I am a volunteer at Littlecote House and have been conducting tours for the past thirteen years. My genealogical research into the families who lived at Littlecote is ongoing and the "Littlecote Family Tree" now has over 12,000 people in it. It was the basis for my book, which was published in 2011.
Tours are primarily for hotel guests staying on a Warner break. House tours are free but require a ticket, and should be booked in advance at Reception.
Day visitors are also very welcome provided spaces are available (tours are limited to 30 guests, hence the tickets). Just park in the day visitors' car park and make your way to the Great Hall. If you are coming on one of my tours, please let me know so I can welcome you as my guest. Be aware that I do take the occasional holiday, so please check with me or Littlecote Reception (01488 682509) in advance to avoid disappointment.
I first became interested in Littlecote in 2007 through a friend who was constructing a guided tour of the historic house. Whilst helping her, I found her passion for Littlecote infectious, and started to find out more about the people who had lived there. One of my passions is genealogy and I soon found myself putting together a family tree for all those with Littlecote connections. The tree became the basis of my research and now has over twelve thousand people in it!
Ultimately I became a tour guide too, giving guided tours of the historic house to guests of Warner Leisure Hotels (http://www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk/Littlecote) who own the house and hotel. Through the tours and my research, I met many people who convinced me that I should commit my knowledge to paper, hence my book "Littlecote Lives and Legends".
One very rewarding thing I have been able to do is to help people who believe they have Littlecote connections to understand exactly how they are related to the families who lived there. I often get enquiries from people who have had handed down to them through generations the belief that they are related, for example, to Sir John Popham of Littlecote, Lord Chief Justice of England to Queen Elizabeth I. In July 2010 we had a marvellous reunion of some of his direct descendants at Littlecote, and repeated the experience in July 2013 with another group of descendants, most of whom were visiting the house for the first time.