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Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #45

...ll in the seventies, when we were open to the public, quite a few of the servants came to look around and told us their stories of what they had done and what it was like living there in the early part of the century. Most of them agreed that it was hard work and it’s clear that life below stairs was very different to life above. For most servants it was an accepted way of life, and for many, unavoidable. Don’t miss next week’s instalment:  'Halifax Estates - Garrowby' If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends. Follow me on a personal tour of my childhood home on YouTube.  OUT...

Hoar Cross Hall - A bit of History #54

...ss in the seventies. It is now a nursing home. The old stables as they look today   Emily also owned a house in Eaton Square, London, a villa in Florence and a yacht called 'Ariadne' which was a fully-crewed schooner of 380 tons with over 20 staff on it. She also had a small chapel made on the yacht and would often take her local vicar on trips with her so they could hold services for her and the crew. Every spring she would go on a cruise around the Mediterranean and sometimes across to the Netherlands and Germany. She loved painting and would spend much of her time doing water colours along with collecting beautiful objects to decorate the Hall and the...

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...

THE RENOVATIONS BEGIN #4

...t was the seventies!  The Damask Room was to be open to the public and had actual damask material on the walls in a beautiful gold colour.  Likewise, the Hessian Room had – you’ve guessed it – hessian on the walls, which was rather like sackcloth and not too attractive but hard wearing no doubt!  We used this room as an office and general storage space but mainly only used the lounge as it was the warmest room in the house!  Once we moved downstairs it meant that we had to climb the main staircase to go to our bedrooms on the first floor.  This was like something out of Mission Impossible.  Because we didn’t want to leave lights on we had to switc...

SKOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER! #13

...SKOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER! When Hugo and Emily Meynell built the Hall it included a whole estate with it, namely 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 co...

Hoar Cross Hall - a bit of history! #14

...ss in the seventies.  It is now a nursing home. The Long Gallery The Library  Emily also owned a house in London, a villa in Florence and a yacht, which was a fully-crewed schooner of 380 tons with over 20 staff on it.  She also had a small chapel made on the yacht and would often take her local vicar on trips with her so they could hold services for her and the crew.  Every spring she would go on a cruise around the Mediterranean and sometimes across to the Netherlands and Germany.  She loved painting and would spend much of her time doing water colours along with collecting beautiful objects to decorate the Hall and the Church of th...