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Aristocratic travels # 39

ARISTOCRATIC TRAVELS:   Emily Charlotte Meynell, the original owner of Hoar Cross Hall, was probably one of the wealthiest independent women of the late 19th century in Britain.  Her property included country estates around the Midlands, a London house in Eaton Square and a villa in Florence.  For many years she owned a yacht, the latter a fully-crewed schooner of 380 tons.  The family had large financial resources in addition to their estate income, through which they were sustained until well into the 20th century. Emily cruised the Mediterranean every springtime in her yacht and occasionally crossed the North Sea to the Netherlands and Germany in the su...

Our mansion gets a facelift #4

OUR MANSION GETS A FACELIFT:        We moved into Hoar Cross Hall during the summer holidays and my parents quickly realised that they had a lot of work on their hands to make the place habitable as well as to earn some money from it.  As previously mentioned, there was an East Wing and a West Wing to the house.  My dad decided to convert the first floor rooms of each wing into three separate apartments; he had done this at our previous house.  This would generate income from rents until we got the main house open to the public.  It wasn’t a big job to convert the rooms as the East Wing had four main rooms and two bathrooms already there, which would...

The Grand Opening #5

...on a hot summer’s day. Soon everyone was asking for one too.   My dad was good at that sort of thing and we certainly didn’t mind helping out! I seem to remember we had quite a good number of people that first Easter as we had advertised well; we stayed open until the first week of October, being open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.  I always helped out by serving in the café (once I’d finished my baking!) and sometimes on the Reception desk, taking entrance fees, to give my mum a break. Along with the house opening, people would hire the Hall for events and Balls.  We had a Red Cross Ball, a Hunt Ball, A Midsummer’s Eve Ball and...

Huntin', Shootin' and Fishin' #6

...ng!  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: Calendar Girls and Front Covers If you want to follow my story from the begin...

Eat, Drink and be Merry! #10

...ring that summer my parents auditioned for a King, a jester, entertainers and singers and by August they had a team of ‘am-dram’ actors ready to start rehearsals.  They also advertised for wenches and serving girls of which I became one – at 14 years old this became my new weekend job!  The new King, Jester and Halbadier   But the banquets were about to change all our lives - for better and for worse. Don’t miss next week’s instalment:  The Banquets Begin If you want to follow my story from the beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends    ...

Mediaeval Mayhem!

...MEDIAEVAL MAYHEM!     It was the end of the summer season at Hoar Cross Hall in 1973 and rehearsals had started for the new venture of Mediaeval Banquets.  All the cast would come around to the house each week for rehearsals and my mum and one or two other ladies were busy making the skirts and blouses for the wenches.   My mum also made about 200 bibs which the guests were going to be wearing as eating five courses with a dagger can be quite messy!   We had a King, a Jester, a Fire-eater, a Halberdier, an organist and various wenches and serving ladies.  To launch the banquets my parents decided to hold a Press Reception about a month before and so we...