Member Article

Iron Lady Tours at Stoke Rochford Hall

Stoke Rochford Hall near Grantham has announced Iron Lady Tours that introduces visitors to the place where Margaret Thatcher grew up as a grocer’s daughter and went on to become Britain’s first woman Prime Minister.

October 13th 2015 would have been her 90th birthday.

The new tour will guide guests to locations in Grantham beginning with the site of Thatcher’s home, her school, a visit to the Grantham Museum where there is an exhibition about Margaret Thatcher and includes details of the Margaret Thatcher Statue campaign. Also at the Grantham Museum guests will have the opportunity to see the D-Day exhibition and the Dambusters exhibition, the iconic raid on Germany’s Ruhr Valley in 1943, the historic achievement of this raid and the crucial part it played in World War Two that was devised in Grantham.

“Margaret Thatcher remains one of the UK’s most important political figures. Her connection with Grantham is evident in her biographies and in recognition of her association with Grantham, and whatever people’s views about her may be, she is one of the dominant political figures of 20th century Britain, and the political philosophy that bears her name ‘Thatcherism’ is recognised worldwide. This tour will explore her early life and the things that influenced her.” comments Barry Clark, general manager.

Another famous son of Grantham, is Nicholas Parsons whose father was a doctor in a country practice in Grantham. Among his patients were the Robert’s family which included young Margaret who became Margaret Thatcher. Nicholas went to the same school as her, Grantham & Kesteven High School for Girls! In the kindergarden they took boys … not what you might think. He moved to London with his family when he was 8 years old.

Visitors will also be invited to learn about other Grantham historic sites including the statue of Isaac Newton (1642-1727) the mathematician and physicist who was one of the foremost scientific intellects of all time. He was born at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, where he attended school.

“Grantham has been somewhat unfairly dubbed as boring in the past and may be somewhere that people have only seen from a train or passed in a hurry on the A1 but there is so much to explore and discover. We hope that this new tour will encourage people to stay longer, to learn about its rich and varied past and its people”. added Barry.

At the hotel, guests will have an historical tour of Stoke Rochford Hall that explains the background to the imposing grand hotel, which began as the site of a Roman Villa, was the location for a series of noble houses and for 18 months in WW11 housed the headquarters of the Second Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. Here, on the Library floor, the plans were laid which led to the ill-fated Arnhem ‘drop’ of 1944.

‘Iron Lady’ tours include a two night stay, dinner and breakfast and is available for independent travellers and for group visits.

For further information please contact: Barry Clark, general manager, Stoke Rochford Hall Hotel, Stoke Rochford, Grantham, NG33 5EJ Tel: 01476 530337 Email: b.clark@stokerochfordhall.co.uk

Press Contact: John Gallery, Great Potential T: 07967 032623

E: johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk

Notes for Editors: Stoke Rochford Hall, near Grantham in Lincolnshire is a unique 96 room hotel, conference and banqueting centre. A Victorian country mansion set within formal landscaped gardens and 28 acres of parkland.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Gallery .