Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    AU10/102/1/201
  • Title
    Typewritten letter
  • Date free text
    31 July 1971
  • Production date
    From: 1971 To: 1971
  • Scope and Content
    "First, and before I forget it, I may have told you - as I told some of my friends - to their great astonishment - that the Swan Stately Homes Tour was £50. a day! This was, of course, a slip of reckoning. The actual cost was £15. a day ... £150 for the 10 days. This has been quite a month for me ... I have had eight guests following one on another: fortunately the weather has been perfect - the best I ever remember here. After a chilly June, on July 1st. "mon ami Pierrot" arrived with the sunshine, and two days later Philippe - the son of my cousin Marcel - arrived: both in their sports cars, which all the young seem to have nowadays. Pierre is a wonderful cook: so he had the run of the kitchen, and produced wonderful dinners. Then Swiss Willi arrived, also in sports car: so I had three drawn up outside. Pierre and Willi are young men I met at Perugia when I took that Italian course a few years ago. Pierre is now at Caen University: Willi has finished at Bonn, and is now going to New York - Manhattan University - for a year. We lived in shorts and sandals - going down to the beach when the tide was in to swim: but I insisted on their getting into trousers and shirts for dinner. I don't know if I have told you about Philippe. After graduating at Grenoble University, he went in for marine life - he went on expeditions with Cousteau: and is now at the Oceanographic Centre at Monaco founded by Prince Rainier's grandfather. He has produced a book on marine life, with wonderful coloured photographs. He is a great favourite with the Rainiers - plays tennis with the children, and helps Princess Grace at her cocktail parties, and is of course a valuable guest on their yacht, with his knowledge of the sea. He was very amused with my stories of Menton in the early years of the century, when his great-grandmother (my grandmother) reigned in Menton. He sleeps in the room I slept in as a child 70-odd years ago! This was his first visit to England: so he was delighted to find he had so many relations - albeit rather distant. He went on to Winchester from here to the Norburys, and then up to Yorkshire to the Georges and the Waddingtons. I told him to go on up to the Staverts at Hoscote, and see Edinburgh. I have not heard whether he got there! Then I had the Norburys for a weekend. They are taking over the flat here in September when I go to the USA. Then two girls arrived in a sports car from the Continent ... Anne's stepdaughter, another Anne, and her friend Caroline: both studying to be doctors at Bristol University. They went down to the beach to bathe, and returned - as I quite expected - with two nice young men, with not too long hair. We were out on the lawn having tea: but I shooed the young men off when we came in for drinks before dinner! They turned up next morning ... but the girls had gone off, with Pierre, to see Canterbury Cathedral! Then I had an American, Bill Whitehead, who has been roaming the Continent, and flew back to New York from here. During the month we got through mounds of strawberries and raspberries, and over two dozen bottles of wine: so my cellar is looking very bleak! I have made it a rule that every one who comes here from the Continent must bring me a bottle of duty-free brandy - so I accumulated 4 bottles. When the strawberries and raspberries came to an end, we had peaches (which are very plentiful and cheap this year) in brandy! And now I am alone - the place seems very quiet. I leave on Tuesday for Yorkshire, starting with a visit to Anne and her husband at the Old Rectory, Scruton, near Northallerton - a charming 18th.c. house. Then Anne will drive me to Wistow Grange, near Selby, to spend a time with her parents, and her aunt - Aunt Nan - whom I may have mentioned. I shall be driven around many places in Yorkshire associated with my childhood and youth, and no doubt meet many acquaintances I have not seen for years. I return here at the end of August, and fly to New York on September 6th. From there to Salt Lake City to begin a tour of the National Parks - Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone etc. My new neighbour, Father Fox, Vicar of S.Barnabas, Pimlico, is here for his holiday. He has 3 years to go before he can retire, which he is longing to do. He has spent most of his clerical life in slum parishes in the East End, and is looking forward to sea air, peace and freedom here. Mrs.Olley has sold her flat and leaves at the end of September. Her swollen legs and feet have made her almost immobile: so she wants to get nearer Broadstairs, for the shops. A large house which was once the Archbishop of Canterbury's summer residence - then was turned into a boys' prep school which closed down last year - is being converted into flats: she thinks she might get one. Meanwhile, she will store her furniture and go into an hotel. Incidentally, she paid £2000 for her flat 8 years ago: she has sold it for £6,5000! An elderly lady with a bachelor son in his 40s has bought it: but they are continuing to live in London: this will be their seaside retreat. Several flats in the castle have changed hands recently. I am now "the oldest inhabitant", having come here 17 years ago when they were carving the place up. They years have simply flown: especially the last ten. I was very much amused by the article about Mrs.McCorq. Especially the bit at the end. I must say her daughter - Lady Dartmouth - seems to be doing good work on the London C.C. regarding preservation of old buildings etc. What a family they are! They seem to have everything: beauty, brains, money, titles ... they must be very overpowering to live with! I wonder if Andrew got off his article to New York? I thought it was a wonderful opening, and might have brought in some money for the roof! Yours sincerely,"
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