Get the gossip and re-live the scandal at Saltram

On Friday 9 May, Friday 6 June and Friday 11 July, Saltram House near Plymouth will create an evening of entertainment, delving into past scandal and romance at Saltram.

‘Scandal and Romance’ will see staff and volunteers donning period dress to give visitors a unique insight into the gossip behind the Parker family’s lives, loves and losses. Many of the costumes have been made by the Saltram volunteer costume group ‘Stitched Up!’ and are themselves a spectacle.

A gossip of the time once wrote about John Parker III, the second Lord Boringdon:

“Have you heard, such a scandal – the Boringdon’s cannot appear in Society!  She has flown with Sir A and Lord B is cuckolded, such shame no-one will receive them. Of course this is not the first time he has shocked and scandalised – so many children but none who can inherit.”

Was there a happy ending, did the family find real romance? 

As the audience moves through Saltram’s spectacular rooms different scenes will be revealed, characters from Saltram’s past will come to life. Some of the rooms will be lit with candles to evoke the atmosphere of the house long before electricity was installed. 

At the end of the journey through the past there will be an opportunity to have a glass of wine and mingle with the cast to find out what it feels like to don the clothes and speak the actual words of Saltram’s previous inhabitants.

The event has been created by members of Saltram’s volunteer Tour Guide and Research Group and is based on extensive research into the house’s history. Visitor Experience Manager, Fiona Macmillan, says:

“To see the House full of colour and movement and for it to feel lived in again, is an amazing experience. One of the really fantastic things about this evening will be the feeling as though you have travelled back in time and are eavesdropping on real gossip of the period.”

‘Scandal and Romance’ is showing at 6.30pm and 7.15pm. Tickets cost £12 per person and booking is essential on 01752 333500 or at the Welcome Centre. For more details about upcoming events at Saltram visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/saltram or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.