UK, some 60 years before the abolition act was passed in 1833. Her story is explored in the 2013 film Belle. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenwood/ 3. Castle Howard, YorkshireBridgerton fans rejoice at the sight Castle Howard, which stands in as the fictional Clyvedon Castle, home to the Duke and Duchess of Hastings (played by Regé Jean-Page and Phoebe Dynevor). Castle Howard is a fabulous baroque palace: construction took over 100 years to complete and the result is a masterpiece of early 18th century design. The castle has a wonderful collection of antique sculpture, Canaletto paintings, and is set in acres of beautifully maintained parkland. https://www.castlehoward.co.uk 4. Mapperton House, DorsetHome to the Earl and Countess of Sandwich (Yes, where the name for the infamous lunchtime meal comes from) Mapperton is considered 'the finest manor house in England' and is home to an eclectic mix of objects and intriguing family history. Home to the Montagu family, Mapperton is the home of Julie Montagu - Viscountess Hinchingbrooke - who documents her life living and restoring the home to her YouTube channel (which has nearly 100,000 subscribers, all eager to get a slice of Mapperton life for themselves). Recently seen in Netflix's adaptation of Daphne Du Maruier's novel Rebecca, Mapperton House is a gem set amongst acres of gardens, where the Viscountess can be seen taking her daily ice bath in the 17th century canal garden !https://mapperton.com

You've found The Chris Moyles Show On Radio X Podcast, and what a podcast it is! We kicked off the week with some ‘shocking' birthday surprises for Producer Matt, although we're not sure how much enjoyed them. Tom Kerridge came onto the show, and we gave him the Chris Moyles Breakfast Special Omelette to try, in the hopes of getting a stall at the upcoming Pub in the Park festivals. Chris then surprised the team with a 5kg block of popcorn. Where it came from? No one knows. Si King of the Hairy Bikers then came in to talk about their new diet cook book, which includes some unbelievable recipes that we'll definitely be trying. Finally, Rag N Bone Man joined the team and spoke about his upcoming Heritage show at Kenwood House, as well as what's included on his rider (which includes a very random vegetable). But that's not all… - Dom's Bald Head Lawsuits - A Bobby Spirals Scandal - The Return of Glastonbury Flags Enjoy! The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X Weekdays 6:30-10am

Four day week? Don't let that fool you into thinking this week's Chris Moyles Show on Radio X Podcast is gonna be a short one! It was guests galore this bank holiday week, and we kicked it off with Jake Bugg having a chat ahead of his supporting set for Noel Gallagher at Kenwood House. Chris' mystical betting powers came to the rescue this week, much to the delight of Dom, before Sam expressed his delight after Manchester City's loss in the football midweek. Toby Tarrant's Dad, and Pippa's future Father-In-Law, came and visited Chris and the team in the studio, and spoke all about his new book “It's Not A Proper Job”, whilst also quashing suggestions of him and Toby doing a radio show together. Boy George also stopped by to chat about the Heritage Live shows that Culture Club are doing, which allowed Dom to show off his vocal ‘talents', giving his best rendition of Karma Chameleon. Finally, Dick and Dom spoke about Da Bungalow Live, and played Celebrity Two Word Tango with Chris and the team! But that's not all…. - Choo Choo at the Snooker - Chris hosting Countdown - Can Chris blow his nose? Enjoy! ?The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X Weekdays 6:30-10am

