Do You Remember This House?*

Or do you remember the two charismatic people who lived in it, Christopher and Lettice Sandford?

Author Jeremy Sandford, their son, has embarked on the preliminary recce for a heritage cassette and CD, in which he will travel in search of memories of his parents and of Eye Manor, and of his own childhood in the wartime and post war and later years.

Jeremy will be particularly interested in hearing from people who served in the Home Guard with Christopher Sandford, and above all from those who helped him set up an official secret military presence in Herefordshire to be activated in the case of invasion, and much of it underground. This part of Christopher’s war career, while being entirely bona fide, is known to very few people and the team will be extremely grateful if anyone involved in this will contact them as it is now at last no longer subject to the Official Secrets Act.

Jeremy says; ‘My childhood will be evoked through the spoken memories of some thirty Herefordshire people, and through music.

‘The historic house where I grew up was built in 1680 by Ferdinando Gorges, a wealthy merchant and courtier at the court of Charles II. From it, my father Christopher operated the edition de luxe Golden Cockerel Press, one of the most lavish and sumptuous private presses of this century.

‘Eye Manor was open to the public. From here, my mother Lettice conducted her researches into the famous traditional craft of corn dolly construction, in whose popular renaissance she played an important part. She was also an engraver in wood and copper, a water colourist, gardener, drama director, designer of banners, and was also President of the Herefordshire Federation of Women’s Institutes.’

*Note to picture desk:

Pictures may be taken from the enclosed souvenir guide, for which the copyright is owned by Jeremy Sandford.

The project has been commissioned by Hugh Colvin of the Landscape Trust, whose high fidelity state of the art sound studios operate from Llanfair Waterdine.

Eye Manor is situated four miles north of Leominster. As part of his preliminary ‘recce’, Jeremy is inviting people who remember Lettice or Christopher Sandford and the life at Eye Manor to contact him with these memories. Especially of value will be memories from the 40s and 50s, but all memories will be very welcome written in the form of a letter. Alternatively Jeremy will be delighted to hear from people who would be happy to have their memories recorded in the course of a visit from one of the team, or from author Jeremy Sandford himself. Those who assist will receive a presentation copy of the finished cassette.

One key member of the team already enrolled is Virginia Kennedy, the popular Radio Hereford and Worcester announcer.

The finished audio cassette, with a cover based on an engraving of Eye Manor and Jeremy and his sisters as children by Lettice Sandford, is expected to be on sale at tourist and heritage outlets, or from Jeremy’s home, Hatfield Court near Leominster, next summer. The price will be around £5.

Offers of help should be addressed to the Landscape Trust Studios at Llanfair Waterdine, or to Jeremy Sandford at Hatfield Court. Or you can leave a message on the answerphone at 01568 760333.

Previous cassettes from the Landscape Trust have included a Time Walk from Brampton Brian to Safeways and the memories of Farmers Wives, and ‘The Real Garden of England’, about hop picking round Tenbury.

Previous audio cassettes by Jeremy include ‘Songs from the Roadside’, a presentation of Romany Gypsy songs from the West Midlands.

The Project will be funded by Leominster District Council, Leader II, and the Herefordshire Council, among others.

As the first of many, popular local farmer Harry Conod and Diana Uhlman of Croft Castle have already recorded their memories.

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