Meeting Minutes

Back to Emma's Office

Stoney Grove Steering Committee February 2, 2000

Meeting 2: Attending Simon Tinsley, Frank Churchill, Shirley Johnson, Martin Johnson, Mr. Tinsley Snr., Evelyn Prosser, Chester Vyse, and Emma Knytleigh.

Simon: Chester.

Chester: Simon.

Simon: Um, well then.  Hello. Ann has requested that she be represented here by Chester Vyse. He is not here in an official capacity, but as the representative of Ann, though, of course, we value his professional expertise.

Chester: Thank you Simon, I hope I can contribute. I think that a responsible approach to opening Stoney Grove to a wider audience is a noble goal and I am honoured to be here on Ann's behalf.

Simon: Quite. Well, the floor is completely open at this point for ideas, so who has any?

Frank: I’ve been conferring with Emma on house research and have planned a tour. We were thinking we could open the rooms on a part-time basis and be there to answer questions. I thought I could supplement the factual tour with what the rooms tell me as I go into them.

Simon: What the rooms tell you?

Frank: Oh yes, I hear a lot of things as I walk around the house. Raised voices and passions live a long time in the walls you know. It’s one of the reasons I live in the Hermitage, it can get quite noisy in here.

Simon: Anyone else offered to do tours?

Emma: Irene Kent and Gladys Rutherford said that they’d like to help, but Miss Kent’s had a hip replacement and has trouble getting around.

Simon: Fine, I guess it's a start!  Any ‘bigger’ ideas than house tours?

Martin: Courgettes.

Shirley: Oh you and your vegetables!

Martin: My vegetables have won prizes at national competitions. I think that we’d get a good crowd in to see them grow. Of course I couldn’t put the very best on display. There are saboteurs out there, you know. It’s very competitive, the world of big vegetables.

Evelyn: I’d be happy to give people information on what we are finding archaeologically, but obviously at this point it's very early in my research and am still framing the questions.

Simon: Can we have tourists dig with you?

Evelyn: Absolutely not.

Simon: Right.  We've got talking walls, crippled grannies, second-rate squash and an antisocial archaeologist.  I can see we're onto something big here.  Any other great ideas?

Chester: Well, I think we should take a very softly-softly approach. The story in the Gazette last week was very embarrassing. We should spend some time looking at current thoughts on historical interpretation, perhaps do some surveys of visitor expectations, decide what we want to teach our visitors and see what other houses are doing to provide a quality experience.

Simon: I’ve been doing that. I’d like to present the following for thought and voting at the next meeting:

1. We fence the grounds and introduce endangered species into a managed park. Or, on the other hand, at one point the entrance hall was full of dead animals-- perhaps we could introduce big game hunting to re-fill it.
2. We convert the stables and build motor-cycle museum. I’ve always liked bikes and my Harley can be the first exhibit.
3. We surround the house with a vast thematic amusement park. I was thinking Robin Hood, archery, jesters, the Maid Marion ride etc. In fact, we could enclose the house in a vast dome, that would solve the weather problem. I know it’s been done but we have real content.
4. We dig a large bowl in the lawn and have a outside theatre. I thought we could add an Imax screen which could rise from the ground when needed. We could have Jane Austen movies if that would make you feel better, Chester.
5. We re-create the house and let people come and stay as guests, but also as house-keepers, butlers and scullery maids. Then they can work to keep it clean. A bit of living history, but with a point.

Chester: Well! I don't think Ann...

Simon: With all due respect, Chester, Ann's not here. Longleat, Beaulieu, Alton Towers not good enough models for you? Should I instead feature my recent attempts at modern sculpture? I could recreate my room at university, with the dirty linen and scattered papers. But I do have another thought. We could use technology in the house to create a series of virtual tours. Maybe computer-generated costumed interpreters with each room dynamically changing to represent the house at any point in its history. Anyway, meeting's over. Let's regroup and discuss this further when you’ve had a chance to reflect on my ideas.

(Simon, Shirley, Martin, Mr. Tinsley Sr., Evelyn and Chester leave)

Emma:  What the hell does he think he's doing?  Is this all a game to him?

Frank: Don't be angry Emma.

Emma:  It's easy for you to sit there.   You don't really care what happens to this house, do you?  Even with kangaroos in the dining room, you'd be able to ignore it all.  Well, I'm sorry Frank, but I can't. 

Frank: No, no.  It's not about kangaroos.   He's doing this because he's sad.

Emma:  Simon?  Did he tell you that?

Frank:  He didn't need to.  Just look at him.  He misses Ann. He's hoping this planning will bring her back. If not for him, to save the house.  Don't you see that?

Emma:  I hope it works!