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/podcast.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 in this episode.Competition ends April 29th 2022. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/https://twitter.com/SLTHeritagehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-lynes-timbrell Sandra Lynes Timbrell has worked in the cultural sector for 20 years, holding senior roles at some of the UK's most recognisable sites, including Shakespeare's Globe and English Heritage properties. She is Director of Visitor Engagement at St Paul's Cathedral, where she leads several teams including commercial, visitor experience, security, collections and marketing. She is responsible for creating and delivering operational models that enable attractions to be financially secure whilst simultaneously creating a welcoming environment for visitors.Sandra has mentored young people starting out in the heritage industry, and delivered numerous talks and training sessions for Museum & Heritage Show; Women in Leadership and SOLT; the leading membership organization for the performing arts in the UK. She holds an MA in Heritage Management.  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. In today's episode I speak with Sandra Lynes Timbrell, Director of Visitor Experience at St. Paul's Cathedral.Sandra shares an emotional recollection of starting a new role right at the start of the 2020 lockdown. And we discuss the unique perspective of St. Paul's as a place of worship, and also a tourist attraction. If you like what you hear, subscribe on all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: Sandra, it is so lovely to have you on the podcast today. Thank you for coming on.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Thanks for having me. I'm been a bit of a fan, so I'm quite chuffed to be here to be honest. Kelly Molson: Oh, I love it when fans come on the podcast. I have to say you look super fabulous today as well.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Oh, thank you very much.Kelly Molson: As a fair, we're going to start with our icebreaker questions. So I want to know because this has happened to me. Have you ever met anyone famous and lost your mind a tiny little bit?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yes. There's been a couple of people and there was an international incident with Barack Obama, which is a whole other podcast subject.Kelly Molson: Oh.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: But I suppose Michael Palin was my big one. Because I think he's amazing. I love Monty Python. And I had a bit of thing for him when he was younger. Obviously not now, he's a bit older. And I met him a couple. I met him at this book launch and I queued up during a lunch break to go and see him. And just got there and then just stood there and he was saying, "Hello, how are you? Thanks for coming.". And I just went, "Thanks".Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And then I met him again and he asked again how I was and just said something really stupid. I'm getting married. And he said, "Oh, that's lovely. Thank you.".Kelly Molson: But that is lovely.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: It is, but then I saw him again at another event, I thought I can't go anywhere near him because [inaudible 00:01:55].Kelly Molson: He would be, oh look, there comes that crazy lady again. Let's not go [crosstalk 00:02:01] next time.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Exactly.Kelly Molson: Oh, I love that. Thank you for sharing.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: But I have to say working at the Globe, I met lots of famous people. And I have a really bad... I'm really good with faces and terrible with names. So I used to meet lots of really famous people and then just say, "Oh hi, how are you?" And then realise they were Gemma Artetan.Kelly Molson: I've done this on a train before. Because I'm good with faces too. And I always think maybe I went to school with them or something.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah.Kelly Molson: I know them from the past. No, just the tele. Amazing. Thank you. Okay. If you could travel back in time, what period would you go to and why?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: That's tough because I love history. I'd be like Dr. Who's TARDIS, just doting all over the place. Wow, I don't know. Okay, let's think about this. I'd love to be around the Tudor Court. I think that would be really exciting. I'd love to go to the Restoration of Charles II. Because I always imagine that was like a carry-on film.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Because I think if you look at a picture of Charles II, he looks like St. James. So I almost imagine that after the austerity of the Puritan Commonwealth, there would suddenly be this almost Dorothy emerging into Oz and everyone was just having a really good time. So I think the Restoration Court would be exciting.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I'll tell you where else actually, my Nana used to talk about The Blitz. She had quite a good time. She was in her late teens, early '20s. And obviously, it must have been difficult for her, but she had a good time going dancing with GIs and she was in Trafalgar Square on VE day. So something like that maybe, joining my Nana for a night out during the war.Kelly Molson: Oh that's nice, isn't it? Love that.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: There you go.Kelly Molson: Good. Thank you. Okay. And what is the worst job that you've ever had?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Oh gosh. Without a doubt, it has to have been, it was way back when, when I was trying to get into museums, and I worked for an audio guide company who shall remain nameless. But I had to spend a week and a half stuffing envelopes for them. And it was proper 9:00 till 5:00, just stuffing envelopes. They were just launching their audio guide for the Bilbao Museum in Spain.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And it was just soulless because I just sat in this room and no one came to talk to me. And I just stuffed envelopes for a week and a half. And I thought, is this what museums are about?Kelly Molson: Oh, yes. It's not the greatest first experience, is it?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Not brilliant, no.Kelly Molson: Okay. Well, things have moved on quite well since then, shall we say? All right. What is your unpopular opinion? And then you can tell us all about your background.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Oh, my unpopular opinion. You're going to get letters about this. I'm really sorry. I don't understand why The Great British Bake Off is so popular.Kelly Molson: I'm with you. No, it's OK. I'm with you.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Oh, really?Kelly Molson: Yes, it's all right. Oh God, me neither.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Watch the complaints rolling in.Kelly Molson: Oh, God. They're going to come, aren't they?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: They are. It's just, I don't get watching people bake cakes. I've tried watching it. It just doesn't make any sense. And then I don't understand why people want to enter the competition to make these big elaborate cakes when you could just go to the cake shop and buy one.Kelly Molson: I totally agree.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Anyone else who does. And I always feel I'm saying something really awful when I say I don't like-Kelly Molson: I do think it was better when it was first one. When it was a bit of a novelty and I did watch a few episodes then. But I still didn't really... I didn't love it. I didn't get into it. I know people who have bake off parties and stuff.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah.Kelly Molson: They'll bake cakes, especially for bake off week. And I'm just...Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Well people say, oh, you know it's whatever week this week. I was, I'm going to go to Marks & Spencer and I'm going to buy some ready made cakes and...Kelly Molson: And I am all about convenience.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yes.Kelly Molson: Time. And your valuable time that you need to spend on other things.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I'd just be stressed.Kelly Molson: We're going to get on Sandra.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: We are.Kelly Molson: We're going to get on. Well, this all started with a little rubber, didn't it? Rubber collection? So here was my little...Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Pretty nice.Kelly Molson: St. Paul's Cathedral rainbow rubber. Look at that. Amazing. Now, this was from my 35-year-old rubber collection. And for our American people that are listening, I'm talking about erasers, novelty erasers.Kelly Molson: But eight year old me used to have a big old collection. And every time I went to a different attraction, I would pick up a rubber. So we have one here from Fourty Hall in Enfield, which is my local place I used to go to, the National Gallery. And I just found all of these in my mum's loft a couple of months ago. I decided I was going to get all of the people that could come on the podcast and the attractions. And you're my first one, Sandra. I'm really pleased.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yay.Kelly Molson: So tell us a little bit about your background?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So I did a Degree in Ancient History and Archeology because I thought I was going to be Indiana Jones and I was going to find treasure. And then I spent a lot of time in some very wet trenches just outside of Manchester and realised it probably wasn't quite as glamorous as I thought it was going to be.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I really wanted to go into curatorial. I didn't really quite know what. And for various reasons I ended up, just after I finished my degree, volunteering at the Verulamium Museum in St. Albans. And I originally went to help the curatorial team. They were closing for renovations. So I originally to help the curatorial team to pack up the exhibitions and items.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: But as time went on, I was there for a few weeks, and it gradually got, so could you help an education team? Could you help the front of house team? Could you help with the group book? All those things were happening. And I remember as the placement was coming to an end, I sat down with the Museum Director and I said, “You know what I've really enjoyed the most, is the variety”. And he said, "Ah, you're an operations person".Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And this light bulb went off because I never knew. And I think that's part of a bigger conversation. I never knew there was such a thing as operations. You get taught about the curatorial side, the conservation side, maybe the education side, but no one really talks about the day-to-day running, the operational stuff.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So I then went off and did a Master's Degree in Heritage Management. And at the end of that was really fortunate, I got a job in English Heritage up at Kenwood House. And I stayed in English Heritage for seven years. I cut my teeth there. I had a really good time there. It was hard work, but it was fun work. And we were all learning and moving at the same pace.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So, I was there for seven years, by the end of it I was Head of Visitor Operations for South London. So I had five beautiful historic properties and public parks and gardens. I moved on to a Heritage Lottery Fund Project Management. And then from there, I went off to the Museum of London as Deputy Head of Visitor of Operations. And that was just before London 2012.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So the whole lens, the focus of the world was on London. It was such a wonderful museum to be at. And again, they were just opening the Galleries of Modern London there. So we have this amazing new team, this amazing new gallery. We were looking at fresh ways to engage our visitors, looking at fresh commercial ideas and again, a really exciting time to be part of the museum. And that place will always hold a really special place in my heart.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And then moved on from there two Shakespeare's Globe, where I set up the Visitor Experience Department. I went there as Head of Visitor Experience and seven years later left as Director. And the Globe had grown quite organically. It started as a theatre and someone thought we'd better have a box office. And someone else thought, well, we'd better have a shop for people to buy things. And we should have some levies. Be very organic. And no one has ever really been the champion of the visitor. So I came along to knit all of those operational teams together.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And so I got the role at St. Paul's and the idea was to leave the Globe on the 20th of March 2020 and had a nice week off, go to a couple of exhibitions, spend some time with friends and a little boy. And then start this fantastic new job at St. Paul's on the 30th of March 2020.Kelly Molson: Wow.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Wow.Kelly Molson: So, where do we start? Because that's a pretty spectacular time to start a new job. And that must have been quite challenging just to say the very least.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Can you take us back to then, can you share with us what it was like for you? Because I can only imagine what you were thinking.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah, it was the best of times and the worst of times to quote "Tale of Two Cities". As I was leaving there was this... I'll go back a bit further, but there was this infamous now I think, meeting with the VE forum. I know you've done a podcast on the VE Forum before. There was this infamous meeting at which a load of us were at Central London attractions and Bernard Donoghue came in and we'd all been watching the news. It must have been mid-late February and Bernard Donoghue came in, and there was this thing happening in China.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And he started talking about the impact that was beginning to have in new Europe and also on hotel bookings in the UK. And as he was talking and he said, the words, are paraphrased, but it was along the lines of this will have a bigger impact or as big an impact as the second world war had.Kelly Molson: Wow.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And there was this palpable intake, audible intake of breath across the room. Because I think until that point no one had ever realised just what this was going to be. And at the Globe we talked about, we might have to stop a show or not have a show.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I remember I went back, I went to St. Paul's on my way back home. And I presented this to a couple of the team that I'd already met and said, look, this is what Bernard's saying. And, okay, well, we'll probably need to think about if we can't do a service or if we have to close for a day or so. And I went back to the Globe and we were having the same conversation. Well, maybe it'll be a couple of days that we might have to close for.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And then gradually, just as time went on and you just see these horrendous news reports and things creeping up, we started to have these bigger meetings. The senior leadership team meetings I was having just about financials, where we were, what the impact of this was going to be, how we were going to manage. It was before things like furlough and all the grants that were there. It was this really stark reality that this was massive. Something was about to happen. And we're all about to fall off the edge of the cliff. And no one knew if there was going to be a net there for us, no one knew what was going to happen next.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And that last week I was meant to leave the Globe. I was meant to have the leave due on the Friday. I just remember from the Tuesday onwards people saying, I'm really sorry, I'm not coming in for the rest of the week, I was getting these emails. Until by I think the Wednesday or the Thursday that I left, there were four of us in and I had this moment, even though I'd been there seven years and it was just, well, thanks very much, take your stuff and we'll see you when we see you.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I remember phoning St. Paul's and if you know the geography, the Globe is just across the river from St. Paul's. Phoning up and saying, can I bring some things across? And the response was, there's no one there, we've all gone. We've closed. So I had that week where I think I had coronavirus, but I was very, very sick. I don't know. But I couldn't move out of my bed for the week.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And then I started on the 30th of March. And day one is usually here's the photocopier, here's your colleagues, here's where to get a coffee. Day one was, we are going into a restructure. What do you want your department to look like? And I hadn't spent any time with my team.Kelly Molson: Wow.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: I'd had one coffee with a couple of them. I knew nothing about the operations and yet I'm standing there or sitting there at my kitchen table of it, having to make decisions that are going to impact people's lives, people's livelihoods.Kelly Molson: I know. I'm breathing out, because I feel quite anxious, even just hearing you say that. But I can't imagine how... I can imagine how unbelievably stressful that situation would you've been. And how awful, you don't know these people, you haven't worked with them. How do you even start to look at that?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: With difficulty and with a lot of trust. And I think the other thing just to throw into the mix, that my full-time job they then terminated my contract and gave me a contract for two days a week. So I was also looking at, I might not have a job by the end of this. And looking really coldly at what those... I was almost looking at it as a consultant in a way, that I'm not really part of this organisation. But I'm just going to have to look at this really objectively.Kelly Molson: Yeah.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And see what I think. Because otherwise I was just... And it was almost a good thing that I wasn't at the Globe and then getting tangled up in the emotion of that. And I don't want this to sound cold, but it was almost better that I didn't know people, because I was talking about job titles and job roles rather than people.Kelly Molson: Yes.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Names. But having said that, it was really bloody tough and it was this huge weight, that I felt of responsibility about what I was doing and what I was shaping. But I had to put the trust in the team that were around me, who I have to say, have been and were absolutely brilliant. I didn't get one person saying, what are you doing here? I didn't get one person... Everyone was there supporting me and saying, if you need anything, this is my phone number, give me a ring, let's talk it through.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So we lost 25% of the workforce, which was huge. But I had to trust that when my teams were telling me that I needed this amount of expertise to keep the Cathedral floor open, that's what they needed. I do remember sitting in several meetings. I had this PDF map that I picked up when I was doing the recce for the role, next to me. Because we were going into the granular detail of where these people would be and how that would affect the experience, whatever that experience may be.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And they were talking north transit. I was, hang on a second, north, where's that, north? And I'd look up, and the conversation moved on. I was thinking, I don't know what they're talking... I'd have to keep stopping and saying, where is that? What do you mean? So I had to trust that they were telling me the right things. And for them, they had to trust me. And there was a lot of patience. As I say a huge amount of patience for me, to pick those things up, which in an ideal world I would've done gradually over a period of time.Kelly Molson: Yeah. I guess it's such a difficult situation. Because like you said, I think the way that you approached it from a consultative perspective, I think that's brilliant. That's the only way that you could have done it, isn't it? To try and take the emotion out of what was happening.Kelly Molson: But I think that must have been really difficult for you as a leader, because you are in a position of leadership at that point and people are looking to you.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Regardless of how long you've been in that role, they're looking for you to tell them what they need to do or what's going to happen. And that must have been such a weight on your shoulders.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: It was a huge weight. And as I say, I was only there two days a week. So I chose Mondays and Thursdays because they were when the senior leadership team were meeting. So I'd be from 9:00 in the morning Monday back-to-back Zooms trying to get to know people, trying to work out what the impact of saying yes to this and no to that was. Trying to get under the skin of the finances, the operations.