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New Year jinks! #11

NEW YEAR JINKS!       The New Year’s Eve Balls at the Hall were usually the highlight of the year.  After twelve months of hard work, especially running the Mediaeval Banquets twice a week throughout 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 <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> long dresses for the ladies – usually around 500 people bought tickets for an evening of entertainment with a dance b<Span class='highlight'>andSpan>, disco <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> a meal.  At midnight a man dressed in traditional Scottish regalia, including a kilt <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> sporran, would pipe in the new year with his bagpipes.  Down the Long Gallery he would slowly...

Christmas High Jinks!

CHRISTMAS HIGH JINKS:     The sounds of La Golondrina floated through the air as Viv sat at the gr<Span class='highlight'>andSpan> 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 <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> she was thoroughly enjoying it.  The piano was in the Library <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> suited the room perfectly.  She could hear her father <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> 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 <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> thought back to the Midsummer’s Eve Bal...

A New Year Calamity! #30

A NEW YEAR CALAMITY!       The New Year’s Eve Balls at the 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 <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> long dresses for the ladies – usually around 500 people bought tickets for an evening of entertainment with a dance b<Span class='highlight'>andSpan>, disco <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> a meal. At midnight a man dressed in traditional Scottish regalia, including a kilt <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> sporran, would pipe in the new year with his bagpipes. Down the Long Gallery he would slowly walk...

WHODUNIT IN THE LIBRARY? #25

WHODUNIT IN THE LIBRARY? When we first moved to the Hall. growing up in a stately home seemed an idyllic way to live – <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> lots of fun if you’re a child.  This rambling old house full of empty rooms <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> secret doors, wild gardens <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> 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 <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> lack of public transport was frustrating.  Coupled with this was my parents fighting <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> subsequent split, living at each end of the house <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> battling for the house <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> business through their solicitors. The effect this had on me, as the eldest child who perhaps saw more o...

Ventures New #9

VENTURES NEW!       We were now in our third year at Hoar Cross Hall <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> our lives were always busy keeping on top of the weeds <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> general upkeep of the house. My dad expected us children to help as much as possible, which we hated, <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> much of our time was spent trying to hide from him to get out of doing the chores. But sometimes we didn’t mind <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> we happily pulled an old trolley into the woods every now <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> then to collect wood for the fires <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> sometimes as a family we would spend a day clearing parts of the woods <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> grounds. My mum had hired a lady from the village to help with the housework <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> we had also taken on a retired chap called Mr Hickman...

Hysterical Productions #16

By the end of 1974 we had done about 40 banquets at Hoar Cross Hall <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> they were still going strong. Most of the original cast were still with us but we were on our second King now <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> also doing our own catering <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> bar, instead of an outside firm coming in.  Every weekend over 200 people came to sample our Noble Brose, Roast Lambe <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> Saracen’s Delight <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> sing along to ‘I’m Henry VIII’ whilst drinking beer, wine <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> mead. But it was a very adult environment for 15 year old girls to work in; a few of my school friends also worked at the banquets as wenches <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> we were constantly being chatted up by men who bought us drinks all evening (even though w...