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for detailed Information and Booking |
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A unique Photographic Exhibition, “Years of Romance - A Photographic Tribute to a Glamorous Life”, will be showing in London 24th February - 8th March 2010.
The images all feature the life of the actor Ballard Berkeley (1904-1988) during the formative years of his career from 1920 until 1939. He is probably best remembered today as the Major in “Fawlty Towers”, but this exhibition covers an earlier time, from an end-of-the-pier show in Southend-on-Sea in 1920, through a repertory company touring Shakespeare in the Caribbean and North America in the late 1920s, to starring in early ‘talking pictures’ and as a leading man in the West End of London in the late 1930s. |
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His son, Peter Berkeley, who owns Centro Mallorca, discovered this unique collection forgotten in his father’s old luggage and cupboards, and has brought new life to the fading photographs with the magic of Photoshop and his own graphics skills.
Peter Berkeley explains the reason for his new exhibition:
“In 2008 I had just opened a new Creative and Activity Holidays’ Centre in Mallorca, and I was looking for more pictures to put on the walls. I was asked, in February 2009, to speak on a tribute programme to celebrate 30 years of “Fawlty Towers”, and the producers asked me to talk about my father’s early career. I knew that we had a few family photographs around, but once I studied them carefully I realised that as well as being useful for the television programme, they would make ideal pictures for my holiday centre. I want to give them a permanent home by the end of 2010, and the house in Mallorca is the ideal place, although I hope to find other places to show the exhibition before then”. |
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Above: Some of the photographs are already on display in Centro Mallorca |
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Prize Winner October 2009 |
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Pictured here in Mallorca and looking very pleased with herself, is Margaret Skea, our Short Story Competition Winner from the Winchester Writers’ Conference. She joined us in mid-October 2009 to enjoy her prize of an all expenses paid champagne stay at Centro Mallorca. She told us she loved the beautiful house, the good food and said it was a wonderful prize and a lovely stay. We hope our tranquil environment stimulated her creative writing, and we wish her success with her soon to be published novel. |
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Winchester Writers’ Conference 2009 |
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We spent an enjoyable day in the company of 600 aspiring and published writers, and this year we sponsored their Short Story Competition. We presented the prizes, an especially commissioned original ceramic trophy from the studio of the renowned Mallorcan artist, Ricardo Gago, with an extra award for the First Prize winner of 5 days Full Board with us at Centro Mallorca, and their travel expenses. We look forward to welcoming our winner, Margaret Skea, later this year. |
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Spain Magazine February 2009 |
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Thanks to Spain Magazine and prize-winning travel journalist Sarah Monaghan, for an extensive four page coverage of our Mediterranean Cookery Course that’s held at Centro Mallorca in conjunction with Balearic Discovery. |
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The 20th Aldeburgh Poetry Festival |
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Centro Mallorca is delighted to be supporting The Poetry Trust by sponsoring two poetry workshops, and attending the International Aldeburgh Poetry Festival from 7-9 November 2008. |
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Country Walking |
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“I now have the chance to walk, cycle and swim every day I’m in Mallorca”
Many thanks to Country Walking (Britain’s best-selling walking magazine) for featuring us within a comprehensive feature about lifestyle changes, entitled ‘Live to Walk’, in their October 2008 issue - click here to read our bit of the article. |
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Centro Mallorca News |
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“Then it was off to a sublime, restored town house in Sineu, a pretty rural town in central Mallorca…. Here, Peter Berkley’s tasteful home has been sympathetically designed to cater for travellers who yearn to learn to paint and write.”
Respected travel writer Ken Bennett recently experienced for himself the Mediterranean Cookery Course that Balearic Discovery organise, using our house for accommodation and its excellent kitchen. In September, his report appeared in several UK regional newspapers, among them the Liverpool Echo and the Birmingham Mail - see links below for the full story:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
http://www.birminghammail.net |
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The Art of Egg Tempera – The Mische Technique by Brigid Marlin |
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Centro Mallorca welcomed Brigid Marlin to spend a few days in August this year to paint (see photo), and develop with us, her specialised painting course for May 2009.
See www.brigidmarlin.com for details of this renaissance painting technique and the download PDF (see left) for full details about booking.
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Winchester Writers Conference 2008 |
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Centro Mallorca joined other exhibitors in late June to promote our retreat facility to writers and encourage them to join our Creative Writing courses (or stage their own). A very interesting and worthwhile couple of days - we will be back next year. |
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Painting Winner |
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Congratulations to Linda Meaney, our Painting Course Tutor. Not only did she have a sell-out stand of her highly distinctive flower paintings at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, but in October collects the prestigious Stanley Grimm Prize 2007 from the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, for the most popular painting in their show last year. |
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Cookery Winners |
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In October two lucky winners will collect their prize of a place on the Mediterranean Cookery Course which will take place in our house in Sineu. Thousands entered the competition in July’s Sainsbury Magazine, but if you didn’t win, you can still book a place through www.balearicdiscovery.com. |
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UK Press Launch |
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Thursday 3rd April 2008 was our UK press launch at north London’s ‘Art Experience’ gallery. The evening saw dozens of invited guests drop in to champagne toast our future success, and get their up-to-date information about future bookings. |
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The Guardian |
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"Guests will tour the food markets of Palma, and under the expert guidance of Tyrone Power - an ex-Rolling Stone tour chef - learn to cook fish and meat, prepare marinades and pastes, and produce a full-blown dinner-party feast. Accommodation is in a restored town house in Sineu, a pretty rural town in central Mallorca."
Saturday Travel section
The Guardian 23rd February 2008 |
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Evening Standard |
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“Mallorca is finding its way onto the world’s art map. Yes, it has more galleries per capita than anywhere in the world. Yes, it’s worth a grand tour.”
Caroline Phillips, London’s Evening Standard 22nd March 2007 |
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EasyJet Magazine |
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“With the increase of savvy, independent travellers…the emphasis is now on quality. Beyond Mallorca’s sun-drenched coastlines, there’s a richness of landscape that is breathtaking in its diversity...inland on the central plain of Es Pla, there are ancient windmills, meadows, rustic farms and isolated villages.”
Anna Nicholas, EasyJet Inflight Magazine August 2005 |
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Sunday Times |
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“Es Pla (The Plain) retains the languid, unruffled air of an agricultural hinterland, its bucolic landscape punctuated by various monastery-topped hills and speckled with handsome stone built settlements.
The gracious central town of Sineu probably makes the best base…cycling is the most relaxed way of exploring the quiet country roads of the plain.”
Jonathan Cox, The Sunday Times 24th July 2005 |
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