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And then I'd be off Tuesday, Wednesday, and I'd be looking after my little boy and doing all the other things. And then Thursday would come along and I'd have a million emails, and people, I'm really sorry we changed that decision and you weren't part of that. And I'm really sorry you weren't part of that.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So as a leader, I felt constantly on the back foot and I felt, I always want to have the answers or if I don't have the answers, I want to say to my team, I'm going to find a way to give you the answers. I'm going to get back to you on that. And what was so difficult was not being able to do that. We were reacting, and it's not just some rules, it was across the organisation. We were reacting constantly to other people's decisions.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And one of the things I had to say, and I've spoken to other people. And I know I'm not the only one who has said this. There was a certain point where Boris was doing those super helpful press conferences at 5:00 every day. And there was a certain point where we had to shut down the idea that Boris gave us all a call just before he went on the TV to say what he was going to talk about. It was, we are getting this information at the same time as you at 5:00 at night when we are also exhausted from being on back-to-back Zoom calls all day.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And then we are having to react to what we are being told. And in some instances it was, well, this will be happening in two weeks' time. In other instances, this is happening tomorrow. So we then had to make very quick decisions off of the back of that. And working so reactively, firefighting in a way, it's so tough because you don't have that stepping back, that evaluation, what worked well, what didn't work well, how could we do it better next time? It's just, we're just going to have to go with this and keep going with this.Kelly Molson: And it's exhausting, isn't it? And that reactive nature was like you say absolutely accurate for people because you all Zoomed out and then you'll have to make really strategic decisions based on information that's just been thrown at you that might suddenly come into act the next day. And so then those days get longer and longer and longer.Kelly Molson: From all of that, looking back though, what do you think are your biggest learnings that you took away from the situation?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: I think two. The first one was, to be honest. And the idea of honesty that I talked about, saying to the team I don't have the answers. I don't know. Making really clear that we were all... What's the phrase that you're all in the same boat and it might be... Well, we're not, it's the same storm, but different boats.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: But the idea that we were all going through this in some way, shape or form together. And that there weren't answers, there wasn't a usual, this is our five year plan. And this is how we're going to get there. It was just... It goes back to the idea of trust. But being honest, we were doing our best and we didn't know, but we were trying to find out the answers or trying to do as much as we could to make it easier for the team.Kelly Molson: Yeah.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I think the other thing I've learned, and I keep telling myself this, is to be kind to myself. Because I started the first day of my job on the 30th of March, a week into lockdown. And I had to keep reminding myself that I didn't know. I wasn't expecting to know. And I've been there, it's coming up on two years. But I say to everybody, it feels like six months.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: This is the first time that I've seen any kind of normal cycle to the Cathedral. That I've been in any kind of normal planning meetings, that we've been talking about the next five years, as opposed to the next five minutes, the next five days.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So I sometimes feel a bit fraud. I sat in a meeting the other day and I said, I'm really sorry, I don't know anything about this. And someone said you've been here two years. But this is the first time I've had this discussion. This is the first time this has ever been told to me as an operations manager. And it's just reinforcing that. And as I say, being kind to myself that I shouldn't have expected that I would have all of the answers. Because we were all navigating this pandemic together. None of us had been through it before, so why should I know what to do?Kelly Molson: Yeah. It's really interesting. And I don't think we're all kind enough to ourselves.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: I don't think so.Kelly Molson: On a day-to-day basis anyway, let alone when there's a global pandemic, how can we...Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Exactly.Kelly Molson: I had a really similar chat to my team a little while ago about how me and my co-founder suddenly had to understand how to run a business in a completely different way. We'd never done... We had one team member that worked virtually for us or worked remotely for us.Kelly Molson: But we suddenly had to understand how we were going to run our whole business completely differently than we had before, at a time where we weren't sure if we were ever going to win any more business ever again, or if clients were going to stay with us. We just didn't have a clue what was going on. But everybody was looking to us to tell them what was going to happen. And we were just, "I have no idea".Sandra Lynes Timbrell: That's the assumption, you were digital. You were going to come save the world, weren't you?Kelly Molson: Apparently so, yeah. And touch wood, things were okay and we got through it. But we still didn't really have a clue. It was all just guesswork. And like you, we were reacting on information that we were hearing on the tele and going, okay, oh, we can do that now, then. Okay. Well we better do that. I'll ring up HMRC. I'll ring up the VAT office. We'll just put everything on pause. Absolute chaos. But now we're in a very, very different place. Incredible to think how far we've come.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: I think if anyone had said you'll still be here in two years time, I think we all would have just thrown ourselves in the Thames, wouldn't we? But hey, we are where we are in this.Kelly Molson: Well, I'm just glad I get to go back into London and see the Thames. That's exciting.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yay. Of course, yeah.Kelly Molson: So I do want to talk to you about a very unique challenge that you have. And I think what's really interesting, obviously we all know St. Paul's, I've such fond memories of St. Paul's. I think we spoke about this when we had a pre-interview chat. It's one of my dad's favourite buildings and it is absolutely stunning. I have such good memories of visiting it with him as a child and going up to the Whispering Gallery.Kelly Molson: I can remember having a... My rubber is not the only thing that I have from St. Paul's Cathedral. We had a beautiful puzzle. We used to do puzzles. That's a lockdown thing, isn't it? But it was of the dome of the Whispering Gallery, the beautiful pattern. A lot of people see it as a tourist attraction, which it is, but first and foremost, it's a place of worship.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah.Kelly Molson: And so I'm intrigued just to understand how you get that visitor experience right. For two audiences that are coming for very, very different reasons.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah.Kelly Molson: One to worship, one to look at the architecture, for example.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: The sightseeing. Yeah. And it is a really fine balance that we have to strike. I think the thing that we have to think about, is I come from a very commercial angle about, if we keep the building open then we allow worship to happen. And that's a really stark way of looking at things.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I have some clerical colleagues who come from the other angle, which is this building is just here to worship. And we have to be very careful about what we do in order to raise the money. I think the first thing that we all sign up to is that we are respectful of other people's opinions and other people's beliefs and other people's needs.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So there is a chapel that you can go into. So to come to worship, to come to pray, that will always be free at St. Paul's. And there's a chapel that you can come into and set aside for private prayer. And you just announce yourself and you can go straight through into there and you can pray. Or you can come along to one of the Eucharists or you can come along to one of the bigger services. And you are there for free. There is no assumption that you would pay any money.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: However, what we do find is that worship and tourism aren't mutually exclusive. And that's something that the Dean and certainly the more pastoral colleagues I have, are really keen to point out, that you don't simply have to just be a tourist. You don't simply have to just be here to worship. You can come and worship and think, look at that amazing architecture. You can come as a tourist and think actually that's a really beautiful service. Or I'd like to listen to the words that's being said.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And as someone who isn't particularly religious, when you step into the space, you can appreciate the spirituality and the mindfulness of the building. It is an absolutely beautiful building. And there is a sense of still and calm when you go through. I think it's a lot in many churches I've been through, a sense of still and calm. That you don't have to be there specifically to worship to appreciate that you are in a place that is absolutely stunning and absolutely beautiful.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I've seen some really amazing services. Some of the Christmas, we have the Consecration of Bishops. And they're absolutely joyous. And it's just amazing to see people just really enjoying being there and using the space, what it was intended for.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So the way that we look at things and the way that we market is that it's about the building. Yes, it's a place of faith, but it's also a place that's been at the heart of London, the heart of our nation for over 1000 years, not the same building. Building in that place. It's been there for over 1000s of years. And so it's part of our lives. It's part of our collective memories of things like Charles and Diana's weddings, or the Jubilee celebrations that we've got coming up.