Nostalgia by Michael Eagleton

YOU often hear of bargains being found at car boot sales, but much less often at antiques fairs.

I am convinced that, influenced by the many antiques programmes on TV (too many in my opinion!), dealers inflate their ticket prices so they can appear to be allowing you a healthy reduction when a deal is struck.

However, at a recent fair at Twyford I couldn’t get my modest £1 coin out quickly enough when I saw a large and heavy book, 14” X 12”, “Beautiful Britain” published in 1894, and with “photographs taken by gracious permission of Her Majesty the Queen”, who in that year would have been Queen Victoria.

In fact the pictures are of amazingly high standard considering that they were taken over 126 years ago.

Apart from colour rather than black and white it would be difficult to imagine a great deal of improvement in quality in today’s digital age.

Stately Homes, castles, interiors and exteriors, are well featured in the 192 glossy pages, along with scenic views of special interest.

Windsor Castle gets several pages, (the east corridor is the first of the lower pictures) but slightly closer to home we have Hurley, Hughenden Manor, Cliveden and Taplow Court.

However I have picked out the view across the Thames to Bisham Abbey for the main picture.

Not much has changed today apart from fewer trees.

As regard the historical notes, copied above, the unnamed author wisely does not get involved with the famous ghost story, but the information about the hidden nook, secret chamber, and the family vault containing Richard Neville is of special interest.

I also remember reading somewhere about a blocked off staircase, now too dangerous to use.

The Vansittart Neale family continued to occupy the Abbey for some time after this book was published but it is now a Sport England National Sports Centre.

Parts of this historic building can usually be visited on the Bisham Open Gardens Sunday which takes place every June.

Contact Michael on michael@jazzfans.co or 01628 486571