Our Blog

The lead up to my year as High Sheriff of Derbyshire in April continues to keep me busy. Not only do I have to read up on the History of the Shrievalty and its relevance in the modern era I have to make sure that I am suitably attired for the role. A full made-to-measure new Court Dress can cost many thousands of pounds but I am pleased to report that there is a second-hand market in the High Sheriff circle. I managed to procure a set of clothes from an old school contemporary who had taken on the role in Northamptonshire in 2023/24. As we are the same age and height I was slighted surprised when I took the set to Gary Shepherd the master tailor based in Calver north of Bakewell. On  quick inspection he remarked that I needed more material to complete my makeover! As I write I have attended a first fitting but I fear that I may need several more. The shoes (with buckles) are more of a challenge and I will report further when I find some. My contact in Northamptonshire’s feet were two sizes smaller than me!!

Fortunately, Storm Darragh left us with only minor damage as it whistled through the country on that windy first weekend of December. In Lincolnshire on the Saturday I could hardly stand up in its ferocity on the exposed flatlands there but I returned to Derbyshire to inspect the Estate on the Sunday morning. A Lawson Cypress had been uprooted in the Arboretum and a magnificent oak had been felled in one of our southern woods. The Former will be firewood but the latter had a good stem and I trust that it may become a lovely piece of furniture once the timber merchant has collected it. Good things can come out of the destruction of the storm but we were lucky compared to some of the forests and woodland in Wales where it hit the hardest.

The New Year brought another filming opportunity with Tissington as the backdrop. This time the tale is called ‘Chinese Whispers’ and tells the story of a reunion…at a stately home…of some former students some five years after their graduation.  It revolves around a dinner party set in the main hall in front of a roaring fire and several dogs. I cannot reveal the outcome of the script but several professional actors and an extensive crew took over Tissington in January for the work of Repton-based Deborah Hadfield. As yet I am not sure I will get a credit on the movie( unlike my Assistant Executive Producer role in the Derby University film of 2024) but I suspect it will not out rank my son Freddie whose last credit was as an Assistant Cameraman on Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II.

In December in the run up to Christmas I hosted two festive tours and teas around the Hall. Filled with merriment and magic and adorned by humorous tales of my ancestors we welcomed Buxton-born former farmer now poet Philip Holland to entertain us as guests enjoyed their cream tea and prosecco. Philip has had a very varied life: a Derbyshire dairy-and-sheep farmer for forty years; in his youth he studied to be a classical concert pianist; later he was a hotelier and wine importer for twelve years; now a newly-retired partner in a former retail jewellery business, yet is still a poet, writer and performer. Philip has written several poetry books over the years and I invited him to play the piano and read some of his pieces during our afternoon tea. After some seasonal pieces he finished on his classic ‘The Colonel’, well worth looking up. I will repeat a fuller season of these tours next Christmas.

 We have restored another asset on the Estate .The Tissington Silo is an intriguing structure and sits on the western side of the Estate on the way to Dovedale. Under the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) grant scheme. We were able to access the monies to secure the building and put a new roof on it. Despite extensive research by architects Evans Vettori in to map regression and historic archives, the original purpose of the structure is still unknown. After ruling out the possibilities of prior uses being a silo (for silage), a limekiln, or a windmill, it is tentatively believed that the limestone tower may have been an observatory or a munitions store (possibly for artillery practice during WW1). The restoration has seen a new conical roof, completed with timber rafters, natural slate with associated lead flashings, with overhanging eaves to protect the silo. It looks great and is a brilliant job by heritage specialists ASBC of Melbourne. Sadly it is not a ‘new holiday let’ on the Estate as some locals have suggested….it has no running water and no necessary facilities!