Chatsworth House 1991 The Golden Wedding Event

[Music] welcome to chatsworth the home of the duke and duchess of devonshire this week is a very special week for on friday the 19th of april 1991 their graces will celebrate 50 years of marriage together with some 970 derbyshire couples who are also celebrating their golden wedding anniversary this year the golden wedding couples and their guests totaling 3700 have a unique opportunity to take afternoon tea with the duke and duchess seated in a giant marquee 155 metres in length sighted on the south lawn and taking in the seahorse fountain which as we will see later makes a very impressive centerpiece [Music] before our interview with their graces and the following celebrations let's take a look at the beautiful gardens here at chatsworth to those of you who have not yet visited this short tour will hopefully wet your appetite and inspire you to see it for yourselves [Music] so [Music] oh [Music] so [Music] fish [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so foreign [Music] you [Music] so [Music] so [Music] there is a working farm here at chatsworth which is also open to the public [Music] [Applause] [Applause] these shots were taken on the day of the golden wedding celebrations as you can see the weather was very changeable we were only too pleased to shelter with this unconcerned sow the adventure playground here is very safe and well laid out [Music] the discrete exit can be made using the secret tunnel onto the new restaurant and gift shop housed in the old stable buildings this impressive new feature of chatsworth was opened just one month ago [Music] would you like to go live [Music] the gift shop is very well stocked with everything from souvenirs clothes and books to special preserves and cakes [Music] uh [Music] now on to the special day as we mentioned earlier the centerpiece of the marquee is the seahorse fountain [Music] [Music] all this area of the south lawn will be engulfed by the giant construction [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the marquee is now complete all tables are laid the guests are arriving let's join lynn desmond in the blue room with their graces the duke and duchess of devonshire on their very special day can i ask you then please where you did in fact first meet we met we were asked to send in a party before a dance in april may 1938 1938 yeah so it was three years really before we were both just 18 when we met so very young well i suppose we were yeah it was the dinner part was given by my elephant by your aunt right and they were acquaintances of my mother and father can you remember where you actually went for your very first date goodness no no i think the 400 don't you yes i suppose so but you know in those days uh girls weren't allowed to go out alone with one man we were allowed to go out for lunch but not an evening so that was maybe a year or two after so you still shopper and very much amazing to think of that now isn't it yes at what point then did you actually announce your engagement well not until early 1941 i think when the war was well well well on but we were very uh close to one another for those three years weren't we very much so yes uh it would be we read april i suppose uh january would it be january or february yeah and then the wedding took place when april 19th 1941 which is 50 years ago that's a wonderful achievement where was the wedding ceremony held it was in a wonderful very old church 12th century church in the city of london smithfields and bartholomew's in the meat market sounds a very unusual place isn't it now it's a marvelous church and where was your wedding breakfast at my mother and father's house in rutland gate and two nights before that been one of the biggest raids in london and a lot of people were killed that night and 200 yards away the three or four houses were totally destroyed and by one enormous bomb and there was all the glass was knocked out of our windows luckily it was very warm unlike today and my mother just put got the glass swept up and put wallpaper down the sides of the windows pretend they were curtains but there was no no glass how did you arrive at the church what sort of transport did you arrive in i suppose i can't remember i suppose a hard car but i went with my friends we had a hard rolls-royce drive us away i could see the car i didn't see the car now no it yeah hot it was hard but my father was in his home guard uniform and he was a private and he looked marvelous and how many bridesmaids did you have none there were no bridesmaids in that time that's lovely no nothing like that it was all rather quiet and uh the clothes were just going to be rationed stuff for material and everything was just about to be rationed so we just got a few things together before that happened so they said there was no browser none of that so you had you had a white and white i had a white tool dress which was actually very beautiful goodness knows what's happened to it i wish i still got it and it was very pretty i thought and what did you wear for the wedding my uh coaching guys uniform but of course it was a great party the reception in that it was on a saturday and uh it was the blitz but people still wanted to