Posted on 04/23/2005 12:03:26 AM PDT by nickcarraway
THEATRE has always been "live" at Lathom, from the Festival of Plays held there in 1587 to "Ned" Bootle-Wilbraham's personal contribution in the 1920s and the Trust's own revues like Lathom Glitterati which was based on his love for the London theatre and his published plays.
Not many years ago this flamboyant third Earl of Lathom was just a distant legend but the man has now been revealed in all his complexity.
Furthermore, this fascinating theory is being pursued: Did Shakespeare spend several years of his early life at Lathom House tutoring the Stanley children and writing some of his plays? This is also well covered in the book.
The award of a Local Heritage Initiative grant in 2001 meant that trained volunteers, mostly local people, could study old archives, maps and aerial photographs, investigate old buildings and build up databases and a website.
What they have discovered, under the guidance of archaeologists and academics, makes for fascinating reading.
The booklet has been funded by the Lathom Park Trust, the Local Heritage Initiative and the Nationwide Building Society, and a free copy has been sent to every household in the parish of Lathom.
Sheesh.
It was only a matter of time before the militant homeschoolers tried to claim Shakespeare for their own!
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