Tuesday 17 September 2013

Conducted Tours of Brewood Hall

When the Vintage Tea Party (described in a post here) was being planned earlier this year, an interest in letting people see some of the inside of Brewood Hall was discussed. There have been a number of visits in the past (including two organised by Brewood Civic Society). It was agreed that the Vintage Tea Party organisers would take bookings for conducted tours on the 14th and 15th September 2013.

About 120 people booked so they were arranged into four groups - 2.00 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. on Saturday 14th and at the same times on the Sunday.

Each group assembled in the Lounge Hall at the appointed time where there was sufficient seating for (most) people. Jan gave a talk lasting around half an hour about the history and architecture of Brewood Hall (the post Brewood Hall has some information about history and architecture).

Jan talks about the history and architecture of the Hall.

Marion and Visitors in the Lounge Hall.

The group was then divided into two. Jan led the first party on a tour of the principal rooms of the building, finishing in the oak-panelled Dining Room. At the same time, Marion Reeves led the second party on a tour of the Small Barn (which received a major restoration a few years ago - the post Brewood Hall Small Barn has a little more information) and the Gardens (when the weather permitted), finishing back in the Hall itself. Jan then took the second party around the principal rooms and Marion took the first party to see the Barn and Gardens.

Visitors climbing the Main Stairs to the First Floor.


Jan describes the Tibetan wall-hanging - 'Thangka' - on the panelling behind her in the Dining Room.

At the beginning of September, the weather had turned much colder. On the Saturday, the weather was bright, cold but mainly dry. The Sunday was dull, cold and with intermittent rain. If visitors found the weather too inclement for a tour of the Gardens, they were invited to spend additional time in the Oriental Room, which has numerous artefacts from various countries.

Everybody seemed to enjoy the event and a number of the Visitors commented that they found the tour very interesting.

No admission charge was made for these tours, but donations were invited towards the work of the Jan Ford Foundation which supports charitable initiatives in Myanmar (Burma) including a Free Medical Centre, various School Projects and a number of Orphanages. There are a number of posts describing these initiatives which can be found here.

There are a few pictures taken during these Conducted Tours in the set Tour of Brewood Hall, September 2013.

There are a number of posts which describe earlier visits to Brewood Hall:-
NADFAS visit to Brewood Hall
Visit to Brewood by 'History Walks'
Wulfrun College Retired Staff Association visit Brewood Hall
'Inner Wheel' visit to Brewood Hall
Brewood Scouts visit Brewood Hall
Staffordshire Libraries visit to Brewood Hall
Brewood Civic Society visit to Brewood Hall
You can find all the posts about Brewood Hall here.

Education Support in Bhamo

The following brief report is based on information from Doctor Hla Tun, who also supplied the photographs:-

On the 2nd September 2013, halfway through the second Bhamo Cruise of 2013 a visit was made to the Nursery School in the compound of the Kachin Baptist Church, Bhamo. Children are accepted between the ages of 3 and 5. There are two classrooms for children between the ages of 3 and 4 and two more for children between 4 and 5. Five teachers look after a total of 120 children and the school is open between 9.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. A donation of nutrition was made during the visit.


Nursery students being taught a poem (with 'actions') by their teacher.

The school uniforms for nursery students are white and blue.

There was also a visit to a Nunnery in Bhamo. The 84-year old head Nun founded a Monastic Primary School in her Nunnery Compound which is close to Shwe Kyee Ner Pagoda in old Bhamo. There are about 60 nuns who attending from Grade 1 to 10. Up to Grade 5 they go to the Monastic Primary School: beyond Grade 5, they take further studies outside the Nunnery at Government Secondary or High Schools. The head Nun also accepts students from a nearby refugee camp where children with their parents temporarily stay.

Nuns do not carry out any business themselves but receive donations from local people on pre-Sabbath day. The visit was on a pre-Sabbath day and so raw rice was donated to nuns as well as stationery to nun students and students from the Refugee Camp. The Nuns and teachers look after 114 students in the Nunnery Compound.


Student nuns receiving donations of raw rice.

Stationery, exercise books, pencils and rulers being distributed to students and student nuns in the Nunnery Compound.

The photographs above are from the set RTM Social Contribution.

Although I've not been to the Nursery and Nunnery described above, I have visited Bhamo in 2010 and 2012. My reports are The Second Defile, Thein Pa Taung Meditation Centre and Bhamo and Bhamo and trip to the foot of the Yunan Mountains (for 2010) and The Second Defile and Bhamo (for 2012).