Michelle, my DTP, suggested that I might enjoy visiting the Gainsborough Old Hall; it’s claim to fame was that Henry VIII had stayed there but I also learnt that Richard III had also stayed there too!
The outside of the Hall is set in pretty grounds, it looks old and some of the walls were bowing outward. The access to it was very good for me as I have a walking frame, with electric doors, ramps etc. to get inside. As I couldn’t get upstairs, I was offered a reduced entrance fee of £4.50 for both of us.
The lady at the front desk was great at explaining how the audio/visual guide worked – she was patient and spoke directly to me, which I liked.
It was a really warm day but inside the Main Hall it was quite cool, there was a class of primary school children who were all dressed in medieval costumes. We visited the Buttery, where the wines would have been stored and served, and then into the Clerks office near the kitchen where the herbs were stored. From there, we joined the school children in the kitchen where we really enjoyed watching them pretend to do all the jobs that had to be done in that area all those years ago. I didn’t like the room with all the stuffed animals in it,which was showing where the meat was prepared, it was a small room and it made you claustrophobic so I looked in the window instead.
Michelle was able to help me up 3 small steps into an old dining room, this would be difficult to get to if you needed a wheelchair. Michelle and I sat on a bench and listened and watched the guides for the upstairs rooms that I couldn’t get to; I also bought a guide book which have more information. There was a exhibit about how local people had travelled on The Mayflower to settle in America and I found this really interesting, I didn’t know that the lady owner of the Old Hall had helped these people.
Michelle and I had a lovely light lunch in the museum Tearooms and I found out that anybody can visit these, even if you don’t go into the museum. I would really recommend a visit to this museum especially if you like history; you can spend as long as you want. I enjoyed listening to the audio machine and watching the videos and used my imagination to picture how it used to be.
