Find out our story
Join our passionate storytellers on a trip through the amazing history of the Every Man's Club. Many of our storytellers have a longstanding personal connection to the House. They love so share with you their favorite anecdotes and stories. We are happy to help you select the perfect tour for your visit. All tours are pending availability and must be pre-booked by email. The story tours are charged at €40 per tour.
Don't forget to add on a complementary cup of tea to your visit. After all, it is essential to life at the House.
General tours
Discover the story of the House during the Great War.
Follow in the footsteps of the soldiers and explore Talbot House. Your storyteller will entertain you with lots of great anecdotes and exciting stories on our visitors during the Great War, the Talbotousians. During your stay with us, we will narrate from the Tales of Talbot House, written by our founding father Padre Tubby Clayton at the end of the war. Our story tellers can adapt the tour depending on their audience and will endeavour to bring the House back to life.
Practical:
- Smaller groups (up to 25 pax) we are happy to take through the whole House, from room to room. Lager groups (25 to 50 pax) we offer the same experience but must tell the story in the larger rooms such as the Concert Hall, garden or Chapel.
- The story tour usually lasts one hour but can be adapted according to your wishes. Please add on at least an extra half an hour for tea, museum and cinema visits to make your trip complete.
- Variations of this tour exist on WWII, on Australian stories and of course there is a special Christmas version too.
Educational tips!
- Inform the guide of your previous visits so he or she can refer and link to those on the tour.
- Why not conclude the visit with a singsong in the canteen, reflection in the Chapel or writing a letter home?
Join Arthur Pettifer, the General of Talbot House, on a child friendly discovery tour of the House. Suited for kids 6 tot 14 years old.
Pte. Arthur Pettifer MM has a job to do at Tabot House. Can he count on your help? Arthur, a legendary scrounger, is the batman (servant/assistant) of Padre Tubby Clayton. He spends most of the war helping out at Talbot House and offers you a first hand snappy account of his adventures.
Duration of your tour: 30 min. Ideally we recommend you add on another 30 to 60 min. to explore the site or have a cup of tea.
Practical
- We adape the tour ot the size and age of the group. Maximum participants are 50 per tour.
- The story tour takes half an hour. So please allow time to further explore the cinema rooms, the garden and of course join us for a cup of tea.
Themed tours
Lots of other stories to share! Allow us to surprise you with some less well know topics. We prefer to limit these to 25 participants.
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Allo Allo: Talbot House stories from WWII
- Join us on an exciting, hilarious but at times tragic tour through the stories of the Second World War in Talbot House. Did you know Talbot House was the evacuation hub for British expats during the Dunkirk evacuation? Upon occupation, Belgian Talbotousians hid all of the relics and treasures, preventing them to be destroyed. They kept the spirit alive and once liberated, the allied soldiers received a very warm welcome. The club thrives today thanks to their resilience.
- Duration of your tour: 1 hour, but can be flexible. Ideally add another 30 minutes of free time to explore and have tea.
- Down-under in an upside-down House:
- Discover many Australian stories from the Great War set in Talbot House. Did you know Tubby himself was born in Australia? Thousands of Australian soldiers were able to lift their hearts during a visit at the club during the war. There were maps of Australia on the wall, you could hear Aussie slang in the corridors and of course the billiarts was run by a "digger".
- Duration of your tour: 1 hour, but can be flexible. Ideally add another 30 minutes of free time to explore and have tea.
- Christmas Tales at Talbot House:
- For the British Tommies, Christmas was sacred. During the dark days of the First & Second World War, the Yuletide always gave a glimmer of hope in the dark. Together with our storytellers, you can discover countless funny but also special anecdotes. Enjoy the scenery as the House & Garden are wonderfully decorated.
- Duration of your tour: 1 hour, but can be flexible. Ideally add another 30 minutes of free time to explore and have tea. Available in November, December & January
- Life behind the lines - presentation:
- During this presentation, we take you on a virtual tour through the streets and hopfields of Poperinge. Discover how a city of just 10.000 grew into the garrison town with a quarter of a million inhabitants. During this presentation you get to see lots of unique photos of the camps, field hospitals, their entertainment, etc. .
- Duration of your tour: 1 hour, but can be flexible. Ideally add another 30 minutes of free time to explore and have tea.
