TRAVEL
Banking for
victory
Upton House
Warwickshire
2015 saw both the 70th anniversary of the
end of the Second World War and a stunning
recreation which takes visitors back in time to a
period when Upton House went from country
house to fully operational wartime bank.
The day after Neville Chamberlain announced
that Britain was at war, Upton House became
the new headquarters for the Bearsted family
bank.
Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in life
in the country house bank by sitting at desks
in the Long Gallery typing a letter, reading
minutes from meetings, and watching or
getting involved as volunteers knit and sew
period garments. They will be able to enjoy
delicious food cooked in the AGA, sit on beds
and read vintage magazines in the dormitories
and much more besides. The cafe has
wartime dishes on sale and there are tours with
visitors able to learn about the bank, the house
and the fascinating Bearsted family.
The recreation - which has seen a team of
80 volunteers closely involved in researching
everything from period hair and make-up
through to fashions and interior design will run
for 2 years at the National Trust Property. You
may have previously visited Upton House to
view the wonderful Art Collection and Shell
memorabilia, but now a re-visit is definitely
necessary.
Visitors will be transported back to wartime
Britain to experience when 22 bank staff made
Upton House their home. Twelve rooms have
been recreated to present a compelling
picture of what life was like for the bank staff as
war raged.
Everything has been considered, from period
hair and make-up to fashions and interior
design styes from the 1940s. A volunteer
sewing group found original period patterns
and worked a 1940s wardrobe. Thousands
of original objects were sourced from rationbooks, toothpaste to wartime toilet roll.
This fascinating story of life in wartime Britain
provides the backdrop to how a group of
ordinary people from London came to live
and work in this most extraordinary of settings.
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