We had another tour this week...which inspired us as to what stories we could include for the christmas fair. There was a carving that we came across during the tour, which was of a girls name on one of the windows which had been etched on by a member of staff many years ago. The same man had eventually committed suicide by jumping out the same very window. The root we took is not taken for public tours, and we thought it a shame that stories from those that actually used to live and work in the house were not shared with visitors. Having had many tours of the house and having seen many of the rooms more than once, most of which are empty rooms, we felt these stories made the tour more interesting. Our tour guide also read to us several sections from what I assume was a diary he wrote when he had worked there many years ago. It was interesting to hear how workers had felt whilst working there and the extent of the hard work they had to do. I felt that for the first time the building had come alive. I felt there was substance to the house. A history that wasn't just dates and the names of families that had owned the house, but of the people behind the hard work of the house, the characters that no one cared about. I feel excited at the fact that there are more secrets to be unlocked from the house. Intrigued to find out more of these, a group of us have decided to go on the ghost tour, which will perhaps open more possibilites for stories we can use.

After hearing the last of the stories from our group (it was set as homework) we made progess by deciding the type of stories that should be told. We felt that stories to do with winter/christmas worked the best, as we felt it will help set the atmosphere for the christmas fair. We also felt that unknown stories would work better, as they would be more intriguing for the audience.

For the first time since going to Ham House, I am really excited about participating in the project. If I find more secrets about the house, I would also be interested in reworking the tours for the public.