by Pippa Pixley
This book belongs to
For Eden, Kaydon & Rochelle
During the day Towneley Hall is busy with visitors like you and me.
Watching and walking, laughing and talking.
When darkness falls, all the visitors have gone home. The Curator has locked the doors.
Did someone leave a light switched on?
What a romantic four-poster bed, fit for a princess to rest her head!
Who sleeps in it when all the visitors have gone?
There are secret chambers, dark and black, a priesthole, cellars, and many a crack‌
Who plays hide and seek in them when all the visitors have gone?
Guarding the stair is a
scary bear!
Who pulls faces at him when all the visitors have gone?
The gallery walls are hung with fine art, brought here to Towneley from every part‌
Who admires them when all the visitors have gone?
You can have a ball in the Great
Hall‌
Who dances in here when all the visitors have gone?
The kitchen’s equipped to make a grand spread, Of spit-roasted game and freshly baked bread!
Who cooks in here when all the visitors have gone?
The Mice of Towneley Hall!
That’s who!
The mice disappear as the sun comes up, To find them all you just have to look.
So quiet and still, they are stood, You would almost think they were carved from wood!
Curator
The person who manages the Hall and all the things you can see in it.
Four-poster
These wooden framed beds were often hung with curtains to keep out cold draughts and prying eyes.
Priesthole
The family who lived in this house were of the Catholic faith and were often in trouble because of this. They built secret rooms where priests could hide until the danger passed.
Gallery
This is a big room where the most valuable paintings and sculptures are on display.
Bear
Don’t worry! It’s stuffed and harmless!
Spit-roasted /Game
Game, such as hare, pheasant, deer, duck, goose, woodpigeon and rabbit was cooked by turning it in front of an open fire on a metal rod called a spit.
Ball
This is a grand feast and dance where everyone is dressed in their best clothes. Very exciting!
Pippa Pixley lives near Towneley Hall with a husband, a baby, five goldfish and a mouse called Polly. She works as an artist and picture framer, and loves beautiful things. Towneley Hall is situated in the Lancashire Hill Country and has a long and dramatic history in the hands of one family.
For more information visit www.towneleyhall.org.uk
Š Burnley Council 2020. Job_16761. creative-council.net
Towneley Hall is a wonderful place to visit, but what happens at night when all the visitors have gone?
make the most of Towneley visit towneley.org.uk or find us on facebook
Towneley Hall is owned and managed by Burnley Council