Very much like in the war years, Talbot House today welcomes a variety of visitors and parties in a friendly atmosphere. To guarantee this experience, underneath are offered several ways to make your visit a memorable one.

Of course, you can always contact us to discuss any further expectation or specific request for your party.

PREPARING YOUR VISIT
• information brochure for party leaders

ENHANCING YOUR VISIT
• tea-party
• the piano
• a tour of (hi)stories in a house of people
• musical show: "Sing me to Sleep"

MORE TO VISIT: WW1 IN AND AROUND POPERINGE
• Town Hall courtyard and death cells
• Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery

EXTRA
• staging the Concert Hall
• staying at Talbot House

Group visits, and any of the offered possibilities, are to be booked in advance.

1. INFORMATION BROCHURE

Een goede voorbereiding is zonder twijfel de helft van een geslaagd bezoek.
This little brochure gives some information on the history of Talbot House. It also offers an overview of the visit and some guidelines for party leaders.
Party leaders always are welcome to do some on site prospection, or to contact us for additional information.

2. TEA-PARTY

Having a cup of tea in the old canteen (or, if the weather allows, in the garden) no doubt is the best way to 'taste' Talbot House. On booking your visit, only announce your party as a tea-party, and the kettle will be boiling upon your arrival.

3. THE PIANO

In the canteen of Talbot House stands the old piano. Party members who play the instrument are invited to do so and add a musical touch to their visit. This may even evolve into an unexpected (or well-prepared) but no doubt enjoyable sing-song.

4. A TOUR OF (HI)STORIES IN A HOUSE OF PEOPLE

Nu je toch voor een paar uurtjes rust in 'Pop' bent verzeild, kun je net zo goed eens afstand doen van je rang of stand om Talbot House grondig te verkennen. We nemen je dus graag op sleeptouw door het huis. Onder kundige begeleiding kom je voorbij een aantal documenten en voorwerpen die het verhaal van Talbot House als 'een huis van mensen' vasthouden. De tocht voert je van de inkomhal langs de speelkamer en de biljart tot helemaal in de kapel. In elke ruimte huist een verhaal, en in elk verhaal gaan mensen schuil. De oorlog lijkt verder dan ooit, als je hem - al is het maar voor even - kunt vergeten.

The tour ends with a cup of tea in the canteen.

The stories that make up this exploration of the house all are taken from the memoires of Tubby Clayton himself. In 2006, a series of them were compiled as Ten Tales of Talbot House. This booklet makes a wonderful souvenir for parties who take this special tour around the house.

- maximum 15 persons
- duration: 2 hours
- € 150 (all-in)

5. MUSICAL SHOW: "SING ME TO SLEEP"

If your party is staying overnight, you might be interested in an evening programme. Or you might like to add some music to your WW1 exploration, or give a name and a face to the numerous headstones on your battlefield tour. If so, then this show, brought to you by two musicians, is worth consideration; it even can be performed on location, at the hotel or B&B where your party is staying.

The story is based on the letters of 2nd Lt. John W. Gamble (Derby, °1894). For more than six months he served at the Ypres front. His letters still evoke the noise of guns and the fear of the battlefield, while old jokes can make you laugh, and a spell out of the lines offers relief every now and then. The story shifts from glee to grief and back, and the whole show is livened up with appropriate songs - or shattered by the death of tens of John's comrades. And then music and song is needed to heal the pain and cover up cruelty with a bit of beauty. Not that it would change things, but it might help...

This musical show makes a very meaningful introduction to a visit to Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, where John himself was burried on 22 May 1916.

Je kan deze activiteit op verschillende manieren opnemen in de plannen van je eigen groep:
1. je voegt dit programma toe, als extra, aan een gewoon groepsbezoek (overdag)
2. je komt voor dit muzikale verhaal naar de Concert Hall (overdag of 's avonds), zonder verder bezoek
3. wij brengen het concertje ('s avonds) naar de plek waar je groep samenkomt of verblijft

- for parties from 15 to 70 people
- duration: ca 70 minutes
- when combined with a group visit: € 150,00
- otherwise (2. en 3.): € 250,00

6. TOWN HALL COURTYARD & DEATH CELLS

The former police cells found in the basement of the Poperinge Town Hall reveal a really dark side of the war. Many soldiers were detained here to sleep off their inebration, or to cool down from their rage. Others were locked up on suspicion of desertion, while some sentenced to death spent their last night here, to be 'shot at dawn' the next day.

At least eight death penalties are known to have been executed in the courtyard of the Town Hall, with Poperinghe New Military Cemetery holding the sad record of final resting place of 17 executed men.

7. LIJSSENTHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY

Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery (Poperinge) reflects the daily atrocity that swept over the Salient. From the spring of 1915 onwards, field hospitals were set up in the fields of farmer Remi Quaghebeur. Wounded men evacuated from the Ypres battlefields were treated in here, before being transported by the nearby railroad down to the base hospitals on the French coast.

However, for more than 10,000 casualties medical help was to be in vain, as the hospital stop became their final resting place. Hence, Lijssenthoek Cemetery reflects the brutality of war in a truly continuous way. From 1 January till 31 December, there is no date that cannot be found on a headstone. Not even 29 February (1916) was skipped by the relentless war machine. In its unique way, Lijssenthoek shows what wars do to people, every single day of the year.

If you plan to visit the cemetery during your tour, you are welcome to request the list for the date of your visit. Chances are that your party may be too small to cover the number of victims of that day.

8. STAGING THE CONCERT HALL

We stellen de eerste en tweede verdieping van de Concert Hall graag ter beschikking voor activiteiten die jij of je vereniging, je organisatie of je bedrijf hier wil laten doorgaan, al dan niet in samenwerking met Talbot House.

De sfeervolle en eigenlijke Concert Hall (eerste verdieping) biedt ruimte aan 80 tot 120 mensen en is bijzonder geschikt voor (kleinere) podium- en educatieve activiteiten. De rustieke hopzolder van het magazijn (tweede verdieping) leent zich eveneens uitstekend tot vergader- of seminarieruimte (met internet-verbinding).

Combined with the Talbot House accommodation for groups, the meeting facilities give perspective to seminars or teambuildings.

contact

9. STAYING AT TALBOT HOUSE

If your journey to Flanders Fields takes several days, you might consider staying at Talbot House. By spending the night in the Old House, some substantial quality-time can be added to your tour.

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