Story Search Results

What the Butler Saw! #37

...use - the story goes that when the butler went down to the wine cellar to fetch more wine for the party, he heard a lot of giggling.  When he peeked  through the door he saw one of the young gentleman of the house in a passionate embrace with one of the housemaids!  Let’s hope the butler didn't see anything else!   Don’t miss next week’s instalment:   'Gardeners World at Hoar Cross'   If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends. Follow me around my childhood home in my 'Tour of the Hall' – click here to view and subscribe to my youtube channel. OUT NOW!!!  'My Dad Bough...

Things that go bump in the night #3

...maid. The story goes that she had left her post to meet up with the footman and while she was gone the child had had a fit and died. We found her grave in the local churchyard – I think she was about 8 years old. All very sad but it didn’t stop me being absolutely terrified every time I went to bed. Climbing the huge staircase at night on my own, often using a torch to save leaving the lights on, was no fun! Walking along the bedroom corridor knowing there were all those dark empty rooms nearby, well, your imagination runs wild I can tell you! This is what our den looked like   Gavin and I had turned one of the attic rooms into a ‘den’ for us to...

An Edwardian Schoolroom Maid #40

...For the first 75 years of Hoar Cross Hall’s history about 50 servants were employed by the Meynell family in the house and grounds. Among these was a young girl of fifteen who started work in 1920 as a Schoolroom Maid. Her name was Miss Inez Sophia Large and she had connections to Hoar Cross through her grand-parents, William and Mary Tooth, who lived in the village where William was the blacksmith; his smithy was just along from the Meynell public house. He had worked on the ironwork of the Hall during its construction in the 1860s. Inez’s aunt, Constance Madeley, was the wife of the landlord at the Buffalo Inn, in nearby Newborough, and it was through her...

Anyone for tennis? #62

...g a funny story about when they moved out of the Hall to a smaller house in the neighbouring village.  Apparently her husband had come home one day to tell her he’d bought the house (without even consulting her) and the reason was that it had hard tennis courts, 'so much better than our grass ones' he told her!  How different things were in those days – however, the servants were very pleased about the move as it meant less rooms to clean! And also less mowing now that they had hard courts!   Don't miss next week's instalment:  'Rags to riches'   If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, please click here and feel free to share with...

Victorian Fashions #95

...s another story!   Don't miss next month's blog:  'Summer Balls and Garden Parties'   If you’d like to follow my story from the beginning, please click here and feel free to share with your friends. Follow me around my childhood home in my 'Tour of the Hall' – click here to view and subscribe to my YouTube channel.   OUT NOW!!!  'My Dad Bought a Mansion' is out in book form on Amazon - all my memoirs packed with lots of photographs from the times.  Go check it out and let me know what you think! Would make a great summer read !      ...

Anyone for Tennis? #96

...g a funny story about when they moved out of the Hall to a smaller house in the neighbouring village.  Apparently her husband had come home one day to tell her he’d bought the house (without even consulting her) and the reason was that it had hard tennis courts, 'so much better than our grass ones' he told her!  How different things were in those days – however, the servants were very pleased about the move as it meant less rooms to clean! And also less mowing now that they had hard courts!   Don't miss next month's blog:  'Summer Balls and Garden Parties'   If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, please click here and feel free t...