On the 10th March we held our annual Mother’s Day afternoon Tea complete with a building tour.

As the first guests began to arrive, they were greeted in the bar while tea was being prepared. Before tea was served, the guests settled into their seats in the main temple and received a talk by James Davis on the rich history of the building and of its creator, Annie Jane Lawrence. This was also the first time our newly appointed curator, Cheryl Davis, took the floor and reenacted an interview Annie gave to The Daily News on 27th July 1906.

Anticipation was building for the culinary delights to come. Soon after, a selection of homemade cakes, scones and sandwiches was served – all prepared by Jess Horne and her fabulous team. The room was alive with the sound of voice, clattering cups, plates and laughter.

Once everyone had finished, everyone was then invited to guided tour around the building. Our guests learned all about the Annie Lawrence and her dream, building’s architecture and what the building was mostly used for. As we walked around, Cheryl told everyone all about Frederick Pethick-Lawrence an unknown name but a very important one in the history of this building.

The tour closed with a walk around the side of the building where the swimming once was and final questions were asked – some leading to more questions for our curator to find out more.