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Rags to Riches #15

My family origan class='highlight'>inan>ated from Derby and my parents were married there an class='highlight'>inan> July 1952. Mum was 19 and dad was 36 so quite a bit older. They both lived an class='highlight'>inan> Derby and were very arty; my dad went to the Derby Sketchan class='highlight'>inan>g Club an class='highlight'>inan> his free time and my mum attended art college. I’m not sure where they met but it was either at somethan class='highlight'>inan>g art related or at a dance, as was usual an class='highlight'>inan> those days. My dad was a sculptor by trade; I than class='highlight'>inan>k his an class='highlight'>inan>terest was sparked by seean class='highlight'>inan>g all the beautiful alabaster an class='highlight'>inan> Italian churches duran class='highlight'>inan>g the war. after the war he set up his own busan class='highlight'>inan>ess makan class='highlight'>inan>g alabaster lamps, bowls and candlesticks among other than class='highlight'>inan>gs (see header picture). He would go to the alab...

Skools out for summer! #14

...) and for an class='highlight'>livan class='highlight'>inan>gan> an class='highlight'>inan> a stately home. (This was from the teachers too!)   My concentration was awful and I tended to daydream a lot, then I wouldn’t know what was goan class='highlight'>inan>g on an class='highlight'>inan> the lessons.  as a child my maths was terrible so my mum got a private tutor an class='highlight'>inan> to help me out.  If I didn’t know the answer to a question I would just ‘clam up’ and not speak – this particular time was too much for the tutor and he lost his temper and beat me with his ruler until my legs were black and blue.  Needless to say, he was asked to leave and not come back – imagan class='highlight'>inan>e what would happen to him nowadays!  The teachers at school would often hit the kids over the head wi...

Hickleton Hall and the Meynells #38

...This lovely Grade II listed Georgian house an class='highlight'>inan> South Yorkshire was once the childhood home of The Honourable Emily Charlotte Meynell who married Hugo Meynell of Hoar Cross and who, together with Hugo, built Hoar Cross Hall to be their family home an class='highlight'>inan> 1873, a hundred years before my family lived there.  The origan class='highlight'>inan>al house was called Hickleton Palace and had been built for Judge Francis Rodes an class='highlight'>inan> the 16th century but an class='highlight'>inan> 1745 Hickleton Hall was built just to the south of this house after the estate was bought by Godfrey Wentworth an class='highlight'>inan> about 1730. Thirty years later he extended the house and added two low wan class='highlight'>inan>gs, one either side, and a servants wan class='highlight'>inan>g (see header picture)...

Victorian Society #93

...Victorian society was built around Queen Victoria’s reign, loosely between 1820-1914.  It was characterised by a class-based society and Britaan class='highlight'>inan> bean class='highlight'>inan>g the most powerful empire an class='highlight'>inan> the world. Hoar Cross Hall was built an class='highlight'>inan> 1870, at the height of the Victorian era, and boasted up to seventy rooms, twenty-five of them for the servants, approximately fifteen for the kitchens and utility areas, leavan class='highlight'>inan>g around thirty rooms for the family and their guests.  Duran class='highlight'>inan>g this time a lot of people, particularly women, went an class='highlight'>inan>to domestic service and the Housekeeper at the Hall earned about £50 a year, while a housemaid earned £15 a year – quite the difference!  By all ac...

Skools out for summer! #12

...) and for an class='highlight'>livan class='highlight'>inan>gan> an class='highlight'>inan> a stately home. (This was from the teachers too!) My concentration was awful and I tended to daydream a lot, then I wouldn’t know what was goan class='highlight'>inan>g on an class='highlight'>inan> the lessons. as a child my maths was terrible so my mum got a private tutor an class='highlight'>inan> to help me out. If I didn’t know the answer to a question I would just ‘clam up’ and not speak – this particular time was too much for the tutor and he lost his temper and beat me with his ruler until my legs were black and blue. Needless to say, he was asked to leave and not come back – imagan class='highlight'>inan>e what would happen to him nowadays! The teachers at school would often hit the kids over the head with books or...

Royal Visitors at Hoar Cross Hall #20

...From earliest times the Kan class='highlight'>inan>g's court has traveled around the kan class='highlight'>inan>gdom so the Kan class='highlight'>inan>g could see first hand what was happenan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> his realm. When the Kan class='highlight'>inan>g showed up, the local subjects were expected to provide food, entertaan class='highlight'>inan>ment, and accommodations an class='highlight'>inan> the form of mediaeval banquets.  For the Kan class='highlight'>inan>g or Queen's subjects this could be very expensive and not all royalty was welcome! However, this was the only way that people could see their Kan class='highlight'>inan>g or Queen and know that they were real. Fast forward from the twelve century to the 21st century and royals are still touran class='highlight'>inan>g the country so their subjects can 'see them and believe an class='highlight'>inan> them'. although I published this blog an class='highlight'>inan> June...