Gone for a burton
I watched an old
interview the other night on BBC 4 when Parkinson interviewed Richard Burton.
To those under 50 you may not have even heard of Richard Burton, so just in
case, he was one of the greatest actors these islands have ever produced. (He
was proudly Welsh and had a voice like a silk oak tree.)
So to those under 50 it's probably not very impressive for me to say my
claim to fame is that I tried to prevent Burton and Sophia Loren (sharp intake
of breath for those over 50's again) from dining in the hotel's restaurant I
was responsible for.
It was 1974, I was working as an assistant manager at the 4 star Balmer Lawn
Hotel, Brockenhurst in the beautiful New Forest.
They were shooting a remake of the famous film 'Brief Encounter', originally
starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. The original was filmed at Carnforth
not far down the road from Linthwaite.
The crew and cast were staying at the Balmer Lawn.
One day they decided to come back for lunch. Burton was dressed in a T shirt and trousers.
Our dress code policy was shirt and jacket, if not a tie.
I was just doing my job. Of course all hell let loose. The producer demanded to
see the general manager. I was overruled of course, because hotels are driven
by money and practice double standards for famous people.
This was ironic because when I was working for the same group a year before in
another of their hotels, I was on duty one Sunday night and had allowed someone
in to dinner without a tie. Well, it was dead. His table for two doubled
the business for the evening. So I took what politicians these days call a
'difficult decision'. Our managing director just happened to pop in at that
moment and I got an enormous telling off for allowing such a slip in standards.
Do it again and I would be out on my ear.
And it's interesting these days, 38 years later. Dress codes still get people
going. One guest was recently disgusted by a lady's dress; she turned up to
breakfast in her pyjamas. Or at least that's what he thought they were.
Which brings me back to Burton.
Not long ago we had a couple staying, probably in their 70's. He was made to
wear his suit by his wife. It was a mothballed 70's model, flared trousers,
chocolate brown, slightly shiny fabric. He looked a bit daft, but his wife
obviously believed he shouldn't let the side down.
What the Press say
Read More »What our Guests say
"We much appreciate the friendly and efficient staff, they were the best thing about the stay, closely followed by the lovely setting, the comfort and the beautifully prepared food." CS, Keswick, May 2013