| ERIC KNOWLES - ANTIQUARIAN | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Last month I mentioned the mid-week break in Burnley and that a splendid time was had by all despite temperatures that never dipped below 80 degrees - can you believe it, Burnley not Bermuda!
Well, this month I have been crossing the t's and dotting the i's on a real value for money London antique mini break that starts this month. This involves staying at the Mayfair Millennium Hotel and a visit to both Bonhams and the fabulous Wallace Collection the next morning - at the risk of abusing this position of power, those of you who would like to find out more can do so by email: mayfair@mill-cop.com, tel: 020 7596 3170.
Earlier this month I found myself heading west down the M4 in search of Lackham College just outside Chippenham in the lovely county of Wiltshire.
This was the venue chosen by the organisers for a huge fete to celebrate 50 years of the Duke of Edinburgh awards and I had been invited along to hand out the certificates to the award-winners.
Joining me in the task was Phil Harding, a name that will not be lost on those readers who follow the excavations carried out by Time Team. Phil is the one with long, red hair and a West Country accent so strong you would probably need a chain saw to cut through it. The Duke himself called by later that afternoon and showed himself to be extremely easygoing when it came to mixing and talking to all the youngsters.
The following Sunday morning was an early start as the Knowlesmobile headed south, this time towards the outskirts of Chichester and the Goodwood Festival of Speed with Mrs K and Master K in tow. My youngest son is unquestionably a lost cause when it comes to high performance cars and invariably can tell you the name of most of these exotic beasts and the relevant engine size.
We had been invited along by Bonhams, who provided us with a wonderful lunch and later afternoon tea, all partaken beneath portraits of the Duke of Richmond's ancestors who gazed down from the walls of the yellow dining room.
But first it was drinks on the terrace while entertained by the death-defying exploits of the RAF Red Arrows aerial display team. Needless to say both wife and son will be more than happy to make themselves available for a repeat performance next year.
Next stop was the new City of Preston and the University of Central Lancashire where several years ago they saw fit to make me an Honorary Fellow.
Each year I am invited to one of the graduation presentation days where I manage to hobnob with the academic cream of that part of the world while processing through the streets, resplendent in cap and gown.
I should also add that I do from time to time find myself called upon to lecture to the applied arts students who, I was pleased to learn, feature some of my books amongst their reading reference list.
Look out for "Eric Knowles, Antiques " A Beginners Guide", available in October at all good booksellers, as they say. Staying in Preston overnight, the next day I headed east into that part of darkest Lancashire called Darwen, albeit pronounced Daren by the locals, where I had been invited to be the after-lunch speaker to the Bolton and District Decorative and Fine Art Society.
I arrived in glorious sunshine to find a drinks reception in full sway - such is the splendid summer we have been able to enjoy I rarely seem to have had drinks anywhere else but the great outdoors. Now this might seem an odd thing to admit but I invariably get a few nerves prior to any public speaking engagement, if only because I am never certain as to whether my sense of humour will go down well or otherwise.
Thankfully the natives showed themselves to be a receptive bunch of folk and I needn't have worried, but I know I still will the next time I have to get up and speak for my supper, dinner or breakfast.
I managed to slip away during the raffle, if only because that same evening I had to be in High Wycombe for a pre-Antiques Roadshow dinner where Mrs K accompanied me.
The actual venue was Hughenden Manor, a National Trust property that was once the home of Benjamin Disraeli, and despite arriving at 8am and working through to 6pm I never did actually manage to have a look inside the place - the same held true at Holkham Hall a few weeks earlier.
The highlight of the week that followed was undisputedly an invitation to Buckingham Palace to attend a garden party held in celebration of 30 years of the Princes Trust.
Once again, I was accompanied by Mrs K and, once again, the weather behaved impeccably with plenty of sunshine and a mischievous wind that sent a few of the ladies' hats across the tired looking lawn - good to see HRH is also having to endure the hosepipe ban like the rest of us mere mortals.
I was invited as an ambassador for the Princes Trust over the past 12 years or so, as were many of the other guests. In fact, it was a bit of a 'who's who' when it came to celebrity spotting, with Mrs K voting Vernon Kay and Tess Daley the most handsome couple. Sorry Darius!
I can tell you now that the Palace provides great sandwiches - not a single crust in sight - not forgetting scrumptious cakes, impeccable ice cream and a wicked cup of tea. What a hard life I hear you say!
Later in the month I was back up north, this time in Ashton-under-Lyne, just outside Manchester, where I was flattered to be asked to officially open Lomas Court, a multi-million pound, purposebuilt and state-of-the-art building that houses flats for younger people with mobility difficulties.
Within minutes of arriving I was made to feel very much at home and, after being given a tour of the building, was invited to say a few words and then unveil a plaque.
After which it was a case of meeting more of the residents and grabbing a bite - it took the better part of five hours to get there on a day that saw the temperature top 90 degrees on my way there as I drove through Buxton. God bless incar air conditioning.
Till next time - Stay Cool.
Originally published in Collect it!