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Queen Alexandra - my family #50

Queen Alexandra was the daughter-in-law of Queen Victoria as she was married to her eldest son and heir, Edward VII. Her family were from Denmark and although of royal blood they were a distant branch of the royal house of Oldenburg and apparently lived very modestly on her father's army commission. However, in 1852 her father, Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, was chosen to succeed his second cousin Frederick VII as King of Denmark thus the family's status rose and they moved into a new official residence, Bernstorff Palace. Alexandra, or 'Alix' as she was known was born on 1st December 1844, her full name being Alexandra Caroline M...

Victorian Society #93

Victorian society was built around Queen Victoria’s reign, loosely between 1820-1914.  It was characterised by a class-based society and Britain being the most powerful empire in the world. Hoar Cross Hall was built in 1870, at the height of the Victorian era, and boasted up to seventy rooms, twenty-five of them for the servants, approximately fifteen for the kitchens and utility areas, leaving around thirty rooms for the family and their guests.  During this time a lot of people, particularly women, went into domestic service and the Housekeeper at the Hall earned about £50 a year, while a housemaid earned £15 a year – quite the difference!  By all ac...

A Home fit for a King #21

...of Queen Victoria in 1837. Buckingham Palace in 1837 showing Marble Arch on the left   In the Middle Ages the site of the future palace formed part of the Manor of Ebury. The marshy ground was watered by the river Tyburn, which still flows below the courtyard and south wing of the palace. Where the river was fordable (at Cow Ford), the village of Eye Cross grew – it seems incredible now that there was a village right in the heart of London! Ownership of the site changed hands many times; owners included Edward the Confessor in late Saxon times, and, after the Norman conquest, William the Conqueror. The site was eventually bequeathed to the monks of We...

The Halifax Estates - Garrowby #46

...rincesses Victoria, Helena and Louise, Queen Victoria's daughters. This is obviously how she became connected to the royal family and would in later years host King George V and Queen Mary at Temple Newsam and Hoar Cross Hall. In 2005 Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh stayed with Lord Halifax at Garrowby when Royal Ascot was moved to York. Lord James Irwin is also the godson of Camilla, the Queen Consort so there are many royal connections between these two families right up to the present day. Hickleton Hall on the Halifax Estates   Garrowby is the largest of the Halifax Estates and extends to over 13,000 acres. The estate is located 13 miles ea...

Meet the Neighbours - Shugborough Hall #80

...of Queen Victoria in 1831 when she was the 13 year old Princess Alexandrina (Victoria was her middle name). Her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and herself were on a tour of the country and they stopped for an overnight visit at Shugborough.  Apparently, the young Princess stayed with many local landowners at the time. This was a common occurrence for royals when on tour – the same thing happened at Hoar Cross Hall around 100 years ago when Queen Mary and her daughter, Mary the Princess of Wales, were on a visit to a nearby town and they stopped overnight at the Hall.  However, that visit entailed the building of a new bathroom for them on the first floor near...

Change and the Country House #61

...Hoar Cross Hall was clearly a very different house in the Victorian era compared to today.  Like other country houses it has not been immune from the social and economic changes affecting all walks of life over the last hundred years. At the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837 the local landowner with his country house and estate was the focal point of the community, often dispensing law, charity and education.  The estate would also provide employment for the local people and over fifty locals were employed on the Hoar Cross estate in the house and grounds plus many more on Home Farm along with carpenters, electricians and plumbers to keep the esta...