Hello and welcome…
2012 is the final year for the conservation and restoration of one of Wales’ National Treasures, as we count down to the opening of the House early in 2013. All of us here at Llanelly House would like to wish each of you a very successful and Happy New Year.
Inclusivity Key for Art Competition
Following celebrity photographer, Terry Morris’s acceptance of the role of ambassador, the Llanelly House Art Competition is about to launch with a substantial prize available to the winner. Open to all residents of Llanelli, whatever their age, the competition will allow the submission of any art form. Full details will be announced during Februaury and a Hoarding Board, advertising the competition, is to be placed on the panelling surrounding the Llanelly House site later this month. Look out for more information in the local press and on our Facebook site.
Llanelly House Branding Exposed on New Website
About to go live is the new website for the Llanelly House Project, with the latest imagery and branding and featuring links to our Twitter feed, Flickr account and Facebook site. A pop-out allows visitors to watch the time-lapse video of the restoration.
The new site has been designed to be a living, evolving vehicle for the Project, with new information and imagery being added regularly and the plans for the House becoming clearer and more detailed as we approach the opening. Visitors will be able to read about the past, present and future of the House and access the newsletter archive, as well as the Blog which will be updated every week.
Full Speed for Year Ahead
2012 will see the completion of the restoration of Llanelly House, in a project that remains on target and relatively free from unforeseen problems. The Community Engagement team is ramping up its activity to include as many people as possible in the Project, putting on a series of events and talks throughout the year. Mark the last Thursday of each month in your diary, for an informative presentation on the latest work and discoveries at the House and look out for details of seminars and sessions where you can get involved in archiving, reminiscing, sharing your memories and hearing about Llanelli’s rich and varied past.
The Spirit of Llanelly House
The story of Mira Turner is rather a sad one. A servant in the house, during the time of the Chambers family, it was believed she was pregnant and stories circulated that the father of the child was Charles Howell, the married butler. The social stigma of these rumours, whether true or untrue, was sufficient to push Mira to the edge and she took laudanum. The young maid – just 22 years old – had a very painful, lingering death. The local Coroner recorded this verdict: ‘Mira Turner died from the effects of poison, while in a state of temporary insanity’
The story is one of the most intriguing connected with Llanelly House. The subject of many apparitional sightings, Mira is known only from the story of her death – little evidence of her life is recorded. Her spirit is said to appear around the House in corridors and upper rooms, the ghost stories becoming so popular that the TV series ‘Most Haunted’ featured her in a 2006 show in the building. More recently, onlookers claim to have seen Mira’s ghost outside the House during the restoration.
If you look closely at our time-lapse footage of the restoration see if you can see any unusual happenings.
Meet the Team – Marketing
To help the Project Team to achieve its awareness and visibility goals CHRT Ventures are working with Jon Hobden of Capsa Vox Ltd. Caspa Vox are West Wales’ leading marketing and Media Relations Consultancy, and are based Kidwelly. Directors Jon and Fiona Hobden have been developing a Marketing Plan for the House as we move toward opening and a separate plan for the Art Competition.
Capsa Vox has been helping businesses as far afield as USA and Australia since 2002, from its Carmarthenshire base. The company supports a number of local organisations with PR, online marketing, newsletters, advertising and more and, through Marketing Wales – a joint venture with FirstCMS – adds web site design and e-commerce applications to its marketing mix.
Jon and Fiona will be working with Llanelly House project team to deliver marketing materials and to communicate its news and plans for the next 12 months.
Opening Up at Llanelly House
There will be much to open at Llanelly House, even before the building itself opens its doors. You can open your own Memory Box at the Llanelly House offices in West End; just bring in your photographs, artefacts, anything of significance to you and Llanelli – we’ll digitise your material and even record your reminiscences to compile and save your collection for prosperity. Look out for details of our Reminiscence Workshops or just call the Community Engagement Team to make an appointment – we want to hear from you.
Memory Boxes will form an important element of the visitor experience at Llanelly House. Visitors can explore large scale cabinets, which will contain secret compartments hiding collections of items with historical relevance, relating to key characters of both the town and the House.
Daily life of Llanelly House
In a diary kept by Lady Elizabeth Stepney, the wife of Sir Thomas, a true insight into Llanelli life in the middle of the 18th century. The accounts of House economics and social life are currently held at the National Library in Aberystwyth and a piece describing the works, by Dr. J David Davies of the Llanelli Community Heritage Group, can be foundhere.
Latest Imagery
Recent images uploaded toFlickr include an artist’s impression of the House with the large drop-banners being placed on the scaffolding over the coming days. Also on the site, are images showing the House as it will appear when the scaffolding is removed, to reveal the restored building facade.
