Built in 1567 and located in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, Grafton Manor is a stunning venue with a splendid sweeping driveway…

… and beautiful period architecture at the front…

… with acres of lawns and a beautiful lake at the rear.

The wedding breakfast was held in the hotel’s marquee which is set on the its west terrace overlooking the lake.

I spent a wonderful afternoon serenading Laurence and Kaleigh’s guests with songs from my repertoire.  A gorgeous wedding at a glorious venue!

It features twelve of my favourite songs:  ”All of Me”, ”Let’s Face the Music and Dance”, “Moonglow”, “Autumn Leaves”, ”You Do Something to Me”, “The Way You Look Tonight”, “Let’s Fall in Love”, ”Cheek to Cheek”, ”A Foggy Day (in London Town)”, “Skylark”, ”Pennies From Heaven” and, of course, “Falling in Love Again”.

It’s taken the best part of a year to put together, but I was determined to get it just right and I’m thrilled with the result.  When the boxes containing the CDs arrived last week I must confess it was an emotional moment.

It’s been a real labour of love and I’m delighted beyond words with the finished article.  I’ll be selling the CD at gigs and you can buy it online at www.simonpartridge.com where you can also listen to samples of each track.

The weather, sadly, was dire – rain and wind – but nothing could dampen my delight at getting up close to Eric, even if it was only his statue.

Morecambe and Wise’s theme-song, “Bring Me Sunshine”, took on a whole new meaning as I played Ernie Wise to the larger-than-life bronze Eric in the pouring rain.

The statue is surrounded by quotes from the duo’s famous routines set into the paving:

Including my absolute favourite:

But of course the real reason for my long drive up the M6 was to sing at the evening reception of Maxine and Neil at The Midland Hotel which sits on the seafront at Morecambe.

The Midland Hotel, designed by architect Oliver Hill, opened its doors in 1933 and was, in its heyday, the destination of choice for the  descerning wealthy traveller.  The fortunes of the hotel declined in the latter half of the twentieth-century and as the new millennium dawned the building was empty and in a state of woeful disrepair.  In 2004 it was purchased by developers Urban Splash who restored The Midland and reopened it as a hotel in 2008.  The hotel’s current owners are English Lakes Hotels.

Due to the weather and failing light I couldn’t properly capture the grandeur of the exterior which is now considered a classic of Art Deco design, but I was able to take pictures of some of the fabulous period features inside the hotel that survive from it’s original incarnation including the stunning spiral staircase.  It reminded me of an M.C. Escher drawing.

Sculptor and engraver Eric Gill was comissioned by architect  Oliver Hill  to create several stunning works for the hotel including a carved circular medalion which adorns the ceiling at the top of the spiral staircase.

It depicts a sea god attended by mermaids and is surrounded by the words “And hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn“.

Behind the hotel’s reception desk there is another Eric Gill work, a huge bas-relief entitled “Odysseus Welcomed From the Sea by Nausicaa” carved from six tonnes of Portland stone.

Maxine and Neil’s wedding was a beautifully stylish affair and their vintage theme was perfect for the Midland Hotel.  I had been asked to open the evening’s entertainment with a one-hour set chosen from my repertoire of 1930s and 40s songs.  It was a particular pleasure, and honour, to sing their first dance, “On the Street Where You Live”.  There was dancing-a-plenty, for which Maxine had thoughtfully provided dancing shoes for those needing suitable footwear!

Sadly, the hour was over all too soon, but it was hugely enjoyable.  I wish Maxine and Neil every happiness for the future and look forward to visiting Morecambe again someday, hopefully accompanied by some sunshine next time!

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Each place setting was laid with beautiful vintage crockery courtesy of The Fiona Herbert Catering Company with pots of homemade jam for favours and gorgeous flower arrangements by Michele.

Instead of numbers David and Lee chose vintage railway postcards for each table.

And of course, being a wedding, there was a lot of love around!

Guests were transported from the wedding ceremony at St Giles Church in West Bridgford in a beautiful old single-decker bus.

Michele Gledhill did a tremendous job with the decor and she even found a moment to take a snap of yours truly for her own blog about the wedding.  Thanks to Michele for letting me share the photo with my readers.

I spent a delightful afternoon  serenading the bride and groom and their guests with songs from my repertoire of 1930s and 40s classics as they quaffed Pimms and enjoyed ice cream from a traditional pedal-powered cart.

Congratulations to David and Lee and warmest wishes for a long and happy future together!

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It’s a hotel that simply oozes history.  From the foundation of the original “Abbey of Cumbe” by cistercian monks way back in 1150 through it’s various incarnations as a private house the building is very special indeed.

So it was a great pleasure to be asked by Malcolm and Tracey to sing for their wedding breakfast at Coombe Abbey recently.  The meal took place in the Cloisters room which I understand was once the house’s ballroom so must have seen many grand celebrations over the years.

