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Motor Racing Days #9

MOTOR RACING DAYS Although my blogs are about living at Hoar Cross HAll, I would just like to give a bit of background about my dad’s racing career in the years leading up to moving to the HAll as this will set the scene for later instalments of my story. As mentioned in my first blog my dad used to be a racing driver but he actuAlly started off racing motor cycles in the 1930s. Because of this he became a despatch rider during the Second World War and spent a lot of time in North Africa. After the war he started racing motor bikes at nearby Donington Park and he raced there up to the beginning of the 1950s. After that he moved onto cars and drove a Cooper 5...

Hoar Cross HAll - a bit of history #14

Hoar Cross was part of Needwood Forest, the 11th century lands of Henry de Ferrers. The land was passed down to Henry’s son and subsequent various people over the course of 500 years ending with the Webb family, around the 1730s, who bought the land and house known as the Manor of the Cross. This was quite a large house built on a hill near YoxAll (which is the village next to Hoar Cross). In 1740 the manor house was demolished and later the Hon. Charles Talbot bought the estate for £17,000. EventuAlly it was sold to Hugo Meynell, who already owned huge amounts of property All over the county. This branch of the Meynell family originated from Leicestershire,...

Panto Pranks! #30

During the 1970s Hoar Cross HAll was used from time to time for local community activities and one such Event was the production in 1978 of a traditional pantomime, ‘Midnight and a Journey back to Happiness’. It was written by local people, Robert Leighton from YoxAll and the Hon. Alexandra Meynell, daughter-in-law of Mrs Jean Meynell whom we had purchased the HAll from. The words and music were written by local songwriter, David Matthews, who had written songs for quite a few pop artists during the 1960s, his most famous being Matt Munro’s ‘We’re gonna change the world’. So off to a good start there! For those of you who don’t reside in the UK an...

Hoar Cross HAll - A bit of History #54

Hoar Cross was part of Needwood Forest, the 11th century lands of Henry de Ferrers. The land was passed down to Henry’s son and subsequent various people over the course of 500 years ending with the Webb family, around the 1730s, who bought the land and house known as the Manor of the Cross. This was quite a large house built on a hill near YoxAll (which is the village next to Hoar Cross). In 1740 the manor house was demolished and later the Hon. Charles Talbot bought the estate for £17,000. EventuAlly it was sold to Hugo Meynell, who already owned huge amounts of property All over the county and was now about to add another one to his portfolio. This branch...

Motor Racing Days #64

Although my blogs are about living at Hoar Cross HAll, I would just like to give a bit of background about my dad’s motor racing career in the years leading up to moving to the HAll as this will set the scene for later instalments of my story.  With the Silverstone Grand Prix recently in the news, I thought this would be quite topical! As mentioned my dad used to be a motor racing driver but he actuAlly started off racing motor cycles in the 1930s.  Because of this he became a despatch rider during the Second World War and spent a lot of time in North Africa.  After the war he started racing motor bikes at nearby Donington Park and he raced there up to the...

Things That Go Bump In The Night! #3

  THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT: 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!!  That first winter at the HAll was like that.  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 close it but there would be no windows open or Even loose.   They were All tightly shut as they had been for 20 years.  I remember standing there in the attic rooms, the hairs prickling the back of my neck and quickly legging it back downstairs!  On other nights I would hear peopl...