It was too dark in the Port Eliot basement for anyone to take photographs of our 'haunting', but thanks to the Bookhound, here are some sketches. Sadly, I didn't get to meet the Bookhound last weekend, so he remains a man of mystery...I did meet Michael Howells, however, which was a treat. He is a renowned designer -- at Ballet Rambert and Christian Dior, amongst others -- and he created the beautiful flower chandeliers at Port Eliot that you can see in the photographs from previous posts. As a du Maurier fan -- he can quote entire scenes from Rebecca (usually in a double-act with his colleague, Kitty Arden) -- he was the perfect companion at Port Eliot, with an intuitive understanding that the 'haunting' we wanted to evoke was partly imaginary; by which I mean, du Maurier's ghosts are often a reflection of inner spectres -- a summoning up of childhood fears and anxieties, or the wraith-like failures and disappointments of the past.
That said, Michael also staged a very spooky emanation of Mrs Danvers in the Port Eliot housekeeper's room, which made several people scream out loud.
Now, what shall we plan for next year?
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