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The life and times of an upper class family #42

On 11th august 1863, Hugo Francis Meynell an class='highlight'>inan>gram married the Hon. Emily Charlotte, daughter of Sir Charles Wood, Bart, afterwards 1st Viscount Halifax. The Woods were an old gentry family, for many centuries respectable York merchants. They were later to turn grand upon the discovery of coal beneath their ancestral estates. This was the great Barnsley field, with several hundred acres of Britaan class='highlight'>inan>'s deepest and fan class='highlight'>inan>est coal. Sir Charles Wood was created 1st Viscount Halifax an class='highlight'>inan> 1866 and had a very distan class='highlight'>inan>guished political career. The family seats of Garrowby, Pocklan class='highlight'>inan>gton and Hickleton (where Emily was born) had been acquired by his father from the Wentworth family; t...

The Grand Openan class='highlight'>inan>g #5

THE GRaND OPENan class='highlight'>inan>G:     and so we move an class='highlight'>inan>to 1971 and the preparation of Hoar Cross Hall so we could open it to the public by Easter. Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the run up to buyan class='highlight'>inan>g the house my dad had been buyan class='highlight'>inan>g furniture, carpets and paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>gs like crazy and I remember our previous home bean class='highlight'>inan>g jam packed with chaise longues, sideboards and carved chests as well as all the suits of armour that he already had. This furniture was now set out an class='highlight'>inan> all the rooms. My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display an class='highlight'>inan> the Ballroom as well as my dad’s collection of silver plated ‘display’ armour, which hung around the panelled walls; the suits of armour and the many paan class='highlight'>inan>ti...

The Grand Openan class='highlight'>inan>g #5

  a few months after movan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> preparations at Hoar Cross Hall were goan class='highlight'>inan>g well, so that we could open it to the public by Easter.  Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the run up to buyan class='highlight'>inan>g the house my dad had been buyan class='highlight'>inan>g furniture, carpets and paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>gs like crazy and I remember our previous home bean class='highlight'>inan>g jam packed with chaise longues, sideboards and carved chests as well as all the suits of armour that he already had. This furniture was now set out an class='highlight'>inan> all the rooms. My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display an class='highlight'>inan> the Ballroom as well as my dad’s collection of silver plated ‘display’ armour, which hung around the panelled walls; the suits of armour and the many paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>...

Ghostbusters! #8

GHOSTBUSTERS! People were always coman class='highlight'>inan>g to Hoar Cross Hall to either hire the place or to have a look around. an class='highlight'>inan> 1973, because of all the media an class='highlight'>inan>terest an class='highlight'>inan> our ghosts, we had a couple of professional ghost hunters askan class='highlight'>inan>g to stay over one night to try and fan class='highlight'>inan>d the source of the noises. They brought cases full of recordan class='highlight'>inan>g equipment and set it all up an class='highlight'>inan> one of the attic rooms. Rather them than me I thought! Then I had a brilliant idea and went off to tell my brother Gavan class='highlight'>inan> all about it. as mentioned an class='highlight'>inan> my first blog the attic and basement had a row of bells which the family used to summon the servants. Before the three men arrived we spent all day tryan class='highlight'>inan>g out all t...

Race Day Parties! #25

My dad used to be a racan class='highlight'>inan>g driver so he was often an class='highlight'>inan>vited to parties and open days at various racan class='highlight'>inan>g circuits. He naturally knew lots of racan class='highlight'>inan>g people and on this particular occasion he was an class='highlight'>inan>vited to an Open Day at Donan class='highlight'>inan>gton Park. Tom Wheatcroft, a local entrepreneur, had bought Donan class='highlight'>inan>gton Park an class='highlight'>inan> the 1970s as he owned the largest collection of Grand Prix cars an class='highlight'>inan> the world at that time. an class='highlight'>inan> 1973 he opened a museum there to house them all and called it the Donan class='highlight'>inan>gton Grand Prix Exhibition.  This sadly closed an class='highlight'>inan> 2018. Donan class='highlight'>inan>gton became the favoured home of the British round of the MotoGP motorcyclan class='highlight'>inan>g championships but he was really hopan class='highlight'>inan>g to bran class='highlight'>inan>g Formula 1 racan class='highlight'>inan>g b...

Panto Pranks! #30

Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the 1970s Hoar Cross Hall was used from time to time for local community activities and one such event was the production an class='highlight'>inan> 1978 of a traditional pantomime, ‘Midnight and a Journey back to Happan class='highlight'>inan>ess’. It was written by local people, Robert Leighton from Yoxall and the Hon. alexandra Meynell, daughter-an class='highlight'>inan>-law of Mrs Jean Meynell whom we had purchased the Hall from. The words and music were written by local songwriter, David Matthews, who had written songs for quite a few pop artists duran class='highlight'>inan>g the 1960s, his most famous bean class='highlight'>inan>g Matt Munro’s ‘We’re gonna change the world’. So off to a good start there! For those of you who don’t reside an class='highlight'>inan> the UK an...