Malcolm and Tracey are both great fans of classic swing and easy listening and having named each of their tables after favourite singers such as Sammy Davis Junior and Frank Sinatra my two sets of songs from the 1930s and 40s were the ideal accompaniment to the meal.

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Cafe Escape is one of  a growing number of cafes that sometimes extend their opening hours into the evening to stage music and cabaret nights.  Its stylish, modern interior has a smart vintage twist which made it the perfect venue for a night of classic songs from the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

The sell-out audience enjoyed a delicious two-course dinner while I served up a couple of forty-five-minute sets featuring some of my favourite songs including “Pennies From Heaven”, “Blue Moon”, “Stardust” and “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails”.

I rounded off the evening with ”Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” which provided a fitting farewell to a terrific audience.  My thanks to Gill and all the staff at Cafe Escape for a wonderful evening.  I can’t wait to sing there again.

You can find Cafe Escape at 47 Abbey End, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 1QJ.  For details of future events call 01926 863200.

The venue was Derby Rowing Club on the banks of the River Derwent.  Founded in 1879 the club has been going strong ever since and displays its heritage proudly for visitors to see:

The clubhouse offers a stunning view over the River Derwent and made a beautiful setting for what turned out to be a wonderfuly tranquil summer’s evening.

And the occasion?  A joint 40th birthday celebration for husband and wife Neil and Ceinwen.

Ceinwen had booked me last year to perform for a charity ball she had organised and, being a huge fan of the jazz and swing classics of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, asked me if I would sing again for them when they both turned forty and held their birthday party this year.

It was a wonderful evening filled with family, friends and fun that was a pleasure to be part of.

Ann turned 80 last December, but chose to wait until the warm summer weather arrived before holding her party which took place at the village hall in Fulford in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside.

The hall was packed with Ann’s family and friends and a “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” theme ensured that everyone donned suitable headgear to join the celebrations.

It was a lovely afternoon and as guests chatted and sipped champagne I serenaded them with Ann’s own selection of songs from my repertoire.  I’m always happy to let people choose what songs I perform for their event and Ann’s excellent choices included “The Very Thought of You”, “I’m in the Mood for Love” and, naturally, “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails”.

Many happy returns, Ann!

Stratford is one of my favourite places in the world.  I’ve spent so many enjoyable hours there watching great theatre stretching back over twenty-three years to the first production I saw, a 1988 A-level english school trip to see  “Macbeth” directed by Adrian Noble.  Those early visits to the old RST and the adjoining Swan Theatre were among the influences that inspired me to study drama at college and university thereby leading me to the career I’m now pursuing.  Visits to Stratford continue to inspire me.  It sounds a little pretentious, but it’s as if they help to recharge my creative batteries.

The reason for this latest visit was, by a strange coincidence, to see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new production of “Macbeth” in the recently re-opened RST (Royal Shakespeare Theatre) .  I was very excited about seeing the theatre’s new auditorium.  The curtain fell on the old stage on March 31st 2007 and performances transferred to the temporary Courtyard Theatre while work took place to transform the old theatre’s interior:

The Courtyard had a fantastic auditorium – much better than many permanent theatres I’ve sat in and I’m delighted that the new auditorium at the RST is an almost exact copy of the Courtyard.  It’s a thrust stage with seating arranged in a horseshoe on three levels.  Visibility is excellent with no seat being more than fifteen meters from the stage.  Photography isn’t allowed inside the auditorium so I can’t show you what it looks like, but I took a few shots of the new foyer areas:

They’ve retained the original frontage and added a new rooftop restaurant and a 36-meter high tower that gives views across Stratford and the surrounding Warwickshire countryside.

The weather was grey and misty so I didn’t go up the tower on this occasion, but I know that there are plenty of visits to Stratford Upon Avon to come and I look forward to getting up there on my next trip.

Congratulations to the RSC on an excellent job transforming their theatre into a venue I can’t wait to return to and where I’m sure I’ll be inspired again and again in the years to come.

When Richard and Ruth got married at Mallory Court in the beautiful Warwickshire countryside just outside Leamington Spa earlier in the year morris dancers were certainly high on their list.  To be precise the White Hart Morris Men who are based in Alcester.

Fortunately for me Richard and Ruth’s list also included live vintage entertainment for their evening reception and I was delighted to sing again at Mallory Court which is such a lovely venue.

The White Hart Morris Men danced several of their extremely vigorous and energetic Cotswold Morris dances before getting guests up to join them in a couple more.  It was an absolute riot and one hell of an act to follow, but tremendous fun and a wonderfully quirky and original addition to the day.

Yet again I counted myself blessed that my work lets me be involved with such wonderful occasions as this.  I love it when couples break with convention and do something different.  Richard and Ruth had done things just how they wanted to and the result was a wedding day that reflected their personalities.  Congratulations to them both!

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