Christmas at Eastnor gives us a wonderful chance to decorate our rooms in the traditional way, even if on a grander scale, especially in the Great Hall.  Here is an image of the Christmas tree, which took most of our staff to bring in and fix in place.  I love seeing it there, occupying space that would normally only be used by bats or a visiting giraffe. 

We showed the house to visiting groups this year rather than to the public.  Although this was disappointing to a lot of local people, we do not have enough well-lit parking on hard standing, and we found that people did not appreciate having to leave their cars on wet or muddy fields.  Those who did come loved the atmosphere, the warm colours and open fires, and so I hope we will be able to have more visits next year.

Otherwise, we have been busy with a rush of weddings, which has also given the house a happy and party atmosphere.  I always enjoy meeting the bride and groom, but usually wait until after the ceremony when they are more relaxed.  We had great publicity for Eastnor Castle as a wedding venue this year when we were chosen as the prize venue for the GMTV wedding ‘Battle of the Brides’, so the bookings for 2009 are steadily coming in, let’s hope they continue.              J H-B

This year’s Big Chill was the biggest and best yet, with over 35,000 attending and great acts from Roisin Murphy, The Mighty Boosh, Camille and Leonard Cohen ensuring everyone had a great time.  Altogether, there were 400 artists performing across 7 arenas over three days.  There was a small traditional fun fair for children.  Even the weather was kind, despite some rain, and the festival had excellent reviews.  More day tickets were available to local people, which proved very popular.

 The Big Chill is booked again to take place in the Eastnor Deer Park on 7, 8 & 9 August 2009, and the first big acts have been announced.  They will include: Orbital, Basement Jaxx and Pharaoh Sanders.  More space will be available, and the site should work even better, with shorter distances between car parks and camp sites.

The festival will continue to be family friendly and relaxed, with a high-quality mixture of music, art and culture.  The Art Trail, which winds through a grove of ancient oak trees, will continue to be an important feature, with the chance to see the work of some of the finest young artists in the country.

We love the Big Chill.  It is exciting and fun, and it is great to see so many people having a good time at Eastnor.  Only 230 days to go……more Big Chill news to follow as it breaks.         J H-B