Palace House Blog – July 2018

This month Mrs Chadwick’s rally cry could be heard from the tallest tower to the meandering river below, her message clear… “Votes for women!”

Surrounded by silk ribbons and straw boaters Mrs Chadwick explains… “The National Union of women’s suffrage society would make large banners and sashes for their marches, the colours used were purple, to represent dignity, white for purity and green for hope. There were two types of organisation; there were the suffragists who were a peaceful organisation and the suffragettes who were a militant organisation (W.S.P.U). This summer, to tie in with the National Motor Museum Trust’s Drive for Change project, I am making a suffrage hat, sash and badge for the female Veteran Bus drivers to wear during our living history activities.”

Explore the role of motoring in the women’s suffrage movement in the Drive for Change online exhibition and keep a look-out for Mrs Chadwick’s costume creations on selected dates during our Summer Living History.

On Friday 15th June a local crowd had gathered in the sunshine, eager to once again enjoy and experience first-hand the ancient tradition of seine net fishing. From the river bank they watched as the boat made its crescent, dropping the net at intervals as delicately as possible so the fish would be unaware that they were surrounded. Then two teams at either end of the bank hauled the net, taking care to remain at the same pace and neatly pile the heavy ropes at their feet.

The first haul on the opposite bank had offered up a lone grey mullet, but as the nets came in the crowd were pleased to find eight huge grey mullet had been caught; even the lady from the Environment Agency commented on the size of them! Once they had all been dispatched by the ‘priest’, they were carted back to Palace House where they were prepared for lunches and dinners for the family by the Cook.

At the following netting on the 29th June there were no grey mullet to be seen, but the team did catch a dab! Lucky for the dab he was too small to keep and was released back into the river.

The final seine net fishing tour of the season will take place on Friday 13th July 2018 and visitors are welcome to join us. Find out how to join the seine net fishing tour.