enjoy themselves so people went to a lot of trouble to get there because they want to see their friends absolutely yes and did you have a bouquet yes i had a beautiful one of white orchids and i had white orchids on my head as well how did you feel as you saw in that day when she walked down the aisle i think i was very nervous you were very nervous [Laughter] i'm sure you were extremely nervous i don't think so i'm just really happy were there any hiccups to the actual day or the lead up to the actual day probably the bombing the two nights before which was a major hiccup i'm just saying got us as they say or me and my mother and father but andrew naturally was elsewhere i was there now i was have that big grade it was weird yes i was you say only the bombing now i mean at that time it must have been absolutely horrendous yes but we became very accustomed to it yes i'm sure that you did yes how many guests actually attended your wedding 300 i guess yes at least that i think we had a big house then and it had a huge forum and uh they were easily easily fitted into that and it was it was great fun just just as andrew says it was marble's party yes lovely join as it was during the war were you in a fortunate position to be able to go away on honeymoon at that point in time yes uh my mother and father were living in a house we've got the eastbourne called campton place and and we went we moved out for a week and he spent a week there and every night the bombers we went over eastbourne and it was it was actually quite strange looking back hearing that throbbing of the bombers and then coming back three hours later where did you reside when you were first married we had a tiny little house in syndrome didn't we i was stationed in london at the time but we were very we for the first few years of our marriage we were always moving and i separated a lot because of the army and when when we could be together i used to go in furnished rooms wherever he was yes whether it was in wiltshire or norfolk or you know they were always moving so you you followed each other around and said yes you stayed with each other yes what prompted your decision in 1957 to move into chatsworth what prompted you to do that well this is our home yes and and so uh in the middle after i'd gone abroad to italy in the war uh terror moved into the house called the rookery in ashford in the water and that was our first married home and there we stayed until after the war and we moved to uh enzo house in the village here where we stay till 59 and then my father died tragically in 1950 and the house having been a girl school in the war was empty and then in 59 entirely we moved back here let's come to today and ask you what inspired you to share your golden wedding anniversary with the other people of derbyshire who are also celebrating their golden wedding anniversary this year it was an idea we thought yeah we've been very lucky we are very lucky and we've got i like to think a lot of friends in derbyshire so we thought why not why not have a party because it's an absolutely wonderful idea i mean talking to people around and about they're absolutely amazed i mean we've had an awful lot of feedback and it's surprising how many people you suddenly realize that you know who are actually going to arrive today but you know when we first thought of it it's really andrew's idea we thought that perhaps 300 200 couples and in in the event there's 970 couples 970 and they're each bringing somebody with them so that they can arrive easily and so on so that's 970 more cups that's absolutely amazing having all the local dignitaries so they have someone to talk to and of course the the all-important nun the all-important nun who said well she'd be the bride of the church for 50 years and could she go that was the least we could do that's a very unusual um yes but she's actually she's an old friend of mine because she's in a convent in matlock where i go every year because it's where we have an annual meeting of a league of friends that i'm to do with yes and so i have known her fellows for some time but we will see you were so delighted with her that that went yeah are any members of your family here today to join in the celebrations with you uh my son my younger daughter sadly my older daughter's got flu and three of my grandchildren and their husbands and wives yes there are quite a few of them oh yes and my one of my sisters i'm happy to say is here oh how lovely yes and one of my sisters two truths and how many grandchildren do you have you're all together now six we've got six but there were some of the videos that were talking about i think 27. yeah she is really you haven't got any great grandchildren yet no they don't [Laughter] would you like to perhaps tell us a little bit of what the format of today is going to be but it's really a major tea party i think everybody's are invited for help pastry and then there's a tent which is 155 meters long i'm told and they're full of natural tables and 370 tables yes and then i think there's going to be two different bands and there's a lady coming who's going to lead the singing and we thought perhaps really that was about it yes oh i think there's another thing and then