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Ghouls Galore #18

...nd joined hands; the candle was placed in the middle of the circle creating an eerie glow and making shadows dance in the corners. The more experienced people did a bit of chanting and then they all waited to see what happened. We carried on partying downstairs turning the music up loud – to be honest, I didn’t really want to know what was going on in the attic, that whole part of the building terrified me!   The haunted attics   After about 30 minutes we ventured up the spiral staircase a little way to see what was happening. As we couldn’t hear anything we went a little further and peeked around the corner and looked down the long corridor whic...

The Schoolroom Maid's Story #36

...beautiful hands”. The Long Gallery was the only family area where Inez went during her time at the Hall and this was when she attended the family at Christmas. Servants had little time for leisure, but occasionally a dance was held at Hoar Cross School, although there were very few young people in the village as most had to leave to find work. Inez left Hoar Cross for a better position with the Earl and Countess of Bradford at Weston Park. She worked again as a schoolroom maid for their two young daughters, but without the responsibility of serving meals. Various posts followed but not all of them in service. Eventually she retired to Skegness where she spen...

What the Butler Saw! #37

...ake their hands to help them down the steps when they got home. I can hear all the giggling even now! The highlight of the year for most girls was an eagerly-awaited dance at the Servants’ Ball at Christmas time – most large houses had one and Hoar Cross Hall was no different. The Ball was held in the Long Gallery and this was the one time when the family mixed with the servants. With mulled wine flowing freely and mistletoe hung here about, the young ladies would be very excited to be standing near to a young, good looking footman!  But it wasn't just the young ladies of the house - the story goes that when the butler went down to the wine cellar to fetch...

The origins of the stately home #43

...y much a 'hands on' gardener and designed many gardens and parklands for the aristocracy, which are still seen and enjoyed today by visitors to these grand houses. All large houses are called different names too and you may have thought that this was down to the size of them, as I did. And this is true to a point but they also tell us what type of person lived there and what the house was used for. For instance, a Palace belongs to a royal household, a Chateau belongs to a King or nobleman and a Manor is always on an estate of a Lord's lands. The people who lived in them were usually aristocrats – families of high social rank with a title such as Lord, Lady,...

Ghouls Galore! #18

...nd joined hands; the candle was placed in the middle of the circle creating an eerie glow and making shadows dance in the corners. The more experienced people did a bit of chanting and then they all waited to see what happened. We carried on partying downstairs turning the music up loud – to be honest, I didn’t really want to know what was going on in the attic, that whole part of the building terrified me! The attic roof where banging was heard   After about 30 minutes we ventured up the spiral staircase a little way to see what was happening. As we couldn’t hear anything we went a little further and peeked around the corner and looked down the lo...

An Edwardian Schoolroom Maid #40

...beautiful hands”. The Long Gallery was the only family area where Inez went during her time at the Hall and this was when she attended the family at Christmas. Servants had little time for leisure, but occasionally a dance was held at Hoar Cross School, although there were very few young people in the village as most had to leave to find work. Inez left Hoar Cross for a better position with the Earl and Countess of Bradford at Weston Park. She worked again as a schoolroom maid for their two young daughters, but without the responsibility of serving meals. Various posts followed but not all of them in service. Eventually she retired to Skegness where she spen...