Brinsworth House

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Brinsworth House
Brinsworth House In Twickenham - London. (15447312497).jpg
The building in October 2014
General information
Address72 Staines Road
Town or cityTwickenham, London
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°26′38″N 0°20′57″W / 51.4439°N 0.3492°W / 51.4439; -0.3492Coordinates: 51°26′38″N 0°20′57″W / 51.4439°N 0.3492°W / 51.4439; -0.3492
OwnerRoyal Variety Charity

Brinsworth House is a residential and nursing retirement home for theatre and entertainment professionals[1] in Staines Road, Twickenham, west London, England. The house is owned and run by the Royal Variety Charity and has 36 bedrooms, six living rooms, a library, an in-house bar and stage, and a staff of 64. It is set in 5 acres (2.0 hectares) of land.

History[]

Brinsworth House in March 2007

Brinsworth House was built in 1850; it opened as a retirement home in 1911.[1]

The theatre architect Frank Matcham, in 1912, designed a wing at the house free of charge in aid of the fund. Work commenced in June and was completed in October.[2]

The house is owned and maintained by the Royal Variety Charity, which was founded in 1908 to care for members of, what was at that time, the variety and music hall profession. The charity and the house are funded by the Royal Variety Performance, by voluntary donations and, since 2007, by part-proceeds from phone voting from ITV's Britain's Got Talent.[1]

Residents[]

Previous celebrity residents have included:

  • Hylda Baker (died 1986)
  • Penny Calvert (died 2014), dancer and first wife of Sir Bruce Forsyth
  • Pearl Carr (died 2020)
  • Derek Cooper (died April 2014), journalist, broadcaster and food specialist
  • Charlie Drake[3] (died 2006)
  • Roy Fox[4] (died 1982), British dance band leader
  • Alan Freeman[3] (died 2006)
  • John Hewer[5] (died 2008), best known for his role as Captain Birdseye
  • Dame Thora Hird[3] (died 2003)
  • Teddy Johnson (died 2018)
  • Kathy Kirby (died 2011)
  • Mick McManus[6] (died 2013)
  • Alf Pearson[7] (died 2012)
  • Emily Perry[3] (died 2008)
  • Ronnie Ronalde[8] (died 2015), music hall singer and siffleur
  • Ben Warriss (died 1993)
  • Jack Wilson (died 1970), of Wilson, Keppel and Betty fame
  • Sir Norman Wisdom (died 2010)

Current residents include:

See also[]

  • Denville Hall – retirement home for actors

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Donin, Janet (9 May 2009). "The show must go on at Brinsworth House". Surrey Life. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  2. ^ History of Brinsworth House, Royal Variety Charity, accessed 12 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Cacciottolo, Mario (1 March 2007). "The show goes on for retired stars". BBC News. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Roy Fox Biography". OLDIES.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Captain Birds Eye actor dies, 86". BBC News. BBC. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  6. ^ de Menezes, Jack (24 May 2013). "British wrestling great Mick McManus dies aged 93". The Independent. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. ^ Kilvington, Joanna (24 June 2010). "Entertainer Alf Pearson reaches 100". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  8. ^ Leigh, Spencer (22 January 2015). "Ronnie Ronalde: Music hall artiste famous for his whistling and yodelling". The Independent. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

External links[]

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