Smithills Hall Mr Bloom: Here and There

# Hello! My name is Mr Bloom

# And I'd like to come to see you soon

# I'm out on the road, you see

# Here and there, so that we can get together and have some fun

# I'll help you out if there's work to be done

# So where is it you like to go?

# Call me up and let me know

# What is it you like to do?

# I'll pop along and do it too

# Cities, towns, the countryside

# I can travel far and wide

# I'm all about and everywhere

# I'm here and there

# Here and there

# I'm here and there. #

Oh, hello there, tiddlers! How you tiddlin'?

Ha-ha, Mr Bloom here!

Now, I like going out and about.

I like going here and there to do lots of fun things

and find out about new places.

I'm wondering, what do you like to do where you live?

You might like to go swimming with your family,

-or go to the park with your friends?

-BELL RINGS

It looks like someone's got in touch. Let's see who it is.

Hello, my name is Flynn

and I like to come to Smithills Hall with my family.

My grandpa used to work here,

and used to bring my dad when he was a little boy.

Now my dad brings me here.

We planted a tree for my grandad, and we come here to water it.

Sometimes when we come here, I meet my friends.

I'm Ben, and I like to come to the hall with my family, too.

We like to walk in the grounds

and explore the hall.

We like to come here cos there's so much to see.

And lots to learn about.

BOTH: We can't wait to show you around, Mr Bloom!

Hey! Well, that sounds like a great idea.

I'd love to come.

# Whereabouts will I end up next?

# Let's put my route finder to the test

# It could be a beach, a village or a city

# Museum or a school, a garden so pretty

# A church or a station A river or town

# I just can't wait till you show me around

# Tiddlers, I'm on my way!

# So where am I today? #

Ooh, eh, that's a bit grand, isn't it?

Glad me wellies aren't mucky.

Now, er, Flynn and Ben should be round here somewhere.

We could try inside.

I'll ask at the information desk.

Hello, Mr Bloom. Welcome to Smithills Hall.

Oh, thank you very much.

I'm looking for Flynn and Ben. Have you seen them?

-I think you might find them in the library.

-Ah, fantastic.

-Hey! Hello there, Ben! Hello, Flynn!

-Hello, Mr Bloom!

-Ha-ha!

It's nice to meet you here today. And, er, look at this library.

-It's a bit special, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's from the Victorian times.

Oh, well, that's a long time ago to you and me, eh?

Would you like a tour of the house?

You bet your welly boots I would! Come on, then, you lead the way.

Hey, tiddlers, I wonder what's up there.

Oh, that leads to the bedrooms.

We don't go up there.

All right. Let's go.

Ooh.

-Hello there.

-Hello.

You're strangely dressed.

You must be servants. Be off with you.

THEY CHUCKLE

Oh! She looked like a Victorian lady!

This is one of the rooms that was added in Victorian times.

Oh, is that so?

-Eh, it's a bit fancy in here, isn't it?

-Yeah.

What do you reckon of the teapots? Fancy a cup of tea from them?

No, they might be a bit too old for us.

-Pine cones in the fireplace!

-Imagine that.

Must be a pine fire.

-You reckon?

-Probably.

Let's keep going.

'The Victorian rooms were added on to an older building,

'and some parts of Smithills Hall are almost 700 years old.

'Flynn and Ben took me to see them,

'and to meet two of their friends from school.'

Wow, look at this room!

It's like it's been wallpapered in wood.

Yeah, it's from Tudor times.

-Yeah, that's older than the Victorian rooms.

-Eh, is that so?

-And who've we got here?

-My name is Freya.

And I'm Marienne, and this is Jackie.

Well, it's nice to meet you.

And, er, Jackie, I'm sure we've met before.

Erm, weren't you dressed in the Victorian costume in the other room?

Yes, that's right, I was.

Ha-ha! So, what are you up to?

Well, we've been making our own shields.

Ooh, they're pretty good, aren't they?

