An exciting new festival of children’s literature, which will take place in the grounds of Eastnor Castle near Ledbury. The focus of this event is the performance of children’s literature, through drama, storytelling, illustration, arts and crafts and audience participation.
Hooked on Books will see an impressive line up of children’s authors who will be reading from their books, including:
Polly Alakija – Monday 12th to Thursday 15th August
Sally Pomme Clayton – Monday 12th August
Hannah Shaw – Tuesday 13th August
Jessica Souhami – Wednesday 14th August
Paul Cookson – Thursday 15th August
Competition for local children
As part of the event we are promoting a short story writing competition for local children. Children are asked to write a castle-themed story of no more than five hundred words. Furthermore each entry should be supported by a front cover illustration, using whichever media is preferred. Whether it be knights in shining armour, damsels in distress or ghostly ghouls, stories must be set in a castle and above all, be original and entertaining.
Prizes will be awarded for the best short story and illustration in the following categories:
Children aged 5-7 years
Children aged 8-11 years
The best short story in each category will win a £25 book voucher, a Family Privilege Pass for free entry for 2 adults and 3 children to Eastnor Castle and Grounds for 12 months and an Eastnor Castle goody bag.
We will also select one overall competition winner, who will receive all of the above and have their short story beautifully produced in hardback form to keep as a memento. Furthermore, the winning story will be read by one of our guest authors during the Hooked on Books festival.
Entries must be sent to:
Sarah Littlewood, Castle Office, Eastnor Castle, Ledbury HR8 1RL
Please ensure that the name, postal address, telephone number, email address and Age of the child is written on both the story and the accompanying illustration.
All entries must be received by Friday 19th July and the winners will be notified by Monday 29th July.
For any queries please telephone 01531 633160 or email enquiries@eastnorcastle.com
We have long had a business relationship with Jaguar Land Rover, so I wondered if there might be some connection between JLR and the Jacksonville Jaguars, but apparently not. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a football team from Jacksonville, Florida, and the cheerleaders are what they say they are. The current “roster” of girls was over in the UK for the photo shoot for their next year’s “Roar” calendar.
They started in London with very early morning shots at Piccadilly Circus and in other locations, including iconic images with telephone boxes, taxis and London Buses. They then came on to Eastnor for a couple of days for a different series of images and were very happy to use the house as they found it, with the addition only of two old Louis Vuitton suitcases as props. I missed most of the visit, but they seemed to enjoy being in an English castle, which in some ways looks not too much different from those they might have seen replicated in Disney World in Orlando. Our staff enjoyed their visit too as they were very enthusiastic, as Cheerleaders should be, and obviously had a bit of a party here.
A photo shoot like this is, unfortunately, not regular business for us, though we have had Tatler and Kutchinsky fashion shoots in the past as well as some glamour photography for other magazines. On such occasions, we find the heating has to be on, even in summer, but it is a small price to pay. It is a creative way to use the house and a great way to earn foreign exchange through a tourism-type service.
We hope it will lead to repeat business next year, but in the meantime it will give great exposure not only for the girls, but also for the castle and its interiors, though the eyes of viewers of the calendar may be more readily drawn to the beautiful Cheerleaders rather than the setting of the photographs.
JH-B 2nd June 2013
We have held small steam rallies at Eastnor for some time, organised by Bob Hayter, the estate joiner; they are still popular with visitors of all ages, if slightly preferred by men and boys. We invite a number of local engine and other vintage vehicle owners to bring their machines to the courtyard and encourage them to invite visitors to inspect them at close quarters, making sure they do not burn themselves on hot pipes etc. Anthony Brandt gave rides in his Stanley Steam car, which runs almost noiselessly compared to the modern equivalent, though Satnav is not a feature.
The Aveling & Porter steam roller in the foreground of the image is unusual in that it still belongs to Herefordshire Council, though it was retired in the 1960’s. As a boy, I remember seeing it sheeted up for the night on the Ledbury-Bromyard road, the fire banked up and ready for an early start the next day, so it is good to see it still in working order and cared for by an enthusiast. We had two other rollers on display, and three traction engines, one of which, a Foden, had been repatriated from Tasmania before restoration.
After one of our visiting traction engines broke down and another went home after the first day, I decided to bring out my showman’s living van to supplement the display. It dates from the 1920’s and belonged to the Connell family, who were based in the West Midlands. It is smaller than many, with a living room with Hostess coal stove and bed room, with narrow and short double bunk. I had it repainted and decorated by John Pocket, although it is now in need of a repaint despite a sheltered life in a shed. However, it proved a very popular exhibit, and visitors appreciated the unspoilt interiors panelled with American walnut and my set of almost vintage enamel crockery.
We will invite more engines and exhibits next year, and I hope my own Foden tractor will be back in action with its new boiler. We were delighted that we had 3000 visitors over the two days.
JH-B 2nd June 2013