Story Search Results

Ghostbusters! #7

...ld Gothic mansion on the moors or somewhere remote where you could hear eerie noises all night long – sound familiar? Yes, it was a bit like watching my own life and especially as the lead actor, who was nearly always Peter Cushing, looked exactly like my dad! In fact, so much so that at one New Years’ Eve Ball a man was so convinced that it was Peter Cushing he kept pestering my dad for an autograph; my dad eventually signed the actor’s name just to get rid of him! As the night wore on I got more and more scared by the film and by midnight, when the film had ended, I didn’t dare leave the lounge to go up to bed – imagine climbing those stairs in the...

Huntin', Shootin' and Fishin' #6

...t of this mansion, although nothing to do with hunting, shooting or fishing! One summer there were over 30 bats whizzing around the house trying to find nests for their young. We had just had a burglar alarm installed with infra-red beams which kept going off in the night. I think our cat set it off once or twice but the bats caused most of the upset and my poor dad had to keep getting up to see who had broken in – fortunately the only thing broken was his night’s sleep! The bats eventually settled in a large light fitting bowl which hung over the main staircase and were left in peace to rear their young.   Don’t miss next week’s instalment:    'Cal...

Ghostbusters! #8

...ld Gothic mansion on the moors or somewhere remote where you could hear eerie noises all night long – sound familiar? Yes, it was a bit like watching my own life and especially as the lead actor, who was nearly always Peter Cushing, looked exactly like my dad! In fact, so much so that at one New Years’ Eve Ball a man was so convinced that it was Peter Cushing he kept pestering my dad for an autograph; my dad eventually signed the actor’s name just to get rid of him! My dad, the Peter Cushing lookalike!   As the night wore on I got more and more scared by the film and by midnight, when the film had ended, I didn’t dare leave the lounge to go up to...

Race Day Parties! #25

...y built a mansion called Kirkby Hall. They eventually called it Kirkby Mallory Hall and it survived until 1952 when it was demolished. A builder bought the estate the following year and built the race track in the grounds, starting first with motor cycle grass track racing until the tarmac race track was built. It’s a very similar story to the Donington Park one actually! The official opening was in 1956 with Bob Gerrard being in the first race. My dad would have been there racing his car too throughout the 1950s alongside great names such as Graham Hill and Jim Clarke. So it seemed appropriate that his ex-driver should buy the track that he used to race aroun...

Panto Pranks! #30

...During the 1970s Hoar Cross Hall 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 Hall 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 the UK an...

Christmas High Jinks! #31

...The sounds of La Golondrina floated through the air as Viv sat at the grand piano. How pleased she was that someone had asked them to look after this fine musical instrument for a few months. Having learned to play when she was younger, this gave Viv the opportunity to brush up on her skills as a pianist and she was thoroughly enjoying it. The piano was in the Library and suited the room perfectly. She could hear her father and an antique dealer talking in the Long Gallery as they haggled over the price of a painting that he was selling. Viv gazed out of the window as she played and thought back to the Midsummer’s Eve Ball that they’d had a few months ago. I...