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Alice - the ghost in the mirror #26

In 1865 Lewis Carroll wrote another story about Alice following on from ‘Alice in Wonderland’. It was called ‘Alice through the Looking Glass’. In this story Alice climbs onto the mantlepiece over the fireplace in her lounge and finds that she can climb through the mirror into another world which is reversed, just like a reflection. Once again, she encounters strange figures in a world dominated by a chess set and nursery rhyme characters, among others. But what inspired Lewis Carroll to write about a little girl having lots of adventures? In the 1850s Charles Dodgson (Carroll’s real name) studied at Christ Church in Oxford. A new dean, Henry Liddell,...

Meet the Neighbours - Blithfield Hall #78

...wners had lots of money in the bank to pay the taxes due.  Soon, lots of these houses were being demolished or sold off or the family just left them to rot away while they found somewhere smaller to live.  This was, in fact, why my own home, Hoar Cross Hall, had been unlived in for many years as the family had moved to a smaller house.  Gone were the days of Victorian exuberance! The Great Hall   In 1959 Lord Bagot sold Blithfield Hall at an auction for £12,000 – and was bought by his wife, Nancy, Lady Bagot!  That’s one way to keep it in the family!  In 1986 the Hall was made into four separate houses with the Great Hall and main part of the h...

Christmas High Jinks! #31

...ards with lots of food, mince pies and mulled wine along with a group of bell-ringers to finish off the evening. The thought of nice Christmas fare was enough to mollify them but they were already thinking up tricks they could play on the unsuspecting parishoners! The day of the Carol Service arrived and as they approached the church Gavin and Viv went to show their mother where the grave was. But as they got nearer they couldn’t find it. “How strange,” said Viv. “I’m sure it was here, just round the corner from the front door!” They looked around but couldn’t see anything but overgrown grass and crooked headstones. Their mother bustled them int...

The Haunting of Hoar Cross Hall #32

...nose and lots of curly hair – if she didn’t know any better she could have sworn that it was Alice! A giggle erupted behind her and as she turned she saw Alice standing by one of the secret doors. “Hello,” said Viv. “Do you want to play?” Alice smiled and ran through the door. Viv followed close behind but as she emerged from the doorway into the Ballroom Alice was nowhere to be seen. “Hey, are you hiding Alice? Do you want to play hide and seek?” called Viv. She looked at all the Victorian costumes that were on display in the Ballroom and wondered if she was hiding behind one of the large dresses, but a quick look round revealed nothing. All...

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...

Motor Racing Days #9

...contained lots of free food and drink which is great when you’re a kid – and my dad would always help himself to free bottles of champagne which he said he was keeping for me when I got married! But that’s another story! When Gavin was older my dad encouraged him to race too and he went on to run his own World Championship Team travelling all over the world. He also took Piers go-kart racing at nearby Chasewater Park in Cannock – more about that in future blogs!   Don’t miss next week’s instalment:   'Ventures New'   If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends.  Follo...