[UPDATE: 3.2008:
Here are the missing mottos and lettering from inside the Mansion's Great Hall. Below these four are the two examples on the side of the building which faces away from that generally seen by the public.
The Latin inscriptions on the outside of the Mansion and inside on the North wall are thought to remain from Edmund Withypoll's original Tudor Hall.

Over the front door:
'FRUGALITATUM SIC SERVAS UT DISSPATIONEM NON INCURASS' (You observe frugality in order that you may not run into dissipation).
Over the East Wing Garden Door:
'QUO MIHI FORTUNAE SI NON CONCEDITUR VITI' (Of what use is wealth if I may not use it) together with Edmund Withypoll's monogram and the date 1550.
In the Great Hall:
'RES MIHI NO REBUS SUBMITTERE CONOR' (I try to [make] events submit to me, not to submit to events),
'NULLUM NUMEN ABEST SI SIT PRUDENTIA' (Spirit is not lacking if wisdom is there),
'NON ALIIS SED DEO' (Not unto others, but to God).]

Our thanks to the staff of Christchurch Mansion for permission to photograph these examples and for access to the official translations.

Elsewhere in Christchurch Park there is a decorative drinking fountain close to the Arboretum entrance opposite Ipswich School in Henley Road. This has been refurbished as part of a major investment in the park over 2006-8 and  the section right above ground level reads:



Lower photograph courtesy Mike O'Donovan

Further down in the park, along the path from the fountain and you will see a large oak tree on the right. This plaque is situated at the base of the tree. ("I was quite surprised when I saw it as it is a bit of history which very few folk are aware of," says Mike O'Donovan. Although this sort of plaque is common in the Mayors' Walk and elsewhere in the park, it wouldn't normally qualify for this site as we feel they are a bit 'un-permanent' or removable unlike, say, a stone monument. However, we've accpted Mike's submission as it gives us the opportunity to add a bit of historical background about this particular Prince Of Wales (the one before the Prince Of Wales who abdicated in 1936) and some slightly salacious gossip.

Once widowed, Queen Victoria effectively withdrew from public life. Shortly after Prince Albert's death, she arranged for Edward to embark on an extensive tour of the Middle East. As soon as he returned to Britain, preparations were made for his engagement. Edward (Edward Albert 1841-1910) and  Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Carolina Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1844-1925) married at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, on 10 March 1863. When Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901, Edward became King of the United Kingdom and reigned until his death on 6 May 1910. The Edwardian period, which covered Edward's reign and was named after him, coincided with the start of a new century and heralded significant changes in technology and society, including powered flight and the rise of socialism and the Labour movement.

Edward and his wife established Marlborough House as their London residence and Sandringham House in Norfolk as their country retreat. They entertained on a lavish scale. Their marriage met with disapproval in certain circles because most of Queen Victoria's relations were German, and Denmark was at loggerheads with Germany. After the couple's marriage, she expressed anxiety about their socialite lifestyle and attempted to dictate to them on various matters, including the names of their children.

Edward had mistresses throughout his married life. He socialised with actress Lillie Langtry; Lady Randolph Churchill (mother of Winston Churchill); Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick; actress Sarah Bernhardt; Alice Keppel; and wealthy humanitarian Agnes Keyser. How far these social companionships went is not always clear. Edward always strove to be discreet, but this did not prevent society gossip or press speculation.

In 1869, Sir Charles Mordaunt, a British Member of Parliament, threatened to name Edward as co-respondent in his divorce suit. Ultimately, he did not do so but Edward was called as a witness in the case in early 1870. It was shown that Edward had visited the Mordaunts's house while Sir Charles was away sitting in the House of Commons. Although nothing further was proved and Edward denied he had committed adultery, the suggestion of impropriety was damaging.

Edward's last mistress, society beauty Alice Keppel, was even invited by Alexandra to his bedside at Buckingham Palace at his death in 1910. One of Keppel's great-granddaughters, Camilla Parker Bowles, became the mistress and then wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, one of Edward's great-great grandsons. It was rumoured that Camilla's grandmother, Sonia Keppel (born in May 1900), was the illegitimate daughter of Edward. However, Edward never acknowledged any illegitimate children. His wife, Alexandra, is believed to have been aware of most of his affairs and to have accepted them.

More park lettering: Bourne Park (and Bourne Bridge) and Chantry Park.