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Gardeners' World at Hoar Cross #39

GARDENERS’ WORLD AT HOAR CROSS:    In it’s heyday Hoar Cross Hall had around 28 people employed to keep the 20 acres of grounds tidy and weed free. In Victorian England the most common of all male servants was the gardener. At Hoar Cross the head gardener had numerous under-gardeners known affectionately as ‘digging slaves’! They were responsible for producing fruit, vegetables and growing luxury items in and out of season, much of it under glass. Adjacent to the house was the carp pool and greenhouse area along with a palm house; next to these was a walled kitchen garden. This supplied the house with all its fruit, vegetables and herbs. The palm house...

Meet the Neighbours - Shugborough Hall #80

The next house in this series is a mere half hour from Hoar Cross Hall and we often visited it during the summer months and later, when my children were born, we’d take them for a visit too!  Seated on the edge of Cannock Chase this elegant house was once a manor house owned by the Bishops of Lichfield, until the dissolution of the monasteries around 1540.  Later it came into the hands of the Anson family, who were ancestors of the Earls of Lichfield, and stayed there for three centuries.  William Anson’s grandson, also called William, demolished the manor house in 1693 and built a three storey building in the Neo-Classical style which forms the central p...

See you in Court #28

...me in the Meynell Arms, the local pub in the village.  When we walked in of an evening, everyone was keen to know the latest updates on the divorce and we would spend half an hour telling them all the news – it was like a real life soap opera!  On Tuesday nights a bunch of the local businessmen would all meet up for a drink.  These men were all middle aged, respectable professionals but on a Tuesday night they turned into a bunch of mad men!  We loved it of course, being young and wanting to forget our miserable home life – what better way than a bit of madness?   And so, after quite a few drinks, these guys would decide to take sides and have a fight....

The Graveyard Shift #23

...pub, the Meynell Arms. There was always a good atmosphere here, unlike at home, and the landlord at that time was quite a character. His idea of fun was to tell everyone there was free beer that night and when we all clamoured to the bar he would throw all the slops over us! Eventually people got the idea not to wear their good clothes when going for a night out in the Meynell! Another one of his tricks was to turn the clock back at closing time (11pm in those days) so he could go on serving. Many a late night was spent there until the Police raided the pub one evening. The quick thinking landlord switched the power off as the Police groped around in the dark w...

Moving On #35

...MOVING ON – THE END OF AN ERA:      And so, after ten years of growing up and living in a stately home, I have come to the end of my story. After my parents’ divorce it was agreed that my mum bought out my dad's half of the house and he had to leave his dream home forever. He and Gavin moved out to live in Burton-on-Trent and my mum carried on running Mediaeval Banquets for a few more years. She and the singer eventually got together much to my dad’s chagrin. The singer spent a lot more time at the Hall helping my mum run the banquets; however, Piers didn’t really get on with him. When he was about 14 years old my dad received a phone call from Piers...

The Graveyard Shift #23

...pub, the Meynell Arms. There was always a good atmosphere here, unlike at home, and the landlord at that time was quite a character. His idea of fun was to tell everyone there was free beer that night and when we all clamoured to the bar he would throw all the slops over us! Eventually people got the idea not to wear their good clothes when going for a night out in the Meynell! Another one of his tricks was to turn the clock back at closing time (11pm in those days) so he could go on serving. Many a late night was spent there until the Police raided the pub one evening. The quick thinking landlord switched the power off as the Police groped around in the dark w...