Instead of the usual spring flower show the castle decided to have a rose festival this year. The castle was decorated with 7,500 roses. Each room was allocated to a particular group of flower arrangers, who all created wonderful displays with the roses that had been chosen by the castle florist, Lorraine. There was a lot of discussion amongst the visitors. The rose ‘Disco’ proved to be the most controversial. Either people loved or hated it. The multicolour was created by splitting the stem into 4 and putting each section into a separate dye, which then through osmosis coloured the petals.
The roses arrive two days prior to the start of the show.
Heraldry room
Queen’s bedroom: the day bed and Tudor fireplace
Queen’s gallery
Queen’s gallery: detail
Courtyard
Banqueting hall
Banqueting hall: detail of fireplace
Chapel
Chapel altar
Bottom of spiral staircase with rose ‘Disco’
Top of spiral staircase
Boardroom
Seminar room: windowsill
Seminar room: table decoration
Lady Baillie’s dressing room with some of her childhood clothes
Lady Baillie’s dressing room: small decoration
Lady Baillie’s bedroom
Catherine of Aragon bedroom
Catherine of Aragon bedroom
Top of main stairs
Yellow drawing room: the fireplace
Yellow drawing room: piano arrangement
Thorpe Hall drawing room
Thorpe Hall: table decoration
Front of castle
The Lumley horseman (Edward III)
Library
Front door area
Front door table
Anonyme – Sérénade espagnole (perf. Bartoli)