uh as they leave each couple gets a crowned dog in kate which has been specially designed for the occasion so people who aren't well enough to come of whom sadly there are some are going to have them sent so that's everyone will have a lasting reminder and they haven't gone champagne before they go and then we're very pleased because both bands are local first of all lady man was banned from federal yes uh and then rhodium brass which were very famous from chesterfield then we asked baron lynn who's golden wedding it is too but she couldn't come oh and he's gonna love it all four this music oh that really would have been absolutely it would have been marvelous that could have been party crowning glory really but i'm sure the lady who's coming is very good and we'll have some queen of disney oh that would be good fun won't it we'd like to take the opportunity wishing you both many many more happy years together and we hope that today is going to be the success that you want it to be and we'd like to say thank you for sparing the time to speak to us today well thank you very much it's been a lovely start to the day and who knows perhaps we all be over our diamond dream that would be me too thank you thank you very much thank you the weather as you probably experienced on the day during the arrival was not very good but the forecast is all right [Music] as the two main organizers of today's event helen marchant and eric oliver put their heads together we'll take a seat and listen to the band [Music] so [Music] do [Music] we asked the couples of derbyshire how much they paid in 1941 for their wedding licenses two guinness two guineas join the warriors well no my wife was a sunday school teacher and so the vicar letter's off completely 76. yeah wonderful same price for the dog oh you're so good you know the special one yes [Music] [Laughter] you didn't have one so he didn't even pay for you that's not very good is it [Music] oh [Music] where did you have your wedding reception ripley go up and we had a chocolate wedding cake because the wall was on when did you celebrate your golden wedding or have you not yet october october october 11th right do you have any plans for your wedding anniversary well my children will have the plans we're going away a couple of days later lovely do you know where you're going too i've already booked that we're going to malta and is it you're celebrating your golden wedding we did in march the 15th how many people were 19. fantastic yeah and where have you come from today from ashbourne yes you had a good journey up yes yes son-in-law and your life brought it up look after us that's really nice and is your golden wedding anniversary june 11 june the 11th june 11th where did you get married that's those 50 years ago enunciation check spencer street in chelsea where did you get married over church stavely church church and where's that uh chesapeake in chesterfield how lovely are you doing anything special for your golden wedding anniversary [Music] can you remember back to your wedding day did you were there any hiccups on the day it was in wartime and floods around weren't to go around about way too stable church we managed to turn out everything went down that's good have you celebrated your golden wedding yet this year this year when was february everywhere can you tell me where it was that you got married [Applause] storm set yeah where is [Music] were there any hiccups on your wedding day oh [Music] yeah why apart from you are you celebrating your golden wedding this year yes when is it on tuesday this coming tuesday oh congratulations thank you very much where was it that you got married [Music] who wants it 18. oh [Music] [Music] everything are absolutely marvelous beautiful sorry all right i want to film the default i'm the worker the shaker all right marvelous a good letter yes no complaints are you celebrating your golden wedding this year we are indeed yes in june what day 20th 25th note that i always let the wife answer answer the questions hello are you celebrating your golden wedding this year we are good ours was july yours was july so do i presume that the weather was nothing like it is today unfortunately absolutely beautiful was it absolutely 1941 and the whole of the week as well i have been only half a week from the army where did you celebrate your wedding anniversary i learned from british reading and where did you get married sometimes church was no longer there now how many hiccups on the day that you got married oh yeah yes yes that's not right no no well we've got a record of today enjoy the rest of your day thank you very much thank you did you have any hiccups on your wedding day oh quiet tofu only the fact that it poured with the rain after about an hour before the service a little bit like today yeah yes was it as cold as today yes it was it was the hiccup we had was uh i'd applied for leaf to come home to get married and uh about two or three days before the day it they sent for me in the office and said all these were cancelled so i got the message off quickly to say hold all arrangements leave cancelled and then right at the last minute the the old journal sent for me and said we're going to let you go so i arrived