Story Search Results

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. Baby bats in the light fitting!   Don’t mis...

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! 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...

The History of Temple Newsam #37

...In 1782, Hugo Meynell's grandfather, Hugo Meynell of Quorndon, the 'father of fox hunting', married the Hon. Elizabeth Ingram Shepheard.  She was the daughter of Charles Ingram, 9th Viscount Irwin and Lord Ingram.  The family seat was Temple Newsam in Yorkshire and this was how the Hoar Cross Meynell family became associated with this great house.  Through this marriage of Hugo and Elizabeth, the Meynell family also inherited the Ingram estates in Lincolnshire, acquired by Sir Arthur Ingram in the first half of the 17th century.    In 1793 Hugo bought the Hoar Cross estate and built a hunting lodge which was known as Old Hall. Hugo and Elizabeth had six ch...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #45

...This week I’ve done a history blog about the servants who lived at the Hall from the 1870s to the 1950s when the Hall became empty. They were an essential part of keeping a big house running but were often not appreciated by the aristocracy as they went about their day to day duties. The life of a servant in Victorian times was a hard one. They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all the fires and dust and polish the floors, then do a day’s work, often not getting to bed much before midnight. No wonder they didn’t live to a great age in those days! By the end of the 19th century there were nearly one and a half million servants; most young girls went in...

Things that go bump in the night! #3

...shing our mansion If you would like to follow my story from the beginning click here              ...

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: Calen...