The real cost of visiting a historic house - Hint, It's not less than £1 per person.

Winter nights have drawn in, and many museums and houses are using the dark hours to run dark events - ghost hunts, bat watches, lantern making... So when a photography club emailed an "Elizabethan House" about some night time photography, staff replied to them, willing to help plan an after hours visit.

I know about this because the photography club's response to this plan was apparently so unpleasant, that the house's staff compiled a joke letter, and then wanted to share it with you all.

The start of the "letter"

It is easy for us, within our institutions, with our detailed knowledge of how they function, to scoff at public misunderstanding about their inner workings. We have a duty to educate and inform the public not only about historic sites, but also the surprising ongoing costs just to maintain the status quo, let alone develop them.

Aaaaaalllthough... Staff frustration is very understandable when someone expects to bring 8 to 15 people on a special out of hours visit, paying less for the whole group than is usually paid for one person!
And they then threaten to break into your venue.
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Read on to see the full image sent to me of the venue's mock letter.
​And do watch out for that box hedge!

I did reply to the email sending this image asking if it was possible to find out more about the photography club's angry email/letter, and if there had been a reply yet to the serious response sent to the club. But having waited over a week I have still had no reply - I suspect I was emailed from an address set up for a one shot email in order to ensure anonymity. 

If you are the people behind this ( you can prove it by letting me know what you signed your email with) please do let me know what happened, even if only to satisfy my own curiosity!

If you would like to submit your own museum, art gallery or historic venue tale of woe, joy or comedy, please do so!

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