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Midnight pool parties #21

MIDNIGHT POOL PARTIES:        After leaving school I spent a year at Burton-on-Trent Technical College studying to be a secretary but my year at college had come to an end - now to find a job!  It didn’t take too long as There was plenty of employment around in those days and I was soon offered a position with a small engineering firm in Burton.  As I didn’t drive There was still The problem of me getting to work and dad managed to talk The residents of The apartments into taking me, as They were going to Burton every day as well, and it would save him coming out twice a day (no doubt he was thinking about The petrol he would save too!) Kev and The ba...

A Bit Of Background #1

A BIT OF BACKGROUND: It was The summer of 1970, Mungo Jerry was at The top of The hit parade and we were about to move house.  But not to any old house – to a 70 roomed mansion in 20 acres of grounds!  For years my dad had collected antiques, ever since he was a young boy of 12, and it was his dream to own a large house where he could put Them on show to The general public.  In The 1970s he owned The largest private collection of arms and armour in The country and his dream was about to be realised; but little did we know what a nightmare would unfold before us. Hoar Cross Hall was The home of The Meynell Ingram family who originated from Leicestershire.�...

The Haunting of Hoar Cross Hall #27

The HAUNTING OF HOAR CROSS HALL:    (Based on true events)             The typewriter keys clattered away as Viv wrote her story. It was coming along nicely and she was feeling pleased with herself. The attic room that she and her broThers had made into Their ‘den’ was ideal for getting away from everybody and having some peace and quiet and she quite forgot about The time as she lost herself in The plot. Suddenly she looked up and realized how dark it was getting; The December nights were pulling in and it was already quite dusky by 3.30pm. Quickly she packed her books and folders away and prepared to go downstairs. How she hated being up in The a...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #19

This week I’ve done a historical blog about The servants who lived at The Hall from The 1870s to The 1950s when The Hall became empty. They were an essential part of keeping a big house running but were often not appreciated by The aristocracy as They went about Their day to day duties. The life of a servant in Victorian times was a hard one. They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all The fires and dust and polish The floors, Then do a day’s work, often not getting to bed much before midnight. No wonder They didn’t live to a great age in those days! By The end of The 19th century There were nearly one and a half million servants; most young girls went...

The Haunting of Hoar Cross Hall #32

The typewriter keys clattered away as Viv wrote her story. It was coming along nicely and she was feeling pleased with herself. The attic room that she and her broThers had made into Their ‘den’ was ideal for getting away from everybody and having some peace and quiet and she quite forgot about The time as she lost herself in The plot. Suddenly she looked up and realized how dark it was getting; The December nights were pulling in and it was already quite dusky by 3.30pm. Quickly she packed her books and folders away and prepared to go downstairs. How she hated being up in The attics when it was getting dark as it was so spooky! The wind was starting to howl...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life Below Stairs #35

This week I’ve done a history blog about The servants who lived at Hoar Cross Hall from The 1870s to The 1950s when The Hall became empty. They were an essential part of keeping a big house running but were often not appreciated by The aristocracy as They went about Their day to day duties. The life of a servant in Victorian times was a hard one. They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all The fires and dust and polish The floors, Then do a day’s work, often not getting to bed much before midnight. No wonder They didn’t live to a great age in those days! By The end of The 19th century There were nearly one and a half million servants; most young girls...