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Suits you Sir! #22

SUITS YOU SIR!      When we moved to Hoar Cross Hall in 1970 the organ in the private chapel wasn’t working as the house had been empty for 20 years. It was such a shame as it had been designed by Bodley, the famous organ maker of the 19th century. The chapel itself had been added about 25 years after the house was built at the staggering cost of just under £1000! When one of the visitors to the house said he could fix the organ, my dad readily agreed. This chap really loved organs <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> volunteered his services free of charge just for the love of mending this musical work of art; my dad was over the moon! Alas, after removing all the pipes <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> laying them o...

Coming Of Age #21

COMING OF AGE:  My year at college had come to an end <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> I was now a fully fledged secretary.  Now to find a job!  It didn’t take too long as there was plenty of employment around in those days <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> I was soon offered a position with a small engineering firm in Burton.  As I didn’t drive there was still the problem of me getting to work <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> dad managed to talk the residents of the apartments into taking me, as they were going to Burton every day as well, <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> it would save him coming out twice a day!  Kev <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> the b<Span class='highlight'>andSpan> were getting a few gigs around the area <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> after singing with them for a little while I gave it up <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> let a more professional singer ta...

Ventures New! #10

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 to do som...

Eat, Drink & Be Merry #11

By 1973 we had been at Hoar Cross Hall for 3 years <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> our lives were always busy, by keeping on top of the weeds <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> with the 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 to do so...

The Tax Man Cometh #29

My parents’ court case was finally over <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> my dad had six months to leave the family home, Hoar Cross Hall. In the meantime my mum had to find the funds to buy him out <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> he had to find another house to live in. He also had an awful lot of stuff to move too! He eventually found a house in nearby Burton-on-Trent but as it was obviously a lot smaller he had to get rid of a lot of his possessions <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> one of the first things to go was his Lotus Elite. He advertised it in the local paper but instead of getting a phone call from a likely buyer, the first call was from the local tax office. Back in those days they used to check advertisements in the newSpapers <Span class='highlight'>andSpan>...

Hysterical Productions! #13

HYSTERICAL PRODUCTIONS:     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, whereas when we first started, we had a catering firm in to do it all.  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 bein...