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Name Dropping.

About nine years ago, the company I was working at in London held a charity day, where us working plebs had to dress in fancy dress, and which somehow managed to attract quite an impressive cross-section of luminaries of stage, screen and sport, oh - and politics, and royalty for good measure.

Goldie Hawn, Alan Rickman, Heston Blumenthal to name but three. Then there were the former international rugby players Serge Betsen and Lawrence Dallaglio, the former cricketer Phil Tufnell and the at that time current cricketer Ben Tremlett (quite the beanpole he).

Someone who is definitely not a beanpole is Alan Titchmarsh - indeed he seemed to me to be much shorter than he looks on the telly.

The comedian Jimmy Carr was there too (he seems to have been around forever). I remember him greeting our group on his way in and immediately sussed that we were supposed to be dressed as goths.

I thought my costume was hideous and was too embarrassed to speak to anyone, but I do recall Goldie Hawn waving at me as she swept past us - I was chuffed!

The model Poppy Delivigne was there too.

I mentioned royalty - this was in the form of Prince Edward and his wife Sophie.

And last, but definitely least (you're gonna love this), we found ourselves in the presence of none other than Boris Johnson (yes, it really was him). At the time he was mayor of London, but this would also have been long before he met Carrie, and in fact I can't remember who was with him at the time. He had his back to us mostly so we didn't have to speak to him (which was a relief).
 
Suffolk Tony said:
Diana Dors used to frequent The Trottesworth, a pub in Virginia Water, Surrey, which me & a previous Mrs Suffolk also used to attend. Indeed, Ms Dors was a very nice lady.

One lunchtime we were in there, showing off our new daughter, & wondering how we were going to manage a shopping trip. Diana very kindly offered to babysit whilst we popped out to Staines for an hour or so. It's my daughter's main claim to fame (although few of her generation know who Diana Dors was).

Her then-hubby, Alan Lake, was a very strange cove, and shortly after Diana died he committed suicide.
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The Wife used to babysit for Ms. Dors.
 
We went to a Royal Garden Party ten or so years ago. Probably doesn’t count as we didn’t actually speak with any royalty (although it may have been possible to briefly say hello to the Queen and Prince Philip had we stood in the right place).
My two main takeaways from the day were:-
1) it was a lovely afternoon
2) Princess Michael has perfected a really patronising wave

Mick
 
On prince charles and dianas wedding day i attended a party at the local boozer and two people got dressed up as them and came down the main road in a horse and carriage. Imagine my glee as i looked and discovered it was mother and father. So in a round about way i'm royalty .
 
JonR said:
About nine years ago, the company I was working at in London held a charity day, where us working plebs had to dress in fancy dress, and which somehow managed to attract quite an impressive cross-section of luminaries of stage, screen and sport, oh - and politics, and royalty for good measure.

Goldie Hawn, Alan Rickman, Heston Blumenthal to name but three. Then there were the former international rugby players Serge Betsen and Lawrence Dallaglio, the former cricketer Phil Tufnell and the at that time current cricketer Ben Tremlett (quite the beanpole he).

Someone who is definitely not a beanpole is Alan Titchmarsh - indeed he seemed to me to be much shorter than he looks on the telly.

The comedian Jimmy Carr was there too (he seems to have been around forever). I remember him greeting our group on his way in and immediately sussed that we were supposed to be dressed as goths.

I thought my costume was hideous and was too embarrassed to speak to anyone, but I do recall Goldie Hawn waving at me as she swept past us - I was chuffed!

The model Poppy Delivigne was there too.

I mentioned royalty - this was in the form of Prince Edward and his wife Sophie.

And last, but definitely least (you're gonna love this), we found ourselves in the presence of none other than Boris Johnson (yes, it really was him). At the time he was mayor of London, but this would also have been long before he met Carrie, and in fact I can't remember who was with him at the time. He had his back to us mostly so we didn't have to speak to him (which was a relief).
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My older sister went to middle school with Goldie Hawn. She said Goldie was very much like her on screen persona, and a really nice person.
 
Suffolk Tony said:
Diana Dors used to frequent The Trottesworth, a pub in Virginia Water, Surrey, which me & a previous Mrs Suffolk also used to attend. Indeed, Ms Dors was a very nice lady.
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Interesting. Where was this Trottesworth?

For a brief period in early 1972, Mrs Mull and I worked as what were laughingly called 'Trainee Assistant Managers' ... in the Wheatsheaf at Virginia Water, which is still going.

We had little free time but one day took a stroll down the B389 opposite to have a look at Virginia Water 'proper', to get a look at how the 'other 5%' lived. We were at first struck by the lack of houses, until we realised that the bulk of them were positioned anonymously behind tall hedges at the ends of very long drives. The village itself comprised a Railway Station, numerous delicatessens, florists, antique shops and estate agents. The sense of unreality was..err unreal.