back home and nobody expected me coming two days before and of course it was a right rush around then you know finishing getting into preparations ready and okay yeah did you go away from honeymoon were you able to no i got recalled before we got jumped at that do you have any hiccups on your wedding day anything go wrong through a train you know near the vale you're the clever one then arnie has been worth the license that's really good until he's feeling better good you keep that smile it's wonderful thank you very much enjoy the rest of your day and are you enjoying yourself today it sounds like you are beautiful that's wonderful what was it like the day you got married the weather what was that like uh it was cold weren't you very cold i think it was snowing i'm not sure a bit like today but at least after 50 years you're still smiling that's what i would like to see enjoy the rest of your day [Music] more so [Music] foreign [Music] so [Applause] this is first time i've had a drinking channel i'm 72 first time about drinking champagne in my life you enjoy it my love it's wonderful i am enjoying it man [Laughter] it's your golden wedding anniversary today is that right congratulations [Music] are you enjoying yourselves very much yeah good wonderful are you having a private celebration as well no not really not really just just a nice quiet one tonight on your own lovely enjoy the rest of your day and our heartiest congratulations thank you yes i don't know what yet but we are going to celebrate that's wonderful that's great and i'm glad you're enjoying yourselves today [Music] enjoy the rest of the day very good thank you when's your golden wedding 31st of may wonderful have a nice time weren't you thank you but you'll enjoy it just the same [Music] wonderful congratulations wait until you get to your golden are you enjoying yourselves today wonderful it's wonderful when's your golden wedding we have our golden wedding on the 15th of april oh lovely february sorry when's your wedding anniversary july 21st june the 21st longest longest day the shortest night was it like that 50 years ago when do you celebrate your golden wedding well it'll be july but we celebrate our goal the wedding 26th 26th we go uh [Music] are you doing anything special well uh i've been retired now at 12 years and uh i've got i've i've got to do what gets exercise in me i know i've got to garden and agree now so that keeps me active but it's well trained no you as well over there that's celebrating their [Music] august goals you're all doing well round here aren't you yes congratulations to you all [Laughter] [Applause] i didn't get very far with this because this is are you celebrating your goal and wedding this year in december lovely congratulations and now you're enjoying yourself very much very much good where did you get married comfort from food lovely enjoy yourselves today thank you very much thank you very much [Music] foreign [Music] someday [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so so [Applause] my lord lieutenant your worships fellow celebrants ladies and uh gentlemen of all thank you on behalf of my wife and i from the bottom of my two hearts for coming uh this afternoon and making our golden wedding day such a happy and memorable one uh all of us who are celebrating all this work celebrating our golden wedding yeah this year and derbyshire are indeed lucky the good lord has been very good to us and it's marvelous for my wife and my family with whom i'm by whom i'm surrounded to share this lovely glorious happy golden day with all of you so thank you very very much for coming i know many of you've come a long way and taken a great deal of trouble and it's been really marvelous for us uh it's these are moments that none of my wife and i and my family will ever forget we are indeed lucky in this uh surrounded by our family in this lovely place in this lovely park and uh one of the things that's given me immense predators several real going around to tell me how much about coming and walking in the park here where i say how immensely welcome you are and how much we as a family love you coming here so thank you all for coming uh i hope very much that perhaps in 10 years time we all meet on a similar occasion at our darwin wedding thank you all for having me this is not the end of the proceedings the band will go on page and do course there will be uh god save the queen and on your way out uh you uh at the lodge if you present us it each of you who celebrate your golden wedding this year will have a place like this which i hope will be a reminder of what for us has been a very very happy day ladies and gentlemen i hope you're all enjoying this wonderful occasion and i'm sure you would not like to leave before thanking his their graces for inviting you all along and i'd like you to join me in giving three hearty cheers please hip hip [Applause] hip hip now come on let's have the roof off hip hip [Music] [Applause] [Music] you so and who knows perhaps we'll all be here for our darling dream that would be nice you

Channel: Andrew Cox

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Length: 53min 1sec (3181 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 07 2020