Story Search Results
304 results for earl and countess of bradford
found
within the Story
6 displayed out of 304 (1.89seconds)Page 13 of 51
The Kitchen Maid's Tale #41
Posted by Viv Wilson on 8th February 2023 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,laughton estate,rolls royce,ducks,glasgow university,second world war,London,Spa Hotel,Butler,debutante,the season
If you were young, free and single – oh, and very well-to-do – the 1920s were the decade to be a part of. The upper classes had lots of time on their hands and enjoyed post-First World War delights such as the theatre and jazz clubs.Not so for the lower classes, in particular a young girl who was to become the kitchen maid at Hoar Cross Hall in the 1920s. The ‘depression’ after the First World War brought stark poverty to her home and many like her. Her name was Jean Rennie, and she was extremely intelligent having won a scholarship to Glasgow University to study French and music. However, the £5 bursary she got (equivalent to around £250 in today's mo...
A New Year Calamity! #90
Posted by Viv Wilson on 2nd January 2025 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall spa hotel,barons eden,auld lang syne,stately home,history,historic houses,national trust,christmas,scottish piper,black tie,ballgown,my dad bought a mansion
The New Year’s Eve Balls at Hoar Cross Hall were usually the highlight of the year during the 1970s. After twelve months of hard work, especially running the Mediaeval Banquets twice a week through the winter, we were always ready to see out the year in style with a big new year party. In those days it was always black tie for the men and long dresses for the ladies – usually around 500 people bought tickets for an evening of entertainment with a dance band, disco and a meal. At midnight a man dressed in traditional Scottish regalia, including a kilt and sporran, would pipe in the new year with his bagpipes. Down the Long Gallery he would slowly walk...A New Year Calamity! #35
Posted by Viv Wilson on 30th December 2022 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,New Year's Eve,Hogmany,auld lang syne,scottish piper,christmas,downton abbey,The Crown
The New Year’s Eve Balls at Hoar Cross Hall were usually the highlight of the year. After twelve months of hard work, especially running the Mediaeval Banquets twice a week through the winter, we were always ready to see out the year in style with a big new year party. In those days it was always black tie for the men and long dresses for the ladies – usually around 500 people bought tickets for an evening of entertainment with a dance band, disco and a meal. At midnight a man dressed in traditional Scottish regalia, including a kilt and sporran, would pipe in the new year with his bagpipes. Down the Long Gallery he would slowly walk and into the Ballroom wi...A New Year Calamity! #75
Posted by Viv Wilson on 29th December 2023 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall spa hotel,barons eden,new years eve,scottish piper,Balloons,christmas,mediaeval banquets,ballroom,my dad bought a mansion,downton abbey,the crown,haunting,ghosts,attics,bell,calamity
The New Year’s Eve Ball at Hoar Cross Hall was usually the highlight of the year. After twelve months of hard work, especially running the Mediaeval Banquets twice a week through the winter, we were always ready to see out the year in style with a big new year party. In those days it was always black tie for the men and long dresses for the ladies – usually around 500 people bought tickets for an evening of entertainment with a dance band, disco and a meal. At midnight a man dressed in traditional Scottish regalia, including a kilt and sporran, would pipe in the new year with his bagpipes. Down the Long Gallery he would slowly walk and into the Ballr...
My Dad Bought A Mansion! #1
Posted by Viv Wilson on 15th October 2018 in Growing Up In Stately Home | hoar cross hall,staffordshire,mansion,meynell,ingram,church,holy angels,drawing room,ballroom,chapel,library,secret doors,famous five,lichfield,history,pub,armour
MY DAD BOUGHT A MANSION! 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 Leiceste...
Whodunit in the Library? #24
Posted by Viv Wilson on 23rd November 2020 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,Library,hercule poirot,rats,Victorian,truncheon,birmingham high court,East End
WHODUNIT IN THE LIBRARY? When we first moved to Hoar Cross Hall, growing up in a stately home seemed an idyllic way to live – and lots of fun if you’re a child. This rambling old house full of empty rooms and secret doors, wild gardens and woods to explore, was in some ways a dream come true for our family, certainly for my dad. But as we turned from children to teenagers the isolation and lack of public transport was frustrating. Coupled with this was my parents fighting and subsequent split, living at each end of the house and battling for the house and business through their solicitors.
The effect this had on me, as the eldest child who perhaps s...