UK NYE 2009 - Venue confirmed - book your place now!

[Lady Georgina Marsh]

After lots of searching by several of us, we have secured a perfect venue for our 2009 New Years Eve celebrations!

Party Venue:

Burn Hall near historic York is a recently refurbished Victorian mansion house.

http://www.longhirstvenues.co.uk/burnhall/

They already have a New Years Eve dinner dance on in their 'grand hall' with a 5 course meal and champagne from 7pm, with a resident DJ after dinner until 1am.

Their ‘Mulberry’ room, which is part of the original building, is attached to the ‘Minster Suite’ where the main party is taking place. The rooms are joined via double doors, so we have our own private room for dining and socialising. For those wishing to have a dance can attend the main disco in the main hall after dinner.

Dependant on numbers, they will either seat us on one large table (max 20) or on 3 separate round tables (max 40).  

The full banquet menu can be found here:

http://www.longhirstvenues.co.uk/burnhall/general/promotions/christmas.pdf

Dress code for the party is ‘smart’, so they're very happy for us to wear our Victorian clothing as we wish (similar attire to our recent Assylum Ball).

The ticket price for just the party (5 course dinner and disco) is £60 per person.

NYE Accommodation:

All rooms have recently been refurbished to a high standard, and prices are based on two people sharing per room.

The price I’ve agreed for rooms on New Years Eve is £70.00 per room, per night, bed and breakfast.

30/12 or 01/01 Accommodation:

For anybody wishing to extend their stay, I’ve negotiated the following:

The price for rooms on 30th December and/or 1st January is  £50.00 per room, per night, bed and breakfast.

I need to let the hotel know how many rooms we need for each night, by Sunday 25th October.

If after the three weeks more people would like to attend then I will need to check availability with the hotel and your attendance would be at risk.

If we get sufficient numbers staying an extra night (either night), the hotel will do a group dinner for us, using their menu of the day at £19.95 per person. Depending on numbers, they may even be able to do us private dining again!

Summary of prices:

£60 per person party only.
£95 per person for the party and 1 nights accommodation/breakfast
£120 per person for the party and 2 nights accommodation/breakfast
£145 per person for the party and 3 nights accommodation/breakfast

Payment:

We only have to pay deposits on the party tickets, which is £20 per ticket and needs to be paid by Sunday 25th October.

Final balance (£40 per ticket) is due by Sunday 6th December.

I will post details of deposit and balance payments in the next week or so.

I will reserve the rooms we need as a group booking to ensure we get the discount prices, however I will need individual names for room shares so the actual rooms will be booked under these individual names and paid for under these names on departure.

Should anybody need to cancel, cancellation must be by 12 noon on the day of arrival to ensure no charges are incurred. Any charges incurred will be to the names on that particular room.

Book your place now:

Please post your confirmation of intended attendance below. Copy and past the list and add your name to the bottom of the list in a new post. I will start with who I already know is definitely going:

Sir Ninian and Lady Georgina Marsh
Trinitytrash and Van Der Fett III
Lord Miles and Lady Isabella Harrington
Major Tinker and Lady Elsie
Sebastian Inkerman
Mr Peter Harrow Esquire
Lord and Lady Vonricken

[Trinitytrashuk]

Thank you for doing this, it is much appreciated.

Captain Bartholomew Van Der Fett The Third  and myself would be delighted to accept you kind offer to stay at Marsh Manor on the evening of the 30th, perhaps a little outing to York on the morning of the 31st?

As to the second night in the hotel, we are happy to go with the general concensus, but maybe a parlour game or two on New Years day would be nice in this setting... anybody for a round of The Ministers Cat, or a little treasure hunt in the grounds?

Here are my choices for dinner, I assume this is required, but I do hope they have a good cheeseboard and a damn good port to go with it!  

First course
Champagne and canapés
Second course
Smoked salmon and prawn risotto with surfine caper volute and Parmesan crisp
Third course
Prime fillet steak (rare) with a wild mushroom gratin, glazed shallot and bramble sauce
Fourth course
Selection of local cheese with wheat wafers and muscatel raisons soaked in Tio Pepe
Fourth course
Coffee and petite fours

[Lady Georgina Marsh]

Good point Trinitytrash, I completely forgot to ask people to post their menu options!!

I can always collect these later if missed.

[Lord Miles Harrington]

We may stay the 3 nights depending how many people are staying, but 2 nights are a definite. We will know more when the others decide what they are doing.  Lady Georgina do you have to post off the deposit as its a block booking or can we drop our deposit  off as we are passing the hotel next week as we are  attending at a 1940 weekend on the 17th  at Pickering and will be staying in York  for the weekend with family.

Trinity I was thinking the same with a trip into York. Hope the others as up for a trip out.

[TimeTinker]

Would it be preferable if we organised a single cheque from the VSS for deposits and people can reimburse the VSS?

[Trinitytrashuk]

Could we not all ring the hotel and pay our own to keep it simple?

I am sure they wouldn't mind if we quote the party name and there is a date by which payments must be made.

Not that I do not appreciate the kind offer Major, just don't want you to have to pay out all this money.

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

First Course - Champagne and Canapes

Second Course- Gin and Tonic sorbetwith frosted grapes.

Third Course - Prime fillet steak with wild mushroom gratin, glazed shallot with bramble sauce.

Fourth Course - Cheese Board with raisins soaked in Tio Pepe.

Fifth Course - Petit fours and .... Tea (not coffee please)

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Would it be preferable if we organised a single cheque from the VSS for deposits and people can reimburse the VSS?

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If we can get a discount.

Is there anything of interest on in York on New Years day which might make an interesting diversion, I shall do a bit of research, otherwise I am sure we can make our own entertainment.

