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Chapter 7


Billy was up bright and early on the Wednesday morning; he put out boxes of cereals, filled the kettle, topped up the milk jug and laid the table for breakfast. He even went outside to the chickens, opened the roost and threw them a couple of handfuls of corn. They swooped out of the roost in the early morning sunshine and clucked, pecking busily at the snack he’d thrown them.

Billy dusted off his hands, and turned to go back inside the cottage, to see his dad standing in the doorway, smiling at him.

“You’re eager this morning, son!”

“I can’t wait to get there!” Billy grinned.

Buffy came downstairs with Izzie, and could see what Billy had done.

She smiled and said,

“You are a good boy Billy!” Billy grinned at his mother and asked if there was anything else he could do.

“You can put Izzie some cereal and do the milk for her because that jugs too heavy for her when it’s full”

Billy did just that, by which time his toast was cooked

“Are we taking a picnic?”

“We are, and don’t worry, it’s already in the fridge, I’ve only got to pack it into the cool-box, we’ve got cold chicken and ham, hard-boiled eggs, buttered rolls, tomatoes, potato-chips, sausage rolls and fruit. There’s juice to drink, and Sam said aunty Peggy will pack something up too”

“Goody!”

*****************


By 9.30 Sam had arrived, and they packed up in the van and started off.

There were already a few cars in the visitor’s car-park, and a coach when they pulled up at nearly five to ten.

“We’ve got plenty of time, I thought we can go take look at the map of the place in the information centre and gift shop and plan our day, as we’ve got the 10.30am tour round the house with the guide” Spike suggested, so this is what they did.

**

“Right then, that’s settled, we have the tour, that’ll take an hour, then we can have a wander around ourselves, going back to things we were particularly interested in, that’ll take us ‘til lunchtime – so then we take the raft-bridge over to the picnic area, go look at the butterflies and the wild flowers, and then after lunch, back here, get a few souvenirs, watch the jousting demonstration, and then we can go take the children to the petting zoo, then watch the falconry display – I bet after all that we’ll be ready for a cuppa in the Tea Room, okay?” Spike said

Everybody nodded happily, and Billy piped up,

“Come on, it’s nearly twenty-five past, we don’t want to miss our place, do we!” He strode on ahead towards the main entrance, making all the adults smile with his eagerness!

**************


“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Deborah Carling, and I’ve been in the employ of the Blackmore family for 15 years, I’m going to take you on a tour of the house, tell you about some it’s history and it’s more ‘colourful’ occupants. Please try and keep together in a group, and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have, although anything requiring a detailed answer will have to wait until after the tour, right, are we all ready?” Everybody in the group, which consisted Spike’s family, plus Willow and Sam, four American, four Canadian, and six Japanese tourists, and two little old ladies from Scotland nodded and the tour began...


“The Hall as you see it today isn’t the house that was originally built, over the years, bits have been added on, bits have fallen down or been destroyed by fire. The original and oldest part of the hall is this room, the Great Hall. The building of Blackmore Hall began in 1415, and was a gift for Thomas Edward Blackmore, from King Henry the Fifth, as a thankyou for helping him win the battle of Agincourt. The house was completed in 1421, a year before the king’s premature death…”

The guide went on to point out things of interest, the original table, fireplace and chimney, and wall ovens, before moving on to the next room. Everybody found it fascinating, even Izzie was quiet! Billy positively hung on her every word………………………………

“…………This is the Long Gallery, so called obviously because of it’s length, which incidentally runs the whole length of the Hall, where the ladies of the house could walk for exercise if the weather was wet……………On the left is a picture of Sir Charles Blackmore, he was the fourth Earl of Netherbourne, he had a great fondness for all things equestrian, and added the stables here………………………………………On the right is a painting of Sir Charles’ first wife, Lady Caroline de Mornay, who became the fourth Lady Blackmore, but unfortunately she died in childbirth at the age of 21, and as the child didn’t survive either, Sir Charles had to find himself a new wife to give him an heir. Two years later he married who was considered a great socialite, Rebecca Hampton-Gaines, and they wasted no time, and within ten years, they had no fewer than 7 children, Charles, Edward, Henry, Egbert, Stephen, and two girls, Rebecca and Josephine – unusually for the time, they all survived……………

……………………Here on the right, we have the first of out three priest holes, and if I just move this tapestry to one side, can you see this wooden panel? – It measures 16 inches wide, I just turn the Tudor rose carving………like so, and hey pesto, it spins on a pivot in the middle, to reveal a tiny space so the priests could hide in relative safety from Queen Elizabeth’s men, as people were forbidden to be Roman Catholic………………”

Billy smiled up at his mom, and they all moved on, except Billy. He lingered at the panel, tracing the Tudor rose carving with his finger, next thing he knew, the panel had flipped up, and he was inside the space, except he seemed to be falling…he landed with a small bump, his back against something solid. He shifted round best he could, pressed the panel in front of him, it flipped up, and he found himself back in the Long Gallery, only he got a great shock when he looked down…gone were his tee shirt, shorts, and sneakers, instead he found himself in doublet and hose, a lacy jabot hanging down in front of a tight waistcoat, and he had on black button boots………





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