Jane Bowden-Dan - Volunteer Museum Steward and Historical Tour Guide
Jane Bowden-Dan has been around Fulham Palace since she was a child. She is one of our volunteers who run the interesting Historical Tours and can give you all kind of details and facts about the bishops and the architecture of the Palace. She also helps in the Museum as a steward.
When did you first come to Fulham Palace?
I have enjoyed the Bishop of London's, then our Council's, blackberries and windfall apples from the Palace's stunning Walled Garden since childhood! I was brought up nearby in South Fulham from 1955, the daughter of a local GP. In about 1965, I remember being met, with my brother and sister, at the old wooden 'Gothick' gates (now beautifully replaced) on the Moat Bridge. Our host was Bishop Robert Stopford's Chaplain, who -like the Bishop and his family- still lived in a small flat overlooking the Tudor West Courtyard. Long before the Palace was open to the public, we were thrilled to be shown into the Great Hall where, I recall quite vividly, we were told ghost stories.
What is your role and what does that involve?
Now, I am a Volunteer Museum Steward and History Tour Guide, working with Miranda Poliakoff, our Museum Curator. She ran a Guides' Training Course over about seven weeks in 2011-12, which I was lucky to be able to join to learn about the long and involved history of the Fulham Palace site. As a Steward in the Museum rooms or Bishop Sherlock's Room, I 'keep a friendly eye' on visitors and answer their questions about our permanent displays from the Collection; the Historic Rooms; and, if in place, any Temporary Exhibition.
As a History Tour Guide, I lead some of the regular public tours throughout the year, and pre-booked private tours. I hope to give an insight into a lengthy period of English history, thorough tales of the Bishops of London, and of the site of their Palace.
How often do you volunteer?
On average, I steward for one or two sessions a week; and take one or two Historical Tours a month.
What is your favourite thing about Fulham Palace?
I love the fabulous gardens, an oasis in a busy capital city; and the quirky juxtaposition of different styles of architecture, because for over 1,200 years a succession of Bishops of London were in residence, and many left their mark on the very fabric of the place.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering?
I relish the chance to engage with the public, and pass on something of my enthusiasm for amateur local history. Also, through volunteering, I have met wonderful colleagues, many of whom have become good friends.
Would you like to share anything else about your experience?
On a very personal note: volunteering at Fulham Palace has given me renewed confidence following bereavement, and filled a void. When I first returned from SE London, after 30 years, to live once more permanently in Fulham -in what had been my late parents' retirement flat- my partner, John, and I were still happily spending up to five months each year exploring France in a large, second-hand motorhome. John's sudden, early death from cancer brought an idyllic lifestyle to an abrupt end. But the opportunity to volunteer at Fulham Palace was most welcome, and I hope I can make a small contribution to the work of the Trust.
