Our February talk entitled “Up at the Big House” was given by Ruth Kerr, a local resident. The Big House in question was “Glen House” which was built in 1852 by the famous 19th century chemist and industrialist Charles Tennant 1st Baron Glenconner in the Scottish Baronial style as the family residence in Glen Estate near Peebles in the Scottish Borders.
Ruth’s father was appointed as a gamekeeper to the Tennant family in 1987 when the Estate was rented by the Tennant’s farm manager as a business concern and the house was let out for holidays, shooting parties, filming and corporate entertaining. Ruth worked part time as a maid in the house during her student years mainly cleaning and washing up after the guests. She came to know the House well and illustrated her talk with many interesting slides of the Estate, the house and the workers cottages.
In the time of Colin Tennant, the 3rd Baron Glenconner (1926-2010), the house was well known as a venue for society parties attended by Princess Margaret and many other prominent figures and Ruth ended her talk with many pictures of his family and friends taken over this period.
After a break for tea, coffee and a delicious cake to celebrate one special birthday we ended the evening with our business meeting, where we heard that the Monday morning walking group had met to plan their 2025 programme; that volunteers were needed to cook cakes and help to host afternoon teas in early April when the Bean Car Club were ending their annual motor rally at King’s Somborne Village Hall; and that plans were being made for a special WI Extra trip to visit the newly restored Bere Mill and its surrounding gardens on the old Portals Estate near Whitchurch.
Nola Mackintosh
Our next meeting is on Wednesday, 12th March. Our speaker will be Sarah Seymour on the “Bronte Sisters”. All visitors are welcome.
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