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The Ballroom #70

Continuing my series on the rooms that were open to the public at <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan>, we move from the Library, through the secret door, to the Ballroom.  Overlooking the gardens and the former deer-park, this beautifully proportioned room is elegant and grand.  The lower halves of the walls are covered in carved white and gold wood panelling which is complemented by the original hand printed blue wallpaper, again over 150 years old (see photo below).  Incredibly the original wooden printing blocks for the wallpaper were in the house when we moved in and were on show to the public in this room.  The fireplaces are made of marble with carved wood overmantels wh...

<span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> - Life below stairs #18

<span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> – LIFE BELOW STAIRS:   This week I’ve done a history blog about the servants who lived at the <span class='highlight'>hallspan> from the 1870s to the 1950s when the <span class='highlight'>hallspan> 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...

Hysterical Productions #15

By the end of 1974 we had done about 40 banquets at <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> and they were still going strong. Most of the original cast were still with us but we were on our second King now and also doing our own catering and bar, whereas when we first started, we had a catering firm in to do it all. Every weekend over 200 people came to sample our Noble Brose, Roast Lambe and Saracen’s Delight and sing along to ‘I’m Henry VIII’ whilst drinking beer, wine and mead. But it was a very adult environment for 15 year old girls to work in; a few of my school friends also worked at the banquets as wenches and we were constantly being chatted up by men who bought us dri...

Panto Pranks! #76

During the 1970s <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> was used from time to time for local community activities and one such event was the production in 1978 of a traditional pantomime, ‘Midnight and a Journey back to Happiness’.   It was written by local people, Robert Leighton from Yoxall and the Hon. Alexandra Meynell, daughter-in-law of Mrs Jean Meynell whom we had purchased the <span class='highlight'>hallspan> from.  The words and music were written by local songwriter, David Matthews, who had written songs for quite a few pop artists during the 1960s, his most famous being Matt Munro’s ‘We’re gonna change the world’.  So off to a good start there! For those of you who don’t reside in t...

Meet the Neighbours - Trentham Gardens #83

This neighbour was a little further afield to <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> than the other houses, as it was in Stoke-on-Trent.  However, we often visited the gardens and I went to a few concerts there which were held in the Ballroom of the house. It was very similar to Alton Towers in that it had formal gardens with a large house and in later years was made into pleasure grounds, although not as grand as the rides at Alton towers! Originally the Trentham site was a priory but had been demolished during the dissolution of the monasteries in Henry XIII’s reign.  In 1599 the first <span class='highlight'>hallspan> on this estate was built on the priory ruins but later in 1633 a Richard Leveson replace...

The Grand Opening #5

And so we move into 1971 and the preparation of <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> so we could open it to the public by Easter. During the run up to buying the house my dad had been buying furniture, carpets and paintings like crazy and I remember our previous home being jam packed with chaise longues, sideboards and carved chests as well as all the suits of armour that he already had. This furniture was now set out in all the rooms. My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display in the Ballroom as well as my dad’s collection of silver plated ‘display’ armour, which hung around the panelled walls; the suits of armour and the many paintings they had lined the Lon...