Heritage Open Day - Lytham Hall to let?!

Always fancied living as lord and lady of the Manor? This Sunday 14 September Lytham Hall will offer a completely different experience as part of national Heritage Open Days, which is celebrating 20 years (www.heritageopendays.org.uk). Our visitors won’t be tourists, but they will be prospective tenants, visiting on an open house viewing day. And instead of a tour leaflet, they will get a glossy estate agent’s brochure, courtesy of JGL Operations Ltd.

In the 1920s, Lytham Hall was put on the rental market. John Talbot Clifton and his wife Violet and children were living in Scotland, and the Nuttall family moved in and lived at the Hall for several years. One of their daughters, who has sadly just passed away, has put her memories on film, which will be viewable on the day. Also available will be the 1920s letting brochure that they would have seen. A less glossy affair, without any photographs, but promising shooting rights and a real organ to play. You could even sack the gardener, if you wanted!

We invite you to come and look at Lytham Hall with the eyes of somebody considering to rent this country house. Where would you put the furniture? Could you live with the family portraits everywhere?

Entertainment throughout the day will be provided by Regency ReJigged, showing dances from the 17th to the 19th century in costume, with live music of the day. These are dances Jane Austen would have been familiar with and will provide an echo of the earlier life of the Hall.

Furthermore, we would like to invite anybody who has links with Lytham Hall to let us know. There will be a list of estate workers to browse through and we will be taking names and contact details to follow up local links. If you have photographs, collection items linking to Lytham Hall, please leave your name and contact details on the day and our volunteers will be able to follow these up in the coming months, to broaden our awareness of the estate workers of Lytham Hall. Don’t bring anything on the day as we won’t have the capacity to capture stories or items!

Lytham Hall will be open free of charge Sunday 14 September between 10.30am and 4.00pm as part of national Heritage Open Days weekend.