'All Change' Act 1 Scene 1 - The Rich Man in his Castle.
Scene 1 : The Rich Man in his Castle.
The Duke of Buckingham was the biggest local landowner at this time of agricultural depression. The story is that his opposition to the railway prevented it passing near Stowe and diverted it through Wolverton. Searches in the Board’s minutes show that early surveys preferred the Wolverton route, but the story well illustrates the extent of the Duke’s political power. However, the Duke’s fortunes were not inexhaustible.
Queen Victoria visited him a week before he exiled himself from this country, a million pounds in debt. His place at Stowe was teeming with bailiffs, who, in order to save the Duke’s face, agreed to dress as lacqueys so as not to strike a wrong chord on the occasion of Her Majesty’s visit.
The Duke’s son, the Marquis of Chandos was more modern in outlook, and, indeed, was to become Chairman of the London and North Western Railway Company (LNWR) until he inherited his father’s title.
The Duke’s speech came from a verbatim report in the Northampton Mercury (1834) of the Agricultural Dinner of the Bucks Agricultural Association.
The substance of Chandos’ speech is combined from two sources – his speech at the dinner (as above) and a speech he made to Parliament, also obtained from the Northampton Mercury.
(Description adapted from the script notes in ‘All Change’ booklet – 1977)
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