Yeah, they're like these coats of arms.

These coats of arms are a bit like name badges

for the people that used to live here.

And I was reading about one person that visited this house once.

He was a bit special, he was called George Marsh.

We've heard of him! We can show you his footprint.

-Right, let's go. We'll see you later.

-Bye!

'George Marsh was a Bolton farmer

'who came to the hall over 500 years ago.'

Eh up, tiddlers. What's this here?

It's George Marsh's footprint.

This only covers it. Inside, you can see the actual real thing.

Right, well, let's have a look.

He was accused of making a crime,

he stamped his foot down so hard when he said he was innocent.

Really? Wow, well, look at that there.

-He must have stamped his foot very hard, don't you think, Flynn?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Do you reckon you could leave a footprint like that?

-No.

-No, no.

Well, let's carry on with our journey.

Now, I've got all inspired by George Marsh,

the man who they say left his footprint here.

How about we leave our mark? But we could use our hands, couldn't we?

Yeah? So, let's find a place for your hand.

Give your fingers a good luck wiggle...

and then here we go. Three, two, one...

Ahh, that's it, push nice and hard!

We'll leave our handprints in the clay.

-All right, do you think you've done it?

-No.

-No?!

Well, push harder! Heave-ho!

All right, here we go.

I'll count to three, and then we'll take them out.

Here we go. One, two, three. Gently take them out.

Ooh, it tickles.

Ahh, look! Look, there we are.

One, two, three, four, five handprints.

I wonder if these will last as long as the footprint?

'The Great Hall is the oldest part of Smithills,

'and, once upon a time,

'people slept, ate and danced all in this one big room!'

Boys, forward three.

Clap three.

'Jackie is showing some tiddlers a Tudor dance.'

Girls, forward three.

And clap three.

Eh up, tiddlers! I think we've found your friends.

I think we've come a bit underdressed.

You're wearing clothes I do not recognise.

I feel that you need to change into clothes that are like ours.

Oh, she's right. They're wearing Tudor clothes, they're very old.

So, come on, let's see what we can find.

Boys, forward three.

Clap three.

Step back three.

And clap three.

'People have always loved to dance.

'Here are some Victorian children dancing in the streets.

'And this style of dancing is known as Charleston.

'Yeah, it's lots of fun.'

'Ballroom dancing is very popular, too.

'Couples dance around the floor

'doing lots of special steps and turns.

'And people often go to see ballet dancing on stage in big theatres.'

'Whereas you can see Morris dancing at lots of country fairs

'and carnivals.'

'Bhangra is a style of dance that originally comes from India.'

'Lindy hop is very energetic.

'Eh, look how high the man lifts the lady!'

'These children are performing a flamenco dance,

'which comes from Spain.

'Yeah, it has lots of arm movements and foot stamping.

'Tap dancing is great to watch.

'There are metal plates on the bottom of the shoes

'that tap the floor.

'These people are dancing in a traditional African style.'

'Break dancing is fantastic to watch,

'but, er, it's very hard to do.

'And now we're all dressed up, it's time for us to do some dancing.'

Much better.

Lovely. So, what are we doing?

We're joining in a Tudor dance.

Right, well, lead on.

OK. Boys, your elaborate bows.

Girls, curtsy.

GENTLE MUSIC

And hop three.

Bow and curtsy to each other.

Well, tiddlers, I can see why you enjoy coming here,

-cos I've had a fantastic time. Have you had fun?

-Yeah!

I've got to say a big thank you to you, Flynn,

and to you, Ben, for inviting me here today. It's been great.

But it's time I hit the road, so join me soon when I'll be...

-ALL: Here and there!

-Ha-ha!

-Bye, everybody!

-Bye!

# Where is it you like to go?

# Call me up and let me know

# What is it you like to do?

# I'll pop along and do it too

# Cities, towns, the countryside

# I can travel far and wide.

# I'm all about and everywhere

# I'm here and there. #