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THE GRAND OPENING #5

THE GRAND OPENING: And so into 1971 and the preparation of the house so we could open it to the public by Easter.  During the run up to buying the house my dad had been buying furniture, carpets and paintings like  crazy and I remember our previous home being jam packed with chaise longues, sideboards and carved chests as well as all the arms and armour that he already had.  This furniture was now set out in all the rooms.  The Long Gallery My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display in the Ballroom as well as my dad’s collection of silver plated ‘display’ armour, which hung around the panelled walls; the suits of armour and the m...

DIY Stately Home #4

We moved into Hoar Cross Hall during the summer holidays and my parents quickly realised they had a lot of work on their hands to make the place habitable as well as to earn some money from it. As previously mentioned, there was an East Wing and a West Wing to the house. My dad decided to convert the first floor rooms of each wing into three separate apartments; he had done this at our previous house. This would generate income from rents until we got the main house open to the public. It wasn’t a big job to convert the rooms as the East Wing had four main rooms and two bathrooms already there, which would have been used as guest bedrooms in Victorian times. H...

Home fit for a King #53

...istory of Hoar Cross Hall' If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends.Follow me on a personal tour of my childhood home on YouTube.OUT NOW!!  'My Dad Bought a Mansion' book is available on Amazon.  ...

Join Me On A Video Tour Of My Old Home! Hoar Cross Hall

...old home, Hoar Cross Hall, to make a video of the house to show you what it looks like now. First of all I wish to thank the current owners and mangement for allowing me to do this, and also I have to say how pleased I was to find that the main house is not much different to how it was when I lived there! However, it was especially pleasing to see how amazing the gardens now look, much how they would have done back in the Victorian times! I really enjoyed visiting the house again and hope the video tour will bring my blogs to life as you follow me around!  Enjoy the vlog…….    Don't forget to subscribe to my channel!  ...

Moving Day Arrives #2

...My parents took vacant possession of Hoar Cross Hall in 1970 and the whole process of moving house was done over the summer months. 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 1950s and before that he did motorcycle racing, often at nearby Donnington Park. During the 1960s he ran his own team, Shardlow Motor R...

Huntin', Shootin' and Fishin' #6

...Most stately homes have the obligatory hunting, shooting and fishing and Hoar Cross Hall was no exception during the Meynell family’s time there. We didn't participate in any of these but, however, the Meynell and South Staffs Hunt used to meet locally to do a spot of fox hunting. They would all gather at different venues around the area and enjoy a drink before setting off. One of their usual places was the Meynell Ingram Arms Public House at the bottom of the village. In February 1972 they had their ‘meet’ at the Hall. We, as the host family, got all dressed up to meet and greet them and local helpers served drinks, usually sherry. I had no interest in h...