CAPESTHORNE GETS A RETURN ON ADVERTISING … 44 YEARS LATER

It was the power of advertising that drew Chesterfield postman Alan Chapman 40 miles across the Peak District to visit Capesthorne Hall near Macclesfield.

But the advert that did the trick was published … 44 years ago.

Sonny and Cher, Sandie Shaw and the Walker Brothers were topping the charts at the time - with vinyl singles spinning on Dansette record players. That year - 1965 - saw the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. The big film was ‘Dr Zhivago’.

And a East Midlands bus company handbook carried a quarter-page advert for Capesthorne Hall - alongside tourist hotspots such as Blackpool, Matlock and a fledgling Alton Towers.

The handbook had belonged to Alan’s parents and, as he leafed through it more than four decades later, he came across Capesthorne Hall. So he and his partner, teacher Angela Parkin, thought they would have a day out.

“We gave it a go and had a great time,” says Alan who called in at a classic car show, wandered through the Capesthorne gardens, past the chain of lakes, through the hall itself and lunched in the café.

“I don’t usually go visiting stately homes but when we saw this advert Capesthorne looked to be something quite different so I checked it out on the Internet and decided to pay a visit. And it’s a lovely place. We had a really good day out.

“I don’t know how much the ad cost them back in 1965 but it paid off … even if they had to wait more than 40 years for it to work in my case.”

Hall manager, Christine Mountney agreed: “We all know that advertising can be a slow burn but I’ve never seen one smoulder for this long before.

“We still use advertising but, of course, we now have the Internet too - and the full programme of Capesthorne events for 2009 is on http://www.capesthorne.com.”

That includes two craft fairs in April and September, three classic and sports car events, a new three-day hot air balloon event in June - with fairground rides, arena shows, trade village and live music - and the popular ‘Christmas at Capesthorne’ event in November.