Flowers Fit for a Queen

Although the Castle was empty of visitors as we entered the building at 5pm, there was a welcoming feel thanks to the soft lighting and a beautiful floral arrangement in the entrance hall. A gentle buzz of conversation came from the dining room and library as the hospitality team met with the last of their wedding couples for the day.

"Flowers fit for a queen!" my journalist guest exclaimed, as we walked into the Banqueting Hall to be greeted by a table set for a wedding breakfast, complete with romantic roses in a breathtaking floral display along the length of the table.

The pink and orange roses complimented the colours of the room from the wooden beams on the ceiling to the colours in the portrait of Richard III and Lord Lumley. The candelabra and place names were set waiting for a fictitious bride and groom and their guests as the Castle is dressed for a Wedding Showcase weekend.

As I accompanied my journalist guest and his partner around the Castle, we listened to my tour guide colleague relay tales from the days of Henry VIII, aristocracy of the 18th century and the society parties of the 1930s. I've heard them all before of course, but I never tire of hearing them.