Peckover House Anniversary to be celebrated

THIS year is the diamond anniversary of the National Trust's ownership of Peckover House and to celebrate a number of special events and an anniversary exhibition are planned.

The house opens On March 15 for a new season from 1pm and among special events will be an anniversary exhibition of historic photographs, showing Peckover House and family, as well as life in Wisbech, in and around 1948.

The photographs have been sourced from the studio of professional Wisbech photographer, Lillian Ream and will be on display when the property opens in March.

The house was originally known as Bank House, due to the private Peckover Bank which traded from the site from 1794 to 1879. In 1943, the house, garden and estate of 48 acres within the town were given to the National Trust by Hon. Alexandrina Peckover.

Miss Peckover was the daughter of Baron (Lord) Peckover of Wisbech, and a descendent of Jonathan who set up the original bank. She was persuaded to this decision by her nephew Alec Penrose, to ensure that the property would remain in single ownership, and that the playing fields would be saved for the benefit of the townspeople.

Alexandrina never married, and outlived the rest of her family. She was an enthusiastic supporter of a number of worthy causes and is remembered in Wisbech for her commitment to improving local hospitals and schools and for her role as the inaugural President of the Wisbech Society, established in 1939 to safeguard the architecture of the town.

Alexandrina died in 1948, and at her funeral procession, huge crowds lined the streets of North and South Brink to pay their last respects. Upon acquiring the property on her death, the National Trust changed the name of Bank House to Peckover House, to honour the family who had lived there for over 150 years.