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So when we are looking to market the church, we talk about it being alive with stories, we talk about the hidden cathedral. So those places that you don't usually get to see on the tourist trail, that actually might also appeal to people who are worshippers as well. But there is a challenge, as a working church we stop for Eucharist at 12:30 every day, we stop for prayers on the hour, every hour.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: We have some big services, for example, the Consecration of the Bishops, which is not ticketed to the public, it's ticketed to the Bishops who are being consecrated. So we have to be closed to the public. So we have those challenges of how to work around that. We can't just simply say that we're open.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: The website has got some very complicated, but not at this time, messaging there. But actually again, that's part of the beauty of it. Why are we closed? This is why we're closed. This is what we're doing. This is what we're celebrating. So I find it's a challenge, but it's not as big a challenge I think, as you would expect.Kelly Molson: Does it bring any advantages or disadvantages with that as well? I guess that's really what we've spoken about in terms of the disadvantage of closing, and how can you explain why you're closed for certain things.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: I think the advantages are learning about why it's there. Learning about what St. Paul's is. And you can get married there. People get married there, people have their children baptised there. So when people find that out, oh, that's really interesting, how do I do that? So again, it's just opening up and unlocking those stories that I talked about. Unlocking the building for people.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: I suppose another challenge is that we can't be... This is a nation's church, we are the place where the Queen comes to worship. So what we can't do is we can't be provocative. We can't be aggressively commercial. We have to respect that this ultimately is a church. This ultimately is a place of worship. But the understanding also is there that we need to be commercial in some way, shape or form. It cost eight million pounds to keep St. Paul's Cathedral open.Kelly Molson: Wow.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Every year.Kelly Molson: Gosh.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So we need to raise that money. So when I'm talking about driving visitor numbers up, when I'm talking about driving income, it's not the detriment of the core values of what St. Paul's Cathedral is, that value of faith comes first.Kelly Molson: Yeah. And it's like you say, it goes back to that. It's a very fine line, isn't it? To try and keep everybody happy and everyone considered in those circumstances.Kelly Molson: Look into the future. Because we're all about future and positivity now. You've got the Platinum Jubilee Exhibition.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Opening the 25th of May.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: 25th of May, that is right. So it's all about all of the Jubilee celebrations that we've had at St. Paul's. So there are four of them, which are celebrating George III, Victoria, Edward, and the Queen herself, who will be having, it's her fourth celebration.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And I was in a really exciting multi-agency Jubilee meeting the other day for the actual service. So that was lovely again, to be part of, seeing St. Paul's opening up again and being part of these bigger services. But come along, it's going to be great.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So as part of HRL funding, which was when we were in lockdown, I got an audience development plan and pull together. And what we found was before the lockdown, almost 90% of our audience were international tourists and the remainder were domestics, but the reason the domestic market weren't coming were broadly because a bit like you, came with your dad when you were at school, you went up to the Whispering Gallery. What's the reason for coming again?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So part of my engagement strategy is trying to put things into place, which encourage people to come back to St. Paul's and think of it a bit more of a return visit. So we've got kids go free happening this half term, we've got the Jubilee Exhibition going in this year, which runs on the 25th of May all the way through, hopefully into about Christmas. And then we're looking ahead to Wren 300 next year, which is going to be huge. That's the 300 anniversary of Wren's death.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So again, trying to think of some events that we can do on the cathedral floor, we've got our Summer Lates Program, which I'm in talks with a brilliant, a company to do partnership with some events with us. And maybe it's something a little bit more unexpected on the cathedral floor, but all bring it back to the idea of mindfulness about where we are. And we can't be too provocative. We can't be aggressively commercial. But actually, let's look at St. Paul's in a different way. Let's look at the architecture. Let's take our inspiration from the mosaics, from all the other wonderful things that we have there.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: So we are really looking forward to the Jubilee. It's massive for us and everyone's super-excited. Our guides doing guided tours, pulling those together. We've got our VA teams, are bringing some objects down to the cathedral floor for people to... Part of our handling collection. It's really something we're all pulling together for. I think after the past couple of years, this is just the joy that we need.Kelly Molson: Oh, yeah. It feels like a big celebration.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah, it does.Kelly Molson: It feels like it's really well-timed, isn't it? The Jubilee, and it happening. I feel it's going to bring everyone back together again.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: It will.Kelly Molson: I love the idea of the Lates. I'm very excited and intrigued to find out what's happening there. But you are right, it's been difficult, isn't it? For attractions that are predominantly international tourists that come. That must have been really difficult for you. And I think it's wonderful that you've now got this program where you are encouraging people to come back. I'm definitely going to come back and-Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Brilliant.Kelly Molson: And come and see the exhibition. I'm really excited to come and see that. And I'm going to bring my daughter.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yay.Kelly Molson: For the first time. It'll be her first trip to London.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Really exciting.Kelly Molson: Yeah. I just think it is one of those places that you do go to as a child and there needs to be that continuation of why you should come back. So very excited to see.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: We just need to... As I say, we're obviously restricted with many... We don't have an outside space really. We can't just put exhibitions anywhere. We can't be as reactive as some can. We do what we can.Kelly Molson: And do it beautifully as well.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Oh, thank you.Kelly Molson: So I always ask our guests about a book that they love.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Now it can be something that you love. It can be something that's inspired you in your career. It can something that you love personally. What have you got to share with us today?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: I found this really tough, because I read all the time. And so choosing one book, I can't do that. So I came up with a couple and then I had to pair it down. So I've got the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which is absolutely brilliant. And then anything by David Mitchell. But I decided that the one I would tell people they had to read and if they could win it, they should, was Life after Life by Kate Atkinson.Kelly Molson: Oh, okay. I have not read this book. No.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: It's a story of a girl Ursula, who is born in 1910 and it's the multitude of lives that she goes through. So every chapter she has a different life. And the first chapter she isn't born and it goes all the way through, it goes through two world wars, where things happen to her or don't happen to her.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: And she begins to have this memory of what her life was. And she takes herself out of certain situations. And I just love it because it's this idea of... It's almost if you take that turn, that doesn't happen, but something else happens. And Kate Atkinson writes absolutely beautifully. So it's a really lovely book to read, just to think about, maybe if I'd opened that door I would've been over here, but here I am.Kelly Molson: Oh, I like that. It's got arching back a little bit to our little time-traveling question there at the beginning as well, isn't it?Sandra Lynes Timbrell: It is a bit, isn't it? I told you.Kelly Molson: A little trick to travel through history. Well, as ever listeners, if you want to win Sandra's book, if you go over to our literature account and you retweet this podcast announcement with the words "I want Sandra's book", then you will be in with a chance of winning it.Kelly Molson: It's been so lovely to have you on today. Thank you for sharing what I can imagine. And I felt it while you were talking, a very emotional and very challenging time. And so I'm very grateful that you were open to sharing that with us today, but I'm really excited about what's coming next with St. Paul's. And I think that there's lots of good things to be really, really positive about. And I'm looking forward to coming to see them.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Oh, looking forward to seeing you, it's going to be an exciting summer. We saw some international tourists yesterday, so it's all going to be okay.Kelly Molson: They're back.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: They're back.Kelly Molson: The world is open.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: It's all right.Kelly Molson: Brilliant. Thanks so much, Sandra.Sandra Lynes Timbrell: Thanks so much, Kelly.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.

