Henry Lytton Cobbold

Excellent news.  We have just heard that Knebworth House has this year, for the second time, won the Sandford Award for Heritage Education (we also won in 2001).  Big congratulations to our Education Officer, Juliet Alexander, and our team of wonderful guides and educators.  A fine feather in the cap of the “Education” side of the Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust (KHEPT).

Of course, since its creation in 1984, the primary focus of KHEPT has by necessity been its “Preservation” side.  Over 22 years, from its initial endowment of £1.5 million, the charity (whose Trustees include the Chairman of Knebworth Parish Council, the Chairman of North Herts District Council and the Mayor of Stevenage) has, against the odds, been able to raise and spend £5.5 million, primarily on the restoration and upkeep of Knebworth House and its historic curtilage.  Within this amount it has been possible to complete about 40% of what the architects define as the “critical restoration” of the main building.  A fine achievement – but still some way to go!

KHEPT owns Knebworth House on long lease – but did you know it also owns the Lytton Arms pub and is the majority shareholder of the Old Knebworth Amenity Company, which manages Old Knebworth Village Green?  Of the village’s few but highly valued charities, the workings of KHEPT are perhaps less familiar within the Parish than they should be.  I have just produced a new information leaflet about KHEPT that I would be delighted to send to anyone who would like to know more – alternatively read more about KHEPT on our website, www.knebworthhouse.com

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com

Under 4s are free every open day in Knebworth Park, but there’s a special reason to plan a visit with your toddlers on 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th August.

Recently spotted having tea with the Queen on her birthday at Buckingham Palace, Noddy will be spending a 4-day weekend with us all at Knebworth this August.  There’ll be bouncy castles, puppet shows, clowns, music workshops, face painting, a mini funfair… and of course all of Noddy’s familiar friends.

Noddy is looking good for his age – and I understand he is not as naughty as he used to be when I read his stories, when I was a toddler, in the 1960s.  As I remember it, poor old PC Plod was always at the wrong end of the hose pipe.

In the summer of 2006, I’m sure even Noddy can’t get away with using a hose pipe!

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com

“We love you Knebworth”
Roger Daltry, of the rock band The Who, quoted in The Times, 11th June 2006

Thank you, Roger.  I don’t recall him saying this, but it’s nice to see a journalist inventing something positive for a change!  41 years, almost to the week, since The Who played the Bowes Lyon Centre in Stevenage they returned to North Herts to play a private party for an international stockbrokers conference in the Park on 7^th June.  Park numbers were small for us – only a few thousand – but the conference received good national and international coverage.  Our licensing officers, as they are for all Park events, were on hand, rigorous, and content.  The stockbrokers had a wonderful time – and everyone present will, I believe, remember Knebworth with love.

This month it’s Knebworth Village’s turn for a festival and we are very pleased to be the venue for “Secrets of Knebworth House Gardens” – which I believe is sold out!  The Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust has made the Gardens available, Knebworth Barns is providing Pimms on the terrace and a subsidised barbeque in the Garden Terrace Room – and David Roberts, the Head Gardener, will be exploring with guests, the familiar and the less familiar corners of his 28-acre domain.  David’s one request is that no member of the Lytton Cobbold family join the tour (what “secrets” will he be revealing?!) – but he can rest easy, we couldn’t get a ticket if we tried!

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com

“It is intersected by good main roads, and is about 26 miles from London on the Main Line of the Great Northern Railway Company.  The Estate has been laid out according to a well-defined scheme of development with ample provision for Recreation Spaces and Large Gardens.”

(Extract from prospectus for Knebworth Garden Village, Herts, 1909)

A hundred years on, and this month Knebworth completes its 2006 Parish Plan.  Two and a half years have gone into the production of this fine document that is not only a record of what we cherish about our community but is also packed with ideas on how to solve the things we don’t like.  Of course, congestion features prominently, as our “good main roads” now bring a share of problems along with their benefits and in many cases we’ve lost sight of that “ample provision” for Recreation Spaces.  However, we’re still a Village, if not a Garden Village and although London feels a little closer, it’s still about 26 miles away!

Meanwhile in one of our Recreation Spaces, this month, we gather in praise of the car – as Knebworth Park hosts “Fathers’ Day Cars in Park” on Sunday 18^th.  Wolseleys, Morris Minors, Triumph Renowns, Daimler Darts, Jenson Interceptors…  if there’s a little congestion in the show field for this happy event we won’t mind too much! 

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com

“’Twas eve and May when last, thro’ tears
Thine eyes sought mine, thy hand my hand…”
Robert, 1st Earl of Lytton, writing as Owen Meredith

May evenings find me humming this lyric of a song written by my great-great-grandfather and the pianist/composer Isidore De Lara.  It was a particular thrill to discover this manuscript tucked away amongst papers in the attic as I had no idea we had a songwriter in the family.  I have used the piano theme in an Audio Tour of Knebworth House that I have just finished recording for the Knebworth House Gift Shop.

In researching other music associated with the House I have been astonished to find that dozens of songs were written in the 19^th Century to lyrics by both Robert Lytton, and his father, Edward Bulwer Lytton.  Most surprising so far is a lovely book that arrived this week courtesy of www.abebooks.com, “A Few Lyrics of Owen Meredith Set to Hindu Music” by Sourindro Mohun Tagore, the Founder and President of the Bengal Music School, Calcutta, in 1877 – I hope to be humming these next May when Knebworth House celebrates the 30^th Anniversary of its Raj Exhibition.

