The scariest place!

This Halloween was at the Old Hall Tatton Park, even some of the staff who came down from the Mansion were scared!.. and they know the people doing the scaring....though some of the haunters were quite unrecognizable.

Quite a few of the visitors were scary too....one girl on Wednesday came as a ‘mummy’ all self made costume and looked very authentic particularly with a very life like cockroach on her shoulder...she was quite terrified of the pirate though...(Allan Johnson for those who didn't realise!)

Pirate Allan

This year with the extended opening times going into the second week of Half Term, kept the visitors coming and it was very busy those last 2 days. It was well attended the rest of the time too. As usual with the added extras of face painting and mask making, Sheila and Janet, I don’t know how you keep up!... and the small rides in the Old Hall grounds it made it a full day for families and plenty had picnics on the days of good weather...and of course the story teller in the barn kept the children who were perhaps too scared to go in the Old Hall, entranced...thanks Leonie. There were hot drinks and food to keep you going as well.

We returned the place to it’s origins on Thursday, well almost as a few went back today, (Friday) and put everything away for next year...it does come round very quickly.

The last day when we finished, the 31st, I was stood at the door of the Old Hall with Mick and Dawn just chatting and my cloak which has a substantial clasp just slipped off my shoulders onto the floor, right near where someone else had a paranormal incident a few years ago. That has never happened before and it’s the cloak I wear for the Medieval or Tudor Education days and it’s never just dropped off....spooky!

Here are a few of the spooky staff...

 Ghostly Woman

 The Grim Reaper

 The Lady

 Monk

not to miss... 

The sunbathing skeleton!

Margaret Clark
History Interpreter Guide

Hallowe'en Horrors at the Old Hall

The Old Hall opened up last week to lovely weather outside and a very dark and horrible interior with ghosts and spooks and spirits, who is real and who is not?



The bogey man & dragon

©Margaret Clark


The good witch on the main door (that was Sandra and myself on alternate days) made sure everyone was going to enjoy themselves! And if they looked too afraid, to put a spell on the spooks in the Hall, that’s a Pirate from Davey Jones' Locker, a Witch and a Ghostly Lady to make them keep still and to get the visitors across to the stairs safely, after that....

The Clown/Jester was ready to scare you out of your wits and the Bogey Man had his pet dragon helping him...then a very scary Monk with metal hands and finally the Undertaker to see you out the back door...all in time to come round to the front door and start all over again.

For those not brave enough to enter, of all ages, there was plenty to keep them occupied outside with fair ground rides and a coconut shy, hot drinks and food. There was a storyteller all throughout the day, every day, and also the same with mask making and face painting...a fantastic job to all those involved (don’t know how you did it!)

Davey Jones in the Great Hall ©Margaret Clark

On the first day, Tuesday, there were two 7 year old girls, who kept telling me they were very best friends - they came through so many times completely on their own that I lost count, ended up dancing with the Ghostly Lady several times and not in the least bothered by it all...and yet there were plenty of adults unwilling to come in and lots of screaming...I’ll remember my ear plugs next year.

The team that created it all led by Mick have some very strange minds, (I’d worry about them if they weren’t good friends and I include myself in that) and worked hard to get it all ready on the first Monday and then taken down the following Monday...where did the time go? A brilliant week, let’s do it again sometime..but not just yet!


Margaret Clark,
Interpreter Guide

Learning longbow at the Old Hall

Fifteen adults, some by themselves, some couples and others friends have just spent a fun afternoon learning a new skill at our Medieval Old Hall. The Old Hall, nestling in a quiet corner here at Tatton Park offers the most perfect atmospheric setting for an Introduction to the Medieval Longbow, along with tutors in Medieval costume.


The session begins in the Great Hall where a talk on the history of the longbow and a demonstration of some of our extensive armour takes place. The Old Hall has so much history attached to it and also has a very proud association with the famous/infamous Stanley family who were prominent at The Battle of Bosworth Field. Following on, eyes adjusted to the daylight we divided into small groups and donned suitable safety protection.

In full garb for the Medieval Fayre - Sheila is 2nd from the left!

The group shot (or to give the correct terminology) 'loosed' a few blunt arrows onto a straw man, this gives us a chance to improve stance and adjust to the correct bow weight.

That quickly over, the real fun starts, out come the 'sharps' and the targets where all eyes focus on the coveted gold centre.

Archery is a sport where safety is paramount but it is also a sport where laughter, excitement and sheer determination is the order of the day and when the elusive gold has your arrow in it the 'whoops' can echo around the park (a dignified swagger is also acceptable). As muscles develop and confidence grows, eyes start to focus on the ominous bow marked 'big boys only', a challenge that is always taken up. One of the most satisfying sounds is the 'thud' of an arrow connecting with the target!

So if you would like a fun and challenging few hours (with refreshments) in a fabulous setting, check out Tatton's website for INTRODUCTION TO THE LONGBOW. We know you'll love it!

Sheila Cartwright, Interpreter Guide

Medieval Fair Weekend at the Old Hall



Selling wares

© Margaret Clark

 Here's the first of our general Tatton blogs .. thanks to Margaret for this brilliant impression of the Medieval Fayre, which took place on 18 & 19 June!

The Hidden Gem of Tatton becomes very popular this time of year with a great many re-enactors and traders arriving from Thursday evening onwards...amazing how on Saturday morning they all seem to have been there forever! Not only in the grounds of the Old Hall but also outside in a Living History camp where they’ll chat and show you just what they do...no sleeping on the ground for them but cosy looking wooden, tester beds with curtains and luxurious blankets to keep them warm.

Mick firing the cannon

©Margaret Clark

After the midday gun, a show from Gauntlet Birds of Prey started the day off well and followed closely by the Company of Ordnance...gunners to you, fascinating! and noisy with some very loud bangs and sound shock waves...everyone enjoying themselves despite the damp start.

Skies cleared and we saw the Old Hall getting crowded, the Education tent very popular and then the Muster with the men at arms and knights. At that point it started to pour down so there was a slight delay but nothing could stop the Battle. The Tatton Company of Archers joined the Lancastrians, that’s Mick Ricketts, Sheila Cartwright, Bob Douglas and myself, to find us facing fire arrows, gunfire and explosions...we came through safely after scoring some hits on the opposition....great fun! And, we didn’t get too wet.

Sunday’s weather was much better with blue skies and some warm sunshine, and the crowds kept coming ...as well as the demonstrations in the Old Hall Arena there were musicians, singers and gentry...including King Edward IV on his horse, wandering through the Old Hall grounds.

This time the Company of Ordnance had a celebratory to help fire the breech loading cannon...Mick, he almost vanished in a cloud of smoke!

Once again into battle but this time in the sun, thank goodness. We had a head wind so the arrows took a bit more effort to hit their mark, the other side had a following wind and their arrows fell behind us...but a couple of loud ‘thunks’ on shields when flat shooting at a company of soldiers, told us we’d made a hit...who won? Well, we did of course!

A brilliant and busy weekend, roll on next year...we need more arrows!
Margaret Clark