A Family History of the Illustrious, Notorious and Eccentric Lloyds of Birmingham, Brigstock and Pipewell Hall - Flipbook - Page 66
ost extraordinary people turned up.
Tree House in the big Yew Tree outside the drawing room window
ounger Lloyd uncles turned this into a splendid retreat where they often spent the night. My older
Deborah and I used to stay there too when the uncles had grown too old for it.
Mudswitching and Slings
l of the Lloyd uncles became expert mudswitchers, using thin, flexible hazel branches, and
ing a blob of clay from Pipewell pond. They used to infuriate my French governess in the late 30s
she was holding lessons in the first floor schoolroom. They became so expert that they could
r the school room window with these blobs of mud, and even target an individual pane. They were
good with slings and stones too.
Playroom in the flower garden
eveloped into the Puppet Theatre that Uncle Tim created, which eventually took him to the
on Stage. My sister, Deborah, was his chief assistant, but I was only allowed to make noises off!
there were large house parties at Pipewell, several of the Lloyd uncles used to sleep dormitory
n the playroom. Rather than get out of bed to turn the lights off they used to shoot them out with
evolvers!
Tobogganing
harder winters of the 1930s there was usually plenty of opportunity for tobogganing. There was
ellent steep sloped valley at Uppingham that the Lloyd uncles used to take us to. The toboggans
y gained speed on the down slope, and the up slope on the other side of the valley slowed them up.
was a big Pipewell wooden toboggan taking several people. One year the Athas who had been
in Austria brought home some very fast light toboggans. The Lloyd Uncles also enjoyed the highly
and dangerous sport of towing people on the big wooden toboggan behind the car on roads with
n down snow, before they had been gritted. This went well on a flat or uphill stretch of road, but on
n slope or if the car stopped suddenly, those on the toboggan crashed against the back of the car!
