It was rewarding for us all here at Kentwell to learn that we had been voted the winner of the Peoples' Award which we, of course, consider the most prestigious of the awards, at the Tourism in Suffolk Awards on 10 October. This award is determined by the votes and responses of the public. We thank all those who must have voted for Kentwell and also our staff who help make Kentwell what it is. Here are the staff who happened to be here on the morning after the Ceremony together with us all screwing up our eyes against a strong sun, which made a rare appearance these days to honour us.

Everything is go at full steam ahead on this now. We are extremely busy creating devices to amuse and scare our visitors.  Part of the fun of such an event is devising and then building all the difference effects.  Its one thing drawing something up on paper - quite another to see whether or not it works in practice.  Alas, we really only ever know from the public's response. Sometimes a little effort has a big return; while at others much effort falls flat.  We'll have to wait to see how this year's efforts turn out.  October 18 to November 2 Nightly.

We are just about to start setting up for this Event.  Last year we created the Event from scratch and surprised even ourselves with what we achieved. Visitors were astonished by it all (and appropriately scared by it).  This year we shall add some new things and do better what we did before. We seem to spend our life here preparing for an Event or taking down after it.  Creating new Events or improving old ones is the fun part of it though, however demanding it may be.

This is the last Tudor Re-Creation of the year and always a good one - so if interested, don't miss it.  Our year is 1588 and in the Main Re-Creation in June/July we were preparing to face the threat of invasion from the Spanish then amassing their huge Armada.  By the late August Re-Creation news was filtering through of the Armada being scattered by the English fleet and was fleeing north up the East coast.  For what has happened to the Armada or threat of invasion since come to Kentwell on Saturday 27 or Sunday 28 September.  We shall have about 170 of our Tudors and many of the usual activities will be active.

We were recently filmed for a programme called "I own Britain's Best House" - a statement of the obvious, we think !  It is due to be broadcast in the Spring and we shall be in competition with others claiming likewise.  The filming was fun but the prgramme time allotted for us was short and we wonder whether we did ourselves and Kentwell justice.  If we did it should be no competition.  If we failed the fault is ours not Kentwell's.