Long-lost Chirk Castle pantomimes found? Oh yes they are!
- Published
A scene from Jack and the Beanstalk
Six long-lost pantomimes from the 1920s written by a former resident of Chirk Castle have been rediscovered among its archives.
The seasonal plays were devised by Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Lord Howard de Walden, and were performed by family and friends at the castle.
The scripts were humorous retellings of tales such as Beauty and the Beast.
They are being celebrated by six theatrically decorated Christmas trees on display at the castle in Wrexham.
Lord Howard de Walden, who was one of the richest men in the UK at the time, lived at the castle with his family from 1911 to 1946.
He wrote the plays, with titles like Puss in Brutes and The Beauties and the Beast, to entertain his large family, who all got involved in the productions each Christmas.
The Scott-Ellis children formed part of the cast of The Reluctant Dragon
Members of the Scott-Ellis family in pantomime costume
His grandson Thomas Seymour said: "It was 1922 and the children wanted to act. My grandmother Margherita had six children under the age of ten with her husband Tommy so there were plenty of roles to be played.
"Over eight years, Tommy wrote six pantomimes with parts for all the family and friends.
"These were humorous adaptations of popular fairy tales, garnished with puns and wordplay, ridicule, slapstick and literary allusion."
Renowned designers such as costumier Bruce Winston, external, who designed for the Rambert Ballet company, were brought in to bring the stories to life through flamboyant costume and sets.
Mr Seymour added: "As the children matured, Tommy's pantomimes grew more sophisticated. The Sleeping Beauty is a Shakespearean spoof in blank verse."
To commemorate the theatrical endeavours, the National Trust, which now runs the castle, has commissioned six Christmas trees decorated with props and costumes based on photographs and the original scripts.
The production of The Beauties and the Beast was one of the earlier works devised by Thomas Scott-Ellis