Wobec wszystkich wydarzeń, które miały miejsce od zeszłego tygodnia, nie miałam pomysłu na ten odcinek. Wybaczcie zatem jego osobisty ton, ale tylko tak mogłam coś z siebie wydobyć. Bohaterem opowieści, trochę przez przypadek, został Rembrandt. A raczej jego wytrwałość w stawianiu czoła zmianom, niewiadomym i utratom, które przynosi życie. I jego upór w robieniu tego, co wychodziło mu najlepiej - tworzeniu sztuki. Impuls dał "Autoportret z okręgami", ok. 1665-1669, Kenwood House w Londynie. Podcast "Otulina o sztuce" jest rozwinięciem bloga "Otulina. Aleksandra Janiszewska o sztuce", który prowadzę. Możecie znaleźć moje wpisy na stronie lub na profilu na Facebooku.

Talk Art exclusive! Russell & Robert meet legendary British artist Dame Rachel Whiteread DBE for an intimate studio visit where we view her new works prior to installing her new exhibition ‘Internal Objects’. In Rachel Whiteread’s sculptures and drawings, everyday settings, objects, and surfaces are transformed into ghostly replicas that are eerily familiar. Through casting, she frees her subject matter—from beds, tables, and boxes to water towers and entire houses—from practical use, suggesting a new permanence, imbued with memory. We discuss childhood, experimenting with numerous materials as a student, the joy of sharpening pencils, studying with Richard Wilson, her now iconic artworks 'House' (1993) and 'Ghost' (1990), further early works made by casting a wardrobe and household furniture and her large permanent Holocaust Memorial (2000) in Vienna's Judenplatz. We learn about her ‘Shy Sculpture‘ series installed in unexpected international locations and hear of her experiences during the YBA years, and subsequently being the first woman to win the Turner Prize in 1993.We explore the new works made during lockdown including two large cabin-like structures 'Poltergeist' (2020) and 'Döppelganger' (2020–21) which now form the central part of a new exhibition at Gagosian’s Grosvenor Hill gallery, made of found wood and metal, meticulously overpainted in white household paint. The exhibition also features a new body of sculptures in resin and new works on paper, as well as recent cast sculptures in bronze, similar to works in bronze Whiteread made in 2000–10, and exhibited at a major retrospective at Tate Britain in 2017. Finally, we discover her interest in cinema, admiration for Italian Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca and living with contemporary artworks by Bridget Riley, Christopher Wool, Kiki Smith and Rebecca Warren and why Kenwood House in North London is worth a visit! Rachel Whiteread’s new solo show ‘Internal Objects’ opened this week at Gagosian in London and runs until 6th June 2021. Follow @RachelWhitereadOfficial and @Gagosian on Instagram. View exhibition views at Gagosian's website: https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2021/rachel-whiteread-internal-objects/ A fully illustrated catalogue, including a short story by John Steinbeck and an essay by Richard Calvocoressi, will be published to accompany the exhibition.For images of all artworks discussed in this episode visit @TalkArt. Talk Art theme music by Jack Northover @JackNorthoverMusic courtesy of HowlTown.com We've just joined Twitter too @TalkArt. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. For all requests, please email talkart@independenttalent.com 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.

