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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 haunted house is even more scary!! That first winter at Hoar Cross HAll was like that. The attic rooms were on the floor above our bedrooms – there were about fifteen rooms which had been used for the servant girls to sleep in. 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 those d...

Huntin', Shootin' and Fishin' #6

HUNTIN’, SHOOTIN’ AND FISHIN’ 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 take part in any of these activities but 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, us...

Skools out for Summer! #58

When Hugo and Emily Meynell built Hoar Cross HAll they also included on their estate kitchen gardens, greenhouses, stables, a farm and cottages. 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 seventies 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 was for boys only at that time. When we were there it was a mixed home and run by a husband and wife couple. They used to have fetes t...

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 d...

Christmas High Jinks!

CHRISTMAS HIGH JINKS:     The sounds of La Golondrina floated through the air as Viv sat at the grand piano.  How pleased she was that someone had asked them to look after this fine musical instrument for a few months.  Having learned to play when she was younger, this gave Viv the opportunity to brush up on her skills as a pianist and she was thoroughly enjoying it.  The piano was in the Library and suited the room perfectly.  She could hear her father and an antique dealer talking in the Long GAllery as they haggled over the price of a painting that he was selling.  Viv gazed out of the window as she played and thought back to the Midsummer’s Eve Bal...

Motor Racing days #8

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 C...