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Change <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> the Country House #61

Hoar Cross Hall was clearly a very different house in the Victorian era compared to today.  Like other country houses it has not been immune from the social <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> economic changes affecting all walks of life over the last hundred years. At the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837 the local l<Span class='highlight'>andSpan>owner with his country house <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> estate was the focal point of the community, often dispensing law, charity <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> education.  The estate would also provide employment for the local people <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> over fifty locals were employed on the Hoar Cross estate in the house <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> grounds plus many more on Home Farm along with carpenters, electricians <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> plumbers to keep the esta...

Hallowe'en Hauntings #100

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!!  As we approach Hallowe'en my mind has gone back to that first winter at Hoar Cross Hall <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> all the scary things that happened - <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> that was without any trick or treaters in those days!  We quickly realised that we weren’t the only inhabitants of the house when we moved there in the 1970s.  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 the attics to close it but there would be no windows open or even loose.�...

The War years <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> beyond

...became a <Span class='highlight'>HotelSpan> <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> Spa in 1990 with a swimming pool in exactly the same location as where the monks were going to put theirs! <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> so onto 1970 when my family bought the Hall.  Apparently my dad had seen a notice about the contents sale of Dr Gillies in 1963, <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> had shown an interest in the Hall back then.  I imagine my mother said ‘No’ as she had two small children at that time!  Mrs Meynell had kept his phone number <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> rang him up in 1969 to see if he was still interested in buying the Hall after the monks had left. He turned up at the estate agents wearing overalls <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> driving his van - the agents, needless to say, didn't take him seriouly!  The ne...

Get me to the church on time! #30

...My dad was having to move out of Hoar Cross Hall <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> we had decided to bring our wedding forward so we that we could get married in the church in the grounds <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> then have the reception afterwards in the Hall, which was after all our family home. The wedding preparations were going quite well <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> as we knew lots of musicians it wasn’t hard to find a local b<Span class='highlight'>andSpan> <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> a DJ to do the disco. A friend of my dad’s offered to do the catering <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> the bar was set up with plenty of kegs from the local brewery in Burton on Trent. I had two bridesmaids <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> we all went to Birmingham one day to choose our dresses <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> shoes – it was all kept very simple really as I had no...

Royal Visitors at Hoar Cross Hall #20

...From earliest times the King's court has traveled around the kingdom so the King could see first h<Span class='highlight'>andSpan> what was happening in his realm. When the King showed up, the local subjects were expected to provide food, entertainment, <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> accommodations in the form of mediaeval banquets.  For the King or Queen's subjects this could be very expensive <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> not all royalty was welcome! However, this was the only way that people could see their King or Queen <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> know that they were real. Fast forward from the twelve century to the 21st century <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> royals are still touring the country so their subjects can 'see them <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> believe in them'. Although I published this blog in June...

Ghostbusters #8

...GHOSTBUSTERS! Later on in the year of 1973 a couple of professional ghost hunters asked to stay over one night to try <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> source the noises we heard in the attic.  They brought cases full of recording equipment <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> set it all up in one of the attic rooms.  Rather them than me I thought!  Then I had a brilliant idea <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> went off to tell Gavin all about it.  As mentioned in my first blog the attic <Span class='highlight'>andSpan> basement had a row of bells which the family used to summon the servants.  Before the men arrived we spent all day trying out all the bells to see which ones were which.  We found that one of the bell pulls in the Chase Dressing Room made one of the bells in th...