Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2006-06-24 07:56:50 - Graham Ellis
What should we number or name the two rooms that we'll have available for training, meetings, conferences as Well House Manor? Normally, I'm not a great fan of names (and indeed bedrooms will be numbered), but somehow "A" and "B" or "1" and "2" don't seem right, and "the training room" and "the meeting room" could be confusing on days when we've a small class in the meeting room, and a big meeting in the training room. The "Python" and "Perl" rooms would have similar issues.
Hansel and Gretel
Willow and Chestnut
Large and Small
Peaches and Cream.
Hmm ...
Victoria and Edward. A certain temptation - the Manor was built in Edwardian times to Victorian high standards. But which room is which? And we're not going to be doing Victorian decor in either of them.
Salisbury and Bath. I like local places, but would have trouble keeping a straight face when telling customers that their Python course is in the Bath room. But other possibilities such as Avebury and Silbury, or Lacock and Corsham, would be practical and more local too.
The local railway was known as the Wilts and Dorset when built, and the canal that's just to the South of Melksham is the Kennet and Avon named itself after two rivers. Even closer to hand, a hundred yards from our door the road rises up to cross over the old Wilts and Berks canal, which was abandoned less that 10 years after Well House Manor was built. There's a temptation to have the "Wilts" room and the "Berks" room.
I'm also tempted by local dignitaries ... I know that Brunel visited the town when building the Great Western Railway, and I suspect (and can check) that the Canal was engineered by Dadford or Rennie. Yet everything that moves is named after Brunel around these parts - at least that's sometimes how it feels. Choosing more recent people names might lead to controversey, or to room names that seem up-to-date today, but peculiar in a few years time. I'm reminded in this respect of an older part of Chippenham that's called "New Road".