Where it all began

We thought it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves. I am Lucinda Parish and I live here with my husband Robin and our four rapidly growing children: Arthur, George, Nancy and Edward. We married in 1997 and have lived at Walcot as a family since 2000, when my mother-in-law decided it was time to vacate and move into a more manageable (and warmer!) house in the village. Robin has in fact always lived at Walcot, since his parents bought the house in 1957. He grew up here with his three sisters and so has seen a steady change over the years. His parents developed various parts of the estate, namely in the 18th-century stable yard and on the top floor and wing of the Hall itself, converting existing buildings into living accommodation. Robin started the holiday flats in the early ‘80s and at that time it was all run from the office in London, where he was working for the family business during the week while helping to run Walcot at weekends. Advertising was done in The Lady and the RSPB Magazines, bookings were made by letter, payments were sent by cheque; life was a little slower back then! Over the last 20 years we have continued this legacy; restoring the ballroom and building the estate into an exquisite wedding venue that can accommodate up to 110 guests, with 15 self-catering holiday cottages on site, from the historic Main House to the refurbished stable block; an old reconstructed tin Chapel in the Arboretum to an old Wheelright’s Shop, all lovingly transformed into cosy hideaways. There is also a campsite and caravan park adjacent to our lovely pub at the end of the drive in the village of Lydbury North, which has B&B rooms. We have done it over time, little by little, which I think makes Walcot particularly unique. Robin is an avid collector, sale-room addict and inveterate hoarder and loves to be involved in furnishing the accommodation. Nothing is ever going to be shiny and new, which doesn’t suit everyone’s tastes, but we love it. There are various drawbacks involved in running your family home as a wedding venue. Bridesmaids have a tendency to wander, ushers get lost, and occasionally someone falls asleep on the stairs. Thankfully, we are very relaxed as a family, during wedding services you’ll often find us hiding in the kitchen or climbing in and out of a window so as not to disturb our guests. Running a home and business of this scale takes a certain type of resilience. In our heads, having people stay here justifies all the work that we have put into the place over the years. Occasionally people think the house is a little disorganised and a touch chaotic; in that regard we must admit they are probably correct but we find it difficult to change the habits of a lifetime. The dogs, the peacocks, the decoration: it’s all part of the magic of Walcot; long may it continue.