Mystery at the mansion

I hadn't been to nearby Woodchester mansion for years, but recently I discovered that visits are included in our Historic Houses Association membership. The stage was set, and the weather was working overtime to provide the perfect backdrop.

Our friends Eileen and her daughter Kirsty came over in the morning, so I could wow them (not) with all my recent gluten-free baking attempts. They are great friends of Bomble, our cat, and Kirsty was overjoyed to see him again.

After lunch we set off for the mansion, near the village of Nympsfield. parking 'up top' in what must surely be the world's most peaceful car park, where only the sound of birdsong and the shadow of a low-flying glider disturbs the peace. We walked through shady, wild garlic-scented woodlands for several minutes until they gave way to a wide open valley with an immense Cotswold stone driveway that made us want to gallop down it on a fine steed, hooves flashing and mane streaming in the wind.

Alas, no steeds appeared so we tramped down and began our explorations of the unfinished Gothic-revival mansion. Much of what has been written about the mansion, or filmed, suggests that the mansion is haunted and has a deeply troubled past. Take a look here if you're not afraid. http://www.hauntedhappenings.co.uk/woodchester-mansion-ghost-hunts/ Certainly we don't know why the house was so suddenly abandoned many years ago. The workmen downed tools and left, leaving ladders in place and work unfinished, though the mansion was barely months from completion. Rumours circulated of "too many deaths".

The house was eventually scheduled for a new use as a mental institution (presumably the patients wouldn't be scared of ghosts, no?) but when the second world war broke out, it found an alternative use for a billet for the armed forces. Training for the D-Day landings was undertaken at the nearby lakes, leading to the collapse of a bridge, with the loss of several lives. One of the 'ghosts' that is regularly seen now resembles a uniformed airman.

Today the weather was too balmy to suggest any menace or malevolent spirits. I was reminded, however, of one of the more hazardous events in my career as a life model. At the time, I was modelling in the finished drawing room (the only room with four walls and an actual ceiling) in front of a blazing log fire, which was needed because there is no heating in the house. As I settled into a doze, a log jumped out of the fire and landed on my belly. Fortunately my reflexes were working, and I leapt about ten feet, dislodging the would-be brand, and no one else was injured. Shortly afterwards, the life drawing group left Woodchester Mansion quite suddenly, never to return...

Kirsty, Eileen and I had a wonderful time exploring, and I vowed to return another time with CleanSteve, and try to take some better photos. In the end, I chose this shot of the approach because it's easier to understand than a detail of a carved stone banister :)

Tomorrow I am off to the WI (Women's Institute) College (help!) for a gluten-free baking course. At the time of booking, I was mainly thinking of how nice it would be to be looked after for two nights, and stay in a large house with extensive grounds. I still think that will be the good part, but am frankly terrified about the baking side, because the WI are nothing if not champion bakers, and I am clumsy and awkward at the best of times. Plus, I have just decided to reduce sugar consumption dramatically! That is not going to be able to happen over the course of the course, I feel sure.

Tune in for tomorrow's exciting episode!