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Moving Into a Mansion #67
Posted by Viv Wilson on 15th July 1970 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,barons eden,hoar cross hall spa hotel,bonnie prince charlie,oliver twist,Council tax,donington park,mallory park,silverstone,downton abbey,meynell ingram,Meynell ingram arms pub
As summer turns to autumn my thoughts have gone back in time to 1970 when my family moved house at this time of the year - not to any old house, but to a 70-roomed stately home in Staffordshire! The whole process of moving was done over the summer months as we lived about 20 miles away in an old vicarage with a large garden and lots of outbuildings. This house was about 200 years old and they say Bonnie Prince Charlie marched past it on his way to battle back in the day, for all you history buffs out there! Actually I love history and I think my interest was fuelled by living in these historic houses as a child. My dad used to be a racing driver in the 1...
Skools out for Summer #98
Posted by Viv Wilson on 19th August 2025 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,barons eden,hoar cross hall spa hotel,downton abbey,period drama,history,ghosts,library,Spain,Majorca,greece,portugal,morroco,mediaeval banquets,bullfight,camels,stately home,my dad bought a mansion,holiday,summer
When Hugo and Emily Meynell built Hoar Cross Hall it included a whole estate with it, namely kitchen gardens, greenhouses, stables, a farm and cottages. This was quite common in those days as the estate supported the house with food etc and also gave employment to local people. Old Hall (their original home) was also on the estate and was accessed via a private road, which ran from the main road. By the time the 1970s came along the stable block and Old Hall were private houses and another part of Old Hall had been made into a children’s home. Emily Meynell had started this home in the Victorian days, calling it ‘The Home of the Good Shepherd’ but it...
Hallowe'en Hauntings #100
Posted by Viv Wilson on 29th October 2025 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall spa hotel,barons eden,ghosts,ghostbusters,Hallowe'en,paranormal activity,spooks,attic,candles,seance,ouija board,ghouls,scary,the exorcist,nightmare,All Hallows Eve,All saints day,period drama,history,downton abbey,my dad bought a mansion
Going to sleep in a big old house is quite scary when you’re young but going to sleep in a big old house that’s haunted is even more scary!! As we approach Hallowe'en my mind has gone back to that first winter at Hoar Cross Hall and all the scary things that happened - and that was without any trick or treaters in those days! We quickly realised that we weren’t the only inhabitants of the house when we moved there in the 1970s. Every time there was a windy night I could hear a window banging in the attic – all night long it kept me awake. The next day I would go upstairs to the attics to close it but there would be no windows open or even loose....
Calendar Girls and Front Covers #7
Posted by Viv Wilson on 1st January 1973 in Early Days | calendar girls,hoar cross hall,hoar cross hall blog,glamour photography,ha ha wall,staffordshire,magazine,period drama
CALENDAR GIRLS AND FRONT COVERS: Occasionally people would hire the Hall and during the summer of 1973 a photographer from London hired the place for a day. He brought two models with him, one English and one German and they were taking photos for a glamour calendar. We were told to keep right out of the way as they were taking photos in the gardens as well as the house. Naturally we wanted to see everything that was going on and Gavin especially was very keen to watch – so much so that he found a pair of binoculars to follow all the proceedings!
We managed to find all sorts of hiding places eventually settling in our attic room to keep tabs on everyt...
See You In Court! #28
Posted by Viv Wilson on 30th July 1979 in Early Days | hoar cross hall,money,business,divorce,antiques,court,barrister,solicitor,banquet,judge,Caernarfon,boat
SEE YOU IN COURT - The saga of my parents’ split continued as we grew up in our stately home, although their behaviour was anything but stately for most of the time! Seven years of arguing and fighting were about to come to an end and the solicitors had finally agreed on a date to go to court. We carried on helping my dad to run the Hall and he still went to his boat in Caernarfon at weekends to get away from the house but we were all getting weary of it now. We were young adults and wanting to get on with our own lives. After five years together we were hoping to get married at some point so we were glad that it was finally going to be sorted out one...
The Kitchen Maid's Story
Posted by Viv Wilson on 18th September 1985 in Early Days | hoar cross hall,London,cook,Paliament,debutante,second world war,1920's,servant,aristocracy
THE KITCHEN MAID’S STORY: If you were young, free and single – oh, and very well-to-do – the 1920s were the decade to be a part of. The upper classes had lots of time on their hands and enjoyed post-First World War delights such as the theatre and jazz clubs.
Not so for the lower classes, in particular a young girl who was to become the kitchen maid at Hoar Cross Hall in the 1920s. The depression after the First World War brought stark poverty to her home and many like her. Her name was Jean Rennie, and she was extremely intelligent having won a scholarship to Glasgow University to study French and music. However, the £5 bursary she g...