Back at the Wheatsheaf, a few locals walked in everyday, mostly elderly gents, who were unfailingly polite and pleasant. The problems came at weekends, when hordes of tuppenny ha'penny millionaires would descend upon the place from the direction of 'That London' and in many cases behave appallingly.

Mid-week lunchtimes could be interesting, with frequent visits by Golfers from nearby Sunningdale and Wentworth, many of them famous. I recall Mrs mull serving Patrick Allen with a few scoops, whilst I was stalking about officiously being a not very effective 'Floor Manager'.
 
The Trottesworth was the west side of VW Station near the shops, as Seeker says the site is now a care home. The Rose And Olive Branch on Callow Hill is the only fairly decent pub around there.
I grew up in Egham, my parents moved to VW when they retired long after I left home. It's a soulless Stepford dump. When I was a kid we used to ride our bikes to VW and swim in the pool at Wentworth club, if anyone challenged us we said "Daddy's on the 17th green", never a problem :).
 
Mullardman said:
My Eyes!... My Eyes!!!!
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Would the less garish, classy decor of a Berni Inn have been more up sir's street?

1_berni.jpg
 
I just checked and after a list of 'homes' in VW with prices at £10 million plus, was amazed to find a couple at well below £1million.
 
We later moved to the White Lion at Hartley Wintney. Much more normal but very badly managed and frequented by too many stuck up Officer Cadets from Sandhurst.
 
Mullardman said:
On our days off we went into Egham or Staines. Did one of those places have a pub called the Dolphin or summat similarly nautical?
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ISTR The Dolphin was on Staines High St, near the market square, but it was a long time ago... My mates and I used to go in The Phoenix, we ran a folk club there for a while. This would be mid-70s.
 
Indeed. As I recall, on the right as you went towards That London. But will be 50 years.. or Half a Century in old money, this coming April.

Edit. Just looked at maps and no longer recognise anything of Egham and Staines..

The White Lion in Hartley Wintney was still there and operating around 2001. I'd been to see someone at Cura speakers in Farnborough about a sales job, but they didn't want to pay me. Pity..as Cura were nice speakers... anyway.. I dropped into the White Hart for old times sake on the way home and mentioned to the barmaid that I had worked there 30 years previously.
I may as well have been speaking Ancient Greek. The actual concept of '30 years ago', seemed beyond her comprehension. Anyway..it now seems to have been re-purposed as an Antiques Centre... Odd that, as when we were in Hartley Wintney, the place seemed to comprise of 2 pubs, one Chinese, seventeen antiques shops and a post office...
 
Mullardman said:
Interesting. Where was this Trottesworth?

For a brief period in early 1972, Mrs Mull and I worked as what were laughingly called 'Trainee Assistant Managers' ... in the Wheatsheaf at Virginia Water, which is still going.

We had little free time but one day took a stroll down the B389 opposite to have a look at Virginia Water 'proper', to get a look at how the 'other 5%' lived. We were at first struck by the lack of houses, until we realised that the bulk of them were positioned anonymously behind tall hedges at the ends of very long drives. The village itself comprised a Railway Station, numerous delicatessens, florists, antique shops and estate agents. The sense of unreality was..err unreal.

Back at the Wheatsheaf, a few locals walked in everyday, mostly elderly gents, who were unfailingly polite and pleasant. The problems came at weekends, when hordes of tuppenny ha'penny millionaires would descend upon the place from the direction of 'That London' and in many cases behave appallingly.

Mid-week lunchtimes could be interesting, with frequent visits by Golfers from nearby Sunningdale and Wentworth, many of them famous. I recall Mrs mull serving Patrick Allen with a few scoops, whilst I was stalking about officiously being a not very effective 'Floor Manager'.
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Virginia Water was a very interesting place! The Trottesworth, now alas gone, was the other side of the railway station, on the top road on the right before the traffic lights. There appears to be an old folks' home there now.

Across the road was Holloway Sanatorium and some of the patients would wander across, often missing most of their clothing, & the landlord used to have to escort them back across. Bill Bryson's wife, (he of "Notes From a Small Island") was a nurse at the sanatorium, and in his book, Bill perfectly describes Virginia Water and the goings-on at the sanatorium.

My father-in-law Ted used to keep bees in Bryan Forbes' garden. Mr Forbes lived up the road, backing onto Wentworth golf course, with his wife Nanette Numan. He owned a bookshop in Virginia Water at the time. One evening, Ted was chatting to Mr Forbes, the latter feeling a bit envious that Ted was going to the local pub. So Ted bundled him in his old Morris Minor & took him with him. No one knew who he was...

EDIT :- Whoops, sorry Mr Rocker, & Mr Seeker, I neglected to read your replies to Mull. Looking on Google Earth, they must have built that care home's foundations up a fair old bit - The Trottesworth had a steep drive down, then a further drop to the car park at the rear.
 
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