Peter Wright, our long-serving maintenance man, died suddenly on the night of Thursday 22 May. We will miss his cheerful presence and unrivalled knowledge of the hotel. Peter began working here in the early 1960s and, except for a short spell when he ‘retired’ in 1995, dedicated his life to keeping The Maids Head going. He worked for 15 general managers.
Just before he died he enthusiastically contributed information to the new history of the hotel that we are compiling (see below), and even appeared live on BBC Radio Norfolk to talk about his memories of resident ‘ghosts’ and celebrities who have stayed her.
Peter’s recollections and sense of fun will live on but there will be a large hole in the heart of the hotel that will be impossible to fill.
Christine Malcolm General Manager
“Wilfred Hyde-White always used to have room 402,” said Peter Wright, “and tipped 2/6d (12½p) in the 1960s, which was a good amount then. He said to me, ‘Now dear boy, have you seen This is Your Life.’ I said yes and he showed me his Red Book.”
“We also had fun with Morecambe and Wise. One night Eric asked for Ernie’s breakfast to be brought to him first. Two boiled eggs duly appeared the next morning. Eric emptied the eggs through a hole in the bottom and they were presented to Ernie, who proceeded to knock the tops off two empty eggs, with Eric hovering nearby!”
“Mr Pike was the manager when I started working here. He was the last manager of the hotel while it was in private ownership. He was succeeded by Mr Cooke who was the first County Hotels franchise manager and was at The Maids Head for 12 years. Mr Cooke also had The Royal Hotel in Norwich and The Star in Great Yarmouth.”
“Also in the early 1980s and Arabian prince was at the Maids Head. He gave me a £5 tip, which was a lot of money then. He put £150 behind the bar – it was drinks all round.”