Martha and I were very happy that so many visited the House, Gardens and Park on our “Parish Open Day”.  Julian counted 376 through the gate.  We received some very nice comments and notes, and hope to be able to make the “Parish Open Day” an annual event.

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com

Lots of excitement to look forward to this summer, including 20 special event days – but not, as I reported in the last issue, the Status Quo and Robin Gibb picnic concerts.  Ironically, on the day the March issue of the Parish News was being distributed, the concert promoter called to say that he was cancelling the events.  Disappointing – but music will return before too long, I am sure, to the greatest rock venue in the country!

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com

“Plutarch says somewhere, that the best musical instruments are made from the jaw-bones of asses.  Plutarch never made a more sensible observation.”
Edward Bulwer Lytton – “Godolphin”

Bulwer Lytton never cared for music.  He was said to have been completely tone deaf.   It is ironic therefore that his park is now known worldwide as Britain’s largest and most prestigious open-air music venue.  This fame, as we know, does not bring regularity.  It becomes increasingly expensive for promoters to stage these large shows and they are reluctant to do so unless they are guaranteed a sell-out.  Indeed last year there was no music at all in Knebworth Park and the year before only a single private classical concert.  So this year we are particularly pleased to report that we have one confirmed weekend of public “Summer Picnic” concerts and two unconfirmed enquiries for further music events that remain a possibility.

The “Summer Picnic” concerts are small affairs (for us!) only 4,000/6,000 people.  The tickets are £35/£40 and the dates are the weekend of the World Cup Final  – 7^th-9^th July – so we hope the concerts are not too small!  Certainly we are very pleased with the artists, who are Status Quo (returning to Knebworth for the third time) on the Friday, Robin Gibb (the one of the two remaining Bee Gees still touring) on the Saturday and Jools Holland on the Sunday.  I will keep you informed of any further developments.

In the meantime, don’t forget our “Parish Day” on Sunday 26^th March (details on the back cover), which I see is also “Mother’s Day” – so bring your Mum too!

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com

“Suddenly we were in open daylight with the great park stretching on either side of us as far as the eye could see.  Clumps of majestic trees studded the gentle undulations and green slopes; herds of brown deer were reposing in the shade, with a few wanderers out in the sunshine cropping the cowslips.”

The visitor who wrote these words 150 years ago would find Knebworth Park much the same today.  For most of the year the park’s rolling hills and ancient chestnut and lime avenues remain a quiet refuge for grazing herds of Red and Sikka deer.  There were deer in Knebworth Park long before the Lytton family arrived in 1490, and they’ve long been cherished and respected neighbours.  In the year 1700, Knebworth Park was described as being “stocked with the best deer in the country”.  I don’t know if “Wocko” Watkins would make that claim today, but certainly his herd of 150 cut a majestic presence in the early morning mist – the original harts of Hertfordshire!

As mentioned last month, I am pleased to announce that we will be hosting a “Parish Open Day” on Sunday 26^th March.  All Knebworth Parish residents are invited to visit the House, Gardens and Park for free – and fingers crossed that the daffodils in the Wilderness Garden will be in full bloom!   All that we ask is that you enter the Park by the St Mary’s entrance (not Junction 7) and bring something to show that you live in the Parish – a copy of this excellent magazine will do!

We very much look forward to seeing you then,

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com.

“Peace and happiness are best found at
The warm household hearth:
Health, Home, affections, tranquillity
Of mind – the esteem of those we esteem.”
Edward Bulwer Lytton

A peaceful and happy Christmas break, we hope, has fired our spirits for another exciting twelve months of activity at Knebworth House and Park.  There’s much to look forward to in 2006.  On the “Events” page of our website – www.knebworthhouse.com – you’ll see a number of confirmed dates, including old favourites like Jousting at Easter, the Country Show in May and the welcome return of Enid Blyton’s “Noddy”, who, by popular demand, adds a 4^th day to his visit in August (and Robbie only did 3!).

With almost two dozen special events planned for 2006, we strongly recommend our Personal Season Ticket, which includes admission to most of these events, as well as open access to all our regular attractions throughout our open season.  The Ticket is available to Knebworth Parish residents for £28.80 (a discount from £32) if bought before 17^th March 2006.  Also look out for details next month of our “Parish Open Day”, when all Knebworth Parish residents are invited to visit the House, Gardens and Park for free – a good opportunity for those who haven’t visited us in a while to reacquaint themselves with all the new (and old!) attractions available just up the lane.

A very happy New Year to all,

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com.

“The most perfect way of lighting this new library would be by electric light, now being used outside the Gaiety Theatre in the Strand and which will probably supersede gas entirely for large spaces and buildings.”
John Lee, architect, to Robert Lytton, 5th September 1878

132,410 people visited the Park and Gardens this summer, 20,000 up on last year – a good result which puts us somewhere in the middle of the “1st Division” of Historic Houses.  In the 1970s – the last time we could claim a place in the “Premiership”! – Knebworth Park was attracting over 200,000 people every summer (not including our, then annual, rock concerts) but those were the heady days before Sunday shopping.  It’s an encouraging result, particularly as Hertfordshire is still the only county in the East of England with no tourism budget and no tourism officer.

He won’t mind me saying, but he must be almost as old as Scrooge by now – actor Colin Greenslade returns to the Banqueting Hall on 16th/17th/18th December for a remarkable seventh year to perform his fireside adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.  The entertainment begins with a glass of Dickens’ own-recipe punch and a mince pie, and includes traditional Christmas carols sung by local choirs.  Tickets are £17 and available from Christine Smith on 01438 810931 or via a booking form on the events page of our website at www.knebworthhouse.com.

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com