A passion for some hobby, or interest can occur imperceptibly. You become inquisitive about something and start looking into it and hey, before you know it you have at your disposal a wealth of information. Even minute details all add to the whole. This is how it was for me after I moved into the last standing remains of Parlington Hall.

I first learned of Parlington in the early 1990's at the time it was the office of an Art Licensing Operation, and I was engaged to undertake a sampler CD-ROM of classic artists work, I still have a few left from the production run! I was impressed from the beginning. Firstly driving along the beech lined avenue and past the impressive triumphal arch, commemorating the American Revolution! Then on seeing the magnificent Cedar of Lebanon gracing the grounds of the old hall, caused me to wonder about the place... what was the history of Parlington Hall? What had happened to cause it's destruction? Who had lived in the hall?

I never got much chance to look into the history, and to be honest, if I hadn't been offered the opportunity to set up my office at the Hall, then perhaps the lost history of Parlington would have remained just that! My tenure at the Hall enabled me to carry out a lot of detailed ground investigations, to such an extent that my efforts were rewarded with an article in the BBC History Magazine in the Summer of 2008, some six years after my archaeological activities had started.

When I moved in I asked around, to neighbours, few as they are to the Hall. What did they know of the demise of the Old Mansion House? Where was the old Hall, relative to the remains which still stand? Why was it left to fall apart? When was it demolished? No-one had a precise answer, so started my investigations.

My talks centre on the history of the old place, the people who lived there and the fascinating things they got up to. After the success of delivering a talk on the history of the hall, I ventured into the other details which could form coherent and engaging talks... the mines... the military... the private railway and more.