We're joined by Cathy Power and Sarah Murden to discuss the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate daughter of British naval officer Sir John Lindsay and an African woman named Maria Bell, who may have been a slave. Dido spent much of her life at Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath in North London where was raised by her great uncle, Lord Mansfield, who through the 1750s to 80s was the most powerful judge in England. To discover more about Dido Belle and Kenwood, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/women-in-history/dido-belle

Parolado: kadre de  FEJ 7-jara  festparolado de Albert Stalin Garrido  Kanto: el la kompaktdisko Kien vi iros de Rafael Milhomem “ Karliene kaj Muniz” Prelego: eltiraĵo el la prelego de Anna Löwenstein pri Kenwood House en Londono : Lordo Mansfield  Kanto : el la kompaktdisko La granda aventuro de inicialoj DC “ Nokta stirado”.  Legado: […]

I recently rewatched the film Belle, played by Guru Mbatha-Raw set in the late 1700s to early 1800s, based on a true story. Belle was the child of a white British Naval Officer and an African woman, she was brought to the United Kingdom at a young age by her father after her mother passed. Belle was taken into custody by her great-uncle Lord William Murray Mansfield, who happened to be Britains’ most powerful judge at the time. This relationship would be significant as Belles’ life became intertwined with the abolishment of the Slave Trade in March 1807. The film was inspired by a 1779 painting of Belle standing beside her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray at Kenwood House in London, which now hangs at Scone Palace in Perth, Scotland. Beware of spoilers…. The post EP 26: Dido Elizabeth Belle appeared first on Can I Preach?.

What are the biggest barriers to managing our money? Special guests Martin Wolf, Bobby Seagull and Justin Urquhart Stewart tell presenter Claer Barrett what they would banish to ‘Room 101’ to improve the nation’s finances. This week's podcast comes to you from the FT Money tent at the FT Weekend Festival at Kenwood House. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this week's episode of Things I Told My Daughter, I sit down with Edith and Eleanor Bowman.This week I made my way to Kenwood House in Hampstead. This Georgian gem sits on the edge of the famous Heath in North London, close to where my guest lives and spends time with her family. It is home to a beautiful art collection, steeped in culture and hugely respected and cared for. Perfectly matching the nation’s feelings towards Broadcaster and Writer Edith Bowman.Her mum Eleanor is just the sweetest and holds some amazing stories of her own and I was so delighted to learn more about what and who shaped Edith in to the powerhouse woman of radio she is today!This episode is brought to you by Fabulous Magazine and produced by Niall Killeney-Taylor & Katharine Kerr, a Wireless Studios Production. To get in touch with the show visit https://twitter.com/fabulousmag?lang=en, or use the hashtag #ThingsIToldMyDaughterTo discover more of our award winning journalism visit https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We discuss the costumes in Pose, it’s influences and the history of Drag Balls. See links below. Jennie Livingston (director), Paris is Burning (1990): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100332/ Jennie Livingston: https://www.jennielivingston.com/ Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy (creators), Pose (2018): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7562112/ Jamel Shabazz: http://www.jamelshabazz.com/ Armet Francis photos at V&A: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/name/francis-armet/AUTH319927/ Berry Gordy (director), Mahogany (1975): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073335/ Monique-Antoine Orosemane (Mounia), ‘Black History Month with Fashion Bomb Daily: Mounia’ (2011): http://fashionbombdaily.com/black-history-month-with-fashion-bomb-daily-mounia/ Debbie Allen in Fame, TV Series, Season 1 (1982): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtgmnhRQir4 RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009-): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1353056/ Alyson Hobbs, A Chosen Exile: A History of Racial Passing in American Life (Harvard University Press 2014): http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674368101 bell hooks, ‘Is Paris Burning?’, in Black Looks: Race and Representation (South End Press 1992), pp. 145-156: https://aboutabicycle.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/bell-hooks-black-looks-race-and-representation.pdf Judith Butler, ‘Gender is Burning: Questions of Appropriation and Subversion’, in Anne McClintock, Aamir Mufti, and Ella Shohat (eds.), Dangerous liaisons: gender, nation, and postcolonial perspectives (University of Minnesota Press 1997), pp. 381–395: http://pica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/gender-is-burning.pdf Farid Chenoune, ‘Their ball: Notes on the Photos of Magic-City, Drag Ball of the Inter-War Period’, Modes Pratiques (January 2018): https://www.modespratiques.fr/special-issue.html# Knole: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knole William Larkin paintings at Kenwood House: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenwood/history-stories-kenwood/history/collections/ William Larkin, Portrait of a Young Lady, possibly Jane, Lady Thornhaugh, 1617, Yale Center for British Art: https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/vufind/Record/4379629