[Capt. BV3]

First course
Champagne and canapés
Second course
Smoked salmon and prawn risotto with surfine caper volute and Parmesan crisp
Third course
Prime fillet steak (rare) with a wild mushroom gratin, glazed shallot and bramble sauce
Fourth course
Selection of local cheese with wheat wafers and muscatel raisons soaked in Tio Pepe
Fourth course
Coffee and petite fours

My good Lady Chastity, your taste in food is as always most impeccable...  I shall have exactly the same!

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

After a bit of research it would appear that the National Railway Museum in York is open New Years day according to their autocalendar. This may suggest a possible trip from the hotel to the museum, then back to the hotel in the evening for chit chat and social intercourse. At the very least we can critique the authenticity of the museum players clothing.

[Lord Miles Harrington]

We know someone that works at the Railway Museum we will find out if it's open on NYD.

Lord Harrington

[Lady Georgina Marsh]

If it's open, it's certainly a suitable place for a trip. There is parking there too (although it's £7 per car so car sharing would be best), so no worries about tramping through York in potential the wet/cold.

I have also found out the following are open on the 30th and 31st (although early closing on 31st...):

York Castle Museum (complete with Victorian street!)
Fairfax House

or for those wishing to journey further afield, there is also open in Harrogate on the same dates:

Turkish Baths
Royal Pump Room and Museum

[Lord Miles Harrington]

Looks like we are going to have lots of fun.

[Sir Ninian Marsh]

My menu selection:

First Course - Champagne and Canapes

Second Course- Beetroot & Parsnip soup

Third Course - Prime fillet steak with wild mushroom gratin, glazed shallot with bramble sauce.

Fourth Course - Choclate and hazelnut parfait

Fifth Course - Petit fours and coffee

[Lady Georgina Marsh]

Would it be preferable if we organised a single cheque from the VSS for deposits and people can reimburse the VSS?

If that is ok that would be most splendid Tinker, although I'm hoping to negotiate direct payment to the hotel individually if at all possible. I'll provide them with a list of names so they can tick us off, and I'll do any necessary chasing for them 

I will certainly see that as a back up though of course!

Thank you.

[Trinitytrashuk]

The National Railway Museum is indeed open on New Years Day! 

I suggest a trip after a late breakfast, maybe tiffin can be taken aboard a train.

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Excellent, the perfect day to start a steampunk New Year! Now we need to book out the hotel!

Seriously if this turns out as it looks likely to this may be an annual event

[Lady Georgina Marsh]

I just thought I'd give this one a little nudge to bring it back up the list and back onto people's 'unread posts' list...

There was a lot of interest previously when we were discussing options, yet there's been only a limited response now. I thought perhaps some people had missed it.

[sebastian Inkerman]

First time I've seen this...

So selections from the menu

first course: Champagne and canapés

Second course: Beetroot and parsnip soup with horseradish and ginger

Third course: Prime fillet steak with a wild mushroom gratin, glazed shallot and bramble sauce

Fourth course: Lemon Amaretto ice cream cake with hedgerow berry compote

Fifth course: Not a lover of coffee, but if tea is offered instead, I'll go for that, and petit fours

I'll only be staying the one night I'm afraid, but i could be up for a jaunt into York to the train museum, it must be nearly 30 years since I've been there. I doubt much has changed in that time though  

I'll be booking under my slightly more mundane sobriquet of Mark Simpson

Update.

I've just heard from a friend that he wants to attend too. I will get back to you on menu choice as soon as I find out. So that'll be one twin room for me and my partner in crime.

[Captain Chard]

Hello everyone,

apologies again for being off board for a while (2 very hectic shows in London have forced us to be incommunicado for a while).

Me and my good lady would like to accept the invitation to the New Years Eve Gathering. I Have added our names to the list below and will get back about the meal options when we've had a chance to peruse the options. Also having just been to the the NRM last week I can say there are definitely some good opportunities for some great photos, especially around the Royal carriages. Also the idea of a treasure hunt is a fantastic idea.

We'd definitely be up for the 3 nights but obviously whatever the general consensus of the group will prevail.

Chard

Sir Ninian and Lady Georgina Marsh
Trinitytrash and Van Der Fett III
Lord Miles and Lady Isabella Harrington
Major Tinker and Lady Elsie
Sebastian Inkerman
Mr Peter Harrow Esquire
Lord and Lady Vonricken
Captain Chard and Madame Steaming Seamstress

[Lord Miles Harrington]

The National Railway Museum is open New Years Day from 10am until 6pm.

[Rt Hon Septabarius Cogge]

The National Railway Museum have a fairly good cafe area on a platform in the annex - you sit between, if memory serves, some of the royal carriages on one side and old wagons on the other - but there is no opportunity for taking tea on a train. If it's tea on a train you want, I recommend the North York Moors Railway, but you'll have to see if they are running ...

I'm not going, by the way, I have already organised something else, but I thought the information might be useful!

[Lady Georgina Marsh]

Septabarius you are indeed correct. This is a delightful little cafe on the platform between someo of the old coaches. 

I also concur with your suggestion for the NYM Railway, but alas it isn't running at New Year.

Thank you for the infomation good sir 

Anymore for anymore? I believe we're up to 14 so far! 

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

I did check on the NYM, but saw it was largely closed.

[sebastian Inkerman]

Anymore for anymore? I believe we're up to 14 so far! 

I have secured a friend and colleague that will be coming up with me. Did you count him in the numbers ?

My reckoning takes that up to 15 I think

Sir Ninian and Lady Georgina Marsh
Trinitytrash and Van Der Fett III
Lord Miles and Lady Isabella Harrington
Major Tinker and Lady Elsie
Sebastian Inkerman +1
Mr Peter Harrow Esquire
Lord and Lady Vonricken
Captain Chard and Madame Steaming Seamstress