Derek James
A publicity picture of Pearl taken in around 1911
- Credit: Tacon Family Collection
They tended to be something of a mystery but today more people than ever are researching their family history. Derek James tells the story one man has who has written a family book about his famous great aunt Pearl
When Norfolk farmer Richard Tacon was just a lad she would look after him whenever she was in Norfolk…teaching him to ride a bike and build forts for him in the garden.
And when he was older she introduced him to Greek and Roman history as well as the arts. Not to mention Dubonnet with a dash of lemonade!
Instagram: @karenspencer
The Grade I listed stately home is beautiful by any measure, mentioned in the Domesday Book as ‘Olletorop’ and today the lead feature of the grand Northamptonshire estate headed up by Earl Spencer, the brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Now, thanks to social media and the inordinate amount of time one spends at home, voyeurs are regularly given a joyful glimmer into life inside the great historic house. Yesterday was no different – when Earl Spencer retweeted a post from Althorp’s official account. It was a photograph to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of the poet John Keats which the Earl was celebrating with the reading of a sonnet for a virtual event held by Oxford’s Magdalen College, his alma mater.