A return to Hampstead Heath, on a glorious sunny day, with a family adventure-report from Paul, and a running adventure-report from Rob. Featuring whoops and loops, woodland choices and silly voices, grand prix and burglary, park run pacers and Asian dangers.PS - The merch has landed, and is available HERE: https://newbalanceteam.co.uk/clubs-teams-and-unis/running-commentary Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/runningcommentary. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode we recount our visit to Kenwood House in Hampstead, the home of Dido Elizabeth Belle, and our heroine is sulky gardening queen Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden. A lovely explainer on Amma Asante's Belle, which we discuss at length: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/belle-the-film-which-sheds-light-on-a-radical-episode-in-the-abolition-of-slavery-9461810.html COLIN FROM THE SECRET GARDEN IS THE WORST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS-Ni3vzXSs

Volunteer Explainer, Susie Monk, enjoys the history, visitors and friendly team at Kenwood House – the free-entry English Heritage villa on Hampstead Heath. Preserving and sharing the beauty of the grounds and the rooms, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Gainsborough offer many volunteering opportunities and benefits as Debbie Dreyfuss, Volunteer Co-ordinator, explains. Find out more at: kenwood.volunteering@English-heritage.org.uk English Heritage volunteering :: Back to homepage :: Follow us on Twitter :: File Download (8:40 min / 8 MB)

Angel Canal Festival all day Sunday is at City Basin on the Regent’s Canal; ‘Bach to the Future’ with Fenella Humphreys and Nina Leo plays the French masters at the Forge; ‘The Jewish Legends’ are Upstairs at The Gatehouse in Highgate; comedy ‘The Priory’ is at Theatro Technis; ‘Hidden Charms’ play at Koko on Friday supported by DJs Amazonica and Alana B Devotion: Exhibition of art by swimmers from the Ladies Pond, in Kenwood House Orangery, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th. Read by: Catherine Carroll, Freddy Chick, N.N.Dee, Joe Hughes & Marian Larragy. Angel Canal Festival :: Theatro Technis :: The Priory Forge: Fenella Humphreys :: 'Bach to the Future' Soiree Classique :: Nina Leo The Jewish Legends :: Hidden Charms at Koko Club :: Kenwood House :: 'Ladies Pond' Swimmers Present... Back to home page :: Follow Camden Community Radio on Twitter :: File Download (6:32 min / 6 MB)

A hugely exciting week with all sorts to look forward to. It doesn’t matter if you 5 or 105 years old, we’ve got you covered. There’s a summer party at the Roundhouse, summer school at the WAC Arts, gardening classes at Castlehaven and more!! Package by: Danielle Manning, Angela Routley, Joseph Hughes, Freddy Chick Roundhouse Beach :: Camden 50 Summer Party :: Kenwood House under 5 Friday :: Maiden Lane Community Centre :: Castlehaven Gardening Drop In :: WAC Arts Summer Program :: Camden Tour Guides :: Camden Give It A Go Festival :: Back to Homepage :: Follow us on Twitter :: File Download (7:47 min / 11 MB)

Amma Asante's film Belle depicts an illegitimate mixed-race girl brought up in eighteenth-century London in Kenwood House, the household of Lord Mansfield. Director Amma Asante and Dr Kit Davies talk to Matthew Sweet about the issues raised in the film. Writer Rosamund Bartlett has a first night review of Brian Friel's stage version of Turgenev's Fathers and Sons which opens at London's Donmar Warehouse tonight. There's the first column from the 2014 Radio 3 New Generation Thinkers: Tom Charlton brings those who would question the value of a research library to book. Plus Andrew Pendleton and Ryan Bourne discuss whether a globalised economy an environmental problem or a solution.

Join The Gist of Freedom as we talk with historian Stephanie James Wilson, M.A. Stephanie is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Amistad Commission, a division of the Department of Education. The Amistad Commission – NJ Dept. of Education would like to extend to you an invitation to join us at the 2nd free preview screening of the major motion picture“BELLE”.  LIMITED SEATING YOU MUST RSVP Tuesday, May 20, 2014 AMC Clifton Commons 16 405 Route 3 Clifton, New Jersey 07014 Doors open at 6:30 pm Showtime begins at 7:00 pm Dido Belle, the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy officer, is brought to England by her father and left in the care of his uncle, Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice, at his estate of Kenwood House. Though the social mores of the time make her an outsider, Dido is raised by Mansfield as an aristocrat alongside her cousin Elizabeth. Dido's burgeoning relationship with a young lawyer, John Davinier, meets with the disapproval of Mansfield who considers the match beneath her. At the same time Mansfield is deliberating on a slavery case (Somerset v Stewart) which will advance the cause of the abolitionists.

Christmas market and concert in the Quad at UCL, Gower Street; XMAS cheer at the Irish Centre in Camden Square; Kenwood House re-opens with Gainsborough paintings and other goodies to see for free; Ska night at the Fiddler’s Elbow on Saturday 7th Written, Read and Recorded by: Ann Carroll, Freddy Chick & Sarah O’Brien Back to Camden Community Radio :: Follow Camden Communit Radio on Twitter :: File Download (2:16 min / 2 MB)

Efforts to restore historic buildings to their original splendour tell us as much about today’s tastes as they do about yesterday’s See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Melvyn Bragg chooses Rembrandt's Self-Portrait (1658) for his Cultural Exchange. Plus additional archive including Neil McGregor on Rembrandt's complicated love life; a look at the mysterious Self-Portrait with Circles at Kenwood House, and artist Maggi Hambling on the Dutch master. Go to Front Row's Cultural Exchange website for more details and images.