{"id":4349,"date":"2024-09-13T08:30:53","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T08:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=4349"},"modified":"2024-09-13T07:46:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T07:46:14","slug":"daphne-bankes-theres-no-place-like-studland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2024\/09\/13\/daphne-bankes-theres-no-place-like-studland\/","title":{"rendered":"“Daphne Bankes \u2013 There\u2019s No Place like Studland!”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between 2015 and 2018 Dorset History Centre undertook the \u2018Unlocking the Bankes archive<\/a>\u2018 project. During the life of this project, staff and volunteers contributed well over 100 blogs to the project website. As we reach 2024, this project website is no longer functional in the way it originally was, and we have made the decision to close the website permanently.<\/p>\n

However, we didn\u2019t want to lose all of the intriguing stories and individual research which had been done by so many people, and we are therefore going to slowly be recycling these pieces onto this blog site going forward, to ensure that these fascinating tales have a home for people to read (or possibly re-read)!<\/p>\n

This week we look at Daphne Bankes, and how she spent her holidays…<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Daphne Maud Adelaide Bankes\u00a0was a keen traveller and avid member of the Studland community. Her childhood holidays in picturesque Studland blossomed into a love for and career within the Studland Bay Caf\u00e9. Her passion for holidaying took her across Europe through the 1950s, but her heart lay within the waves of Studland beach.<\/p>\n

\"\"
D-BKL\/J\/C\/1\/248<\/a>. \u00a9National Trust<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the 1900s, Daphne spent her childhood holidaying with family at Studland, equipped with spades and an adventurous rock climbing spirit. In\u00a01914-1915, Daphne and her siblings were excitedly paddling in the water, wearing matching swimsuits. Quick snapshots of them posing at the water\u2019s edge show the family with smiles swept across their faces.<\/p>\n

Working at the Caf\u00e9<\/strong><\/p>\n

Within the Bankes Archive, there are many invoices, signed by Daphne, which show items she stocked on the shelves of her caf\u00e9 (D-BKL\/E\/C\/8\/16<\/a>). These include bathing caps and suits, as well as locally sourced confectionery and tea cakes. During her adult life, Studland took precedence \u2013 work at the caf\u00e9 was a priority. She even wrote to her nephew John Bankes, telling him of her plans to capitalise on the Queen\u2019s coronation in 1953 by ordering royal celebration souvenirs! (D-BKL\/H\/S\/1\/54<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Exotic Holidays<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through reading letters and postcards she sent to her nephew \u2013 who she obviously adored \u2013 it is easy to see Daphne\u2019s love for exploring whilst holidaying. When away from Studland she visited beautiful places such as Paris, Cologne, Mount Etna and the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples.<\/p>\n

But what did she think of these exotic places?<\/p>\n

Her Italian trip in 1955 sounds jam packed with adventure. The island of Ischia was beautiful, she remarked how the sands were nearly black, due to the island\u2019s volcanic nature (D-BKL\/H\/S\/1\/157<\/a>). Whilst travelling to Sicily she tried \u2018the most intoxicating liquor<\/em>\u2018 which made her struggle to stay awake on her travels (D-BKL\/H\/S\/1\/151<\/a>). And writing to John from the top of Mount Etna, she paints the image of a snowy landscape, covered in over 200 craters as she ascends to the top of the \u2018active volcano<\/em>\u2018 (D-BKL\/H\/S\/1\/152<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"\"
D-BKL\/H\/S\/1\/151<\/a> \u00a9National Trust<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Did she enjoy Paris in 1956? In another letter to her nephew (D-BKL\/H\/S\/1\/213<\/a>) \u2013 which was mainly written in French \u2013 she told the tale of her first time riding the Underground\u2026 and getting fined 100 francs for sitting in the wrong carriage! She would often ask locals where the best places to eat were, and she remarked at how Americanised Paris had become since she last visited.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Daphne also commented on Cologne in 1959:<\/p>\n

\u2018The war damage here is still very apparent everywhere, New buildings are all round the cathedral.’<\/em><\/p>\n

(<\/span>D-BKL\/H\/R\/59<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

—<\/p>\n

Have you ever been overcharged in a hotel? Daphne described such an experience to John in 1958\u00a0\u2013<\/p>\n

\u2018[I]\u00a0could only get into a horrid little hotel\u2026attic room \u2013 where they had the cheek to charge me 10 marks -\u2026 in the\u00a0best<\/u>\u00a0hotel it\u2019s only 7.50. I was unable to expostulate but glared ferociously\u00a0at the manager when I left!\u2019\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

(D-BKL\/H\/S\/1\/304<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

—<\/p>\n

Daphne always squeezed the most out of her travels as possible, but she saw through the tourist traps and fuss of holidaying abroad. Being in Studland was unquestionably the happiest part of her life. She lived there, worked there and had cherished memories of childhood holidays.<\/p>\n

\"\"
D-BKL\/J\/C\/1\/178<\/a> \u00a9National Trust<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So what can Daphne teach us about holidays? There\u2019s no place like home when it comes to relaxation and cherished beaches. Studland truly is a beautiful Dorset location!<\/p>\n

Author: Chloe Taylor<\/p>\n

Originally published: 31\/8\/2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Between 2015 and 2018 Dorset History Centre undertook the \u2018Unlocking the Bankes archive\u2018 project. During the life of this project, staff and volunteers contributed well over 100 blogs to the project website. As we reach 2024, this project website is no longer functional in the way it originally was, and we have made the decision… Read more “Daphne Bankes \u2013 There\u2019s No Place like Studland!”<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,30,633,636,634,635,109,22],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4349"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4349"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4357,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4349\/revisions\/4357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}