Brinsworth House
Brinsworth House is a residential and nursing retirement home for theatre and entertainment professionals[1] in Staines Road, Twickenham, west London, England. The house is owned and run by the Royal Variety Charity and has 36 bedrooms, six living rooms, a library, an in-house bar and stage, a staff of 64 and is set in 5 acres (2.0 hectares) of land.
| Brinsworth House | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) The building in October 2014 | |
| |
| General information | |
| Address | 72 Staines Road |
| Town or city | Twickenham, London |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51.4439°N 0.3492°W |
| Owner | Royal Variety Charity |
History
Brinsworth House was built in 1850; it opened as a retirement home in 1911.[1] It is owned and maintained by the Royal Variety Charity, which was founded in 1908 to care for members of, what was at that time, the variety and music hall profession. The charity and the house are funded by the Royal Variety Performance, by voluntary donations and, since 2007, by part-proceeds from phone voting from ITV's Britain's Got Talent.[1]
Residents
Previous celebrity residents have included:
- Hylda Baker (died 1986)
- Penny Calvert (died 2014), dancer and first wife of Sir Bruce Forsyth.
- Pearl Carr (died 2020)
- Derek Cooper (died April 2014), journalist, broadcaster and food specialist
- Charlie Drake[2] (died 2006)
- Alan Freeman[2] (died 2006)
- John Hewer (died 2008), best known for his role as Captain Birdseye
- Dame Thora Hird[2] (died 2003)
- Teddy Johnson (died 2018)
- Kathy Kirby (died 2011)
- Mick McManus (died 2013)
- Alf Pearson[3] (died 2012)
- Emily Perry[2] (died 2008)
- Ronnie Ronalde (died 2015)
- Ben Warriss (died 1993)
- Jack Wilson (died 1970), of Wilson, Keppel and Betty fame
- Sir Norman Wisdom (died 2010)
Current residents include:
See also
- Denville Hall – retirement home for actors
References
- Donin, Janet (9 May 2009). "The show must go on at Brinsworth House". Surrey Life. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- Cacciottolo, Mario (1 March 2007). "The show goes on for retired stars". BBC News. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- Kilvington, Joanna. "Entertainer Alf Pearson reaches 100". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}