Dear Friends,

Welcome to November which has its name from the Latin meaning ‘ninth month’ and before anyone starts yelling “But it’s the eleventh month,” the Roman New Year used to be in March.  I know it seems strange how our ancestors changed the accepted norm over any one year, driven along by the full moon or new philosophies. At different times, the new year has been calculated as starting in January, March and September, which is all very confusing.

Anyway, ninth month or eleventh, November is an expectant month, preparing for the cold winter months to come as the darker nights are already upon us.

The castle takes on an exciting new air every year at this time.  Sometimes it is so ghostly, with cold mist floating around that has risen from the River Dove far below,  that it looks like a film set.  We are open for ghost hunts now, although still choosy about who comes to us, as we respect the living and the dead at Tutbury Castle.  If you would like to find out more, please call 01283 812129 or look at our website www.lesleysmithhistorians.co.uk

Christmas decorating is now being planned, and so are our winter weddings.  If you would like to make a surprise proposal in our Great Hall with candles lit and the fire bright, we can arrange this and two glasses of champagne.  It is as romantic as it gets.

We are delighted to announce that we have just received permission to hold weddings at the castle in the open air in our gardens, with the backdrop of a real castle in the very heart of England.  Couples who marry with us are entered into the castle records for the years to come.  We have been fortunate enough to have had one beautiful wedding after another in 2023 and now is the time to take up your own fairytale for 2024.  We also offer blessings for those fortunate enough to be celebrating a milestone in their marriage.

So you are very welcome whether you want to book a wedding or a ghost hunt, arrange a Christmas party, or perhaps a bit of each as this year since companies are booking a Christmas meal followed by a ghost hunt.  How is that for something different? Keep smiling even if the wind is sharp.

Best wishes,

Lesley Smith