FIRE AT THE CASTLE!
On 24th July, a fire burned down one of the buildings at the castle, seemingly due to an electrical fault.  We lost the Candle Maker's and the Alchemist's building, as well as part of the palisade.  The castle is still open for business and work begins on rebuilding the building and palisade wall today (27th July).

PRINCESS DIANA'S BICYCLE
The House on the Hill Toy Museum has purchased Princess Diana's tracker bike that was sold to her former housekeeper at Althorp, Mrs Maudie Pendry, who recently passed away.

With the bike comes a letter to Mrs Pendry from Diana offering her condolences when her husband passed away and a family portrait Christmas card signed by Diana 'with love from Diana' dated 1994.

Mrs Pendry's son put the bike up for auction at Keys Auctions in Aylsham, Norfolk on Friday 18th May.  The House on the Hill toy museum was determined to be the successful winner in a bid to keep our royal treasures in this country.  The bicycle will go on permanent display along with all the other items of memorabilia and toys for all to see.   [See BBC website]

GERTIE THE GOOSE FOLLOW UP!
After surviving an attack by a fox which frightened her off her nest, she then defied death by trains on the railway lines, Gertie the Goose has now become a mum of two goslings - Jackie and Terry.

On the 24th April 2007 Gertie was frightened off her nest in the early hours of the morning. She took to flight and flew out of the Castle, over the palisade and landed on the Liverpool Street to Cambridge mainline tracks. Workmen from Balfour Beatty managed to catch her who then returned her to the safety of Castle staff where she was reunited with her clutch of eggs.

Since her adventures Gertie has been happily sitting on her nest and early today she proudly presented two little goslings - Jackie and Terry. A happy ending....

GERTIE THE GOOSE TAKES AN AWAY DAY
Gertie the Goose, a large white goose, has been patiently sitting on eggs in her chosen nesting place underneath the Dovecote at the Castle.  Early in the morning of 24th April, Gertie was frightened off her nest by a fox jumping in on her.  She flew out of the grounds of the Castle and landed on the rail tracks to ‘catch an away day ticket’ on the mainline between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport – consequently disrupting rail traffic temporarily until railway line workmen managed to catch her and return her to the Castle where she was reunited with her clutch of eggs.

PTERODACTYL FLIES INTO STANSTED!
On the morning of Tuesday 13 March, a prehistoric Pterodactyl arrived in Essex to join the other prehistoric creatures who recently moved in to Stansted Mountfitchet.

The Pterodactyl, along with Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and Velociraptor, will be taking its place guarding the entrance to Stansted Mountfitchet's House on the Hill Toy Museum, the world's largest toy museum.

The House on the Hill Toy Museum has over 80,000 individual items from dolls, tin toys, teddy bears and model railways to Action Man and Barbie. The Toy Museum also features a Rock 'n' Roll exhibition (featuring life-size Beatles) and offers the unique chance to play on the Edwardian What-the-Butler-Saw amusement machines.

"The Dinosaur Encounter is the latest attraction at the House on the Hill Toy Museum." says owner Jeremy Goldsmith.  "Visitors come back time after time because there is always something new to see here and this year is no exception. We had these amazingly accurate giant dinosaurs produced by experts so that our visitors, especially the children, can really understand what kind of creatures roamed around Essex 150 million years ago. Now a visit to our Toy Museum really is a monster day out!"

The House on the Hill Toy Museum is part of our award-winning Mountfitchet Castle heritage complex which is open daily from 10am.  As well as enjoying the nostalgia of the world-famous Toy Museum, visitors can step right back in time and experience life in 11th Century England in Mountfitchet Castle. This full-scale painstakingly restored Norman castle and 1066 village provides a unique living history experience.