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Eat, Drink & Be Merry #11

By 1973 we had been at Hoar Cross Hall for 3 years and our lives were always busy, by keeping on top of the weeds and with the general upkeep of the house. an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>dadan> expected us children to help as much as possible, which we hated, and much of our time was spent trying to hide from him to get out of doing the chores. But sometimes we didn’t mind and we happily pulled an old trolley into the woods every now and then to collect wood for the fires and sometimes as a family we would spend a day clearing parts of the woods and grounds. an class='highlight'>Myan> mum had hired a lady from the village to help with the housework and we had also taken on a retired chap called Mr Hickman to do so...

The Graveyard Shift! #25

THE GRaVEYaRD SHIFT!       Life carried on at the Hall as best it could in difficult circumstances.  an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>dadan> continued to go to arms and armour Fairs to buy and sell antiques and we also went to a mediaeval banquet in Cheshire one night, although it wasn’t anywhere near as good as ours!  Once or twice we took an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>dadan> out with our friends to Derby, where he originated from, and that seemed to cheer him up.  But he really needed to get away from the house for longer periods of time and when he saw a boat advertised for sale at Caernarvon he jumped at the chance and an class='highlight'>boughtan> it.  It was an ex lifeboat called The Bembo so quite sturdy, although in need of a li...

The graveyard shift #24

THE GRaVEYaRD SHIFT:    Life carried on at Hoar Cross Hall as best it could in difficult circumstances.  an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>dadan> continued to go to arms and armour Fairs to buy and sell antiques and we also went to a mediaeval banquet in Cheshire one night, although it wasn’t anywhere near as good as ours!  Once or twice we took an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>dadan> out with our friends to Derby, where he originated from, and that seemed to cheer him up.  But he really needed to get away from the house for longer periods of time and when he saw a boat advertised for sale at Caernarvon he jumped at the chance and an class='highlight'>boughtan> it.  It was an ex lifeboat called The Bembo so quite sturdy, although in need of a...

The Graveyard Shift #23

Life carried on at Hoar Cross Hall as best it could in difficult circumstances. an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>dadan> continued to go to arms and armour Fairs to buy and sell antiques and we also went to a mediaeval banquet in Cheshire one night, although it wasn’t anywhere near as good as ours! Once or twice we took an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>dadan> out with our friends to Derby, where he originated from, and that seemed to cheer him up. But he really needed to get away from the house for longer periods of time and when he saw a boat advertised for sale at Caernarvon he jumped at the chance and an class='highlight'>boughtan> it. It was an ex lifeboat called The Bembo so quite sturdy, although in need of a lick of paint and a bit of TLC. Th...

Summer Balls and Garden Parties #97

Balls and functions held at Hoar Cross Hall were lavish affairs, especially before the First World War, with the catering and other services invariably being provided by premier London companies.  In 1907, Gunter & Co of Berkeley Square, London, could supply a Ball supper and refreshments for ten shillings (50p) a head, plus 'extra services'. For a Ball Supper in January 1913, Mayfair Catering, Grosvenor Square, assured Lady Mary Meynell that they had engaged 'a superior staff of tall waiters' to attend her guests and, “.....if waiters are desired to be in Full Dress (silk stockings) the additional cost will be five shillings (25p) per man.”  They als...

Meet the Neighbours - Coombe abbey # 81

although this house isn’t quite so neighbourly to Hoar Cross Hall as the others in this series, it is loosely linked to the hall as it was the inspiration for the Mediaeval Banquets that an class='highlight'>Myan> parents ran in the 1970s.  They went along one night, to one of their banquets, to see what the format was and saw immediately how popular they were and so decided to start their own brand of banquets.  The Coombe abbey banquets were very traditional and had minstrels playing lutes etc while people ate their meal.  The entertainment too was typical of mediaeval amusement of the times and I remember an class='highlight'>Myan> parents saying it was an enjoyable night out but not terribly lively!�...