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Than class='highlight'>inan>gs that go bump an class='highlight'>inan> the night #3

THan class='highlight'>inan>GS THaT GO BUMP an class='highlight'>inan> THE NIGHT!     Goan class='highlight'>inan>g to sleep an class='highlight'>inan> a big old house is quite scary when you’re young but goan class='highlight'>inan>g to sleep an class='highlight'>inan> a big old house that’s haunted is even more scary!! That first wan class='highlight'>inan>ter at Hoar Cross Hall was like that. Every time there was a wan class='highlight'>inan>dy night I could hear a wan class='highlight'>inan>dow bangan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> the attic – all night long it kept me awake. The next day I would go upstairs to close it but there would be no wan class='highlight'>inan>dows open or even loose. They were all tightly shut as they had been for 20 years. I remember standan class='highlight'>inan>g there an class='highlight'>inan> the attic rooms feelan class='highlight'>inan>g a tan class='highlight'>inan>glan class='highlight'>inan>g down my span class='highlight'>inan>e and goose bumps all over as I felt the atmosphere closan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> on me - and I quickly leg...

The Graveyard Shift #23

THE GRaVEYaRD SHIFT:      Life carried on at Hoar Cross Hall as best it could an class='highlight'>inan> difficult circumstances. My dad contan class='highlight'>inan>ued to go to arms and armour Fairs to buy and sell antiques and we also went to a mediaeval banquet an class='highlight'>inan> Cheshire one night, although it wasn’t anywhere near as good as ours! Once or twice we took my dad out with our friends to Derby, where he origan class='highlight'>inan>ated from, and that seemed to cheer him up. But he really needed to get away from the house for longer periods of time and when he saw a boat advertised for sale at Caernarvon he decided to buy it. It was an ex lifeboat called The Bembo so quite sturdy, although an class='highlight'>inan> need of a lick of paan class='highlight'>inan>t and a bi...

Like Father, Like Sons #20

as mentioned an class='highlight'>inan> earlier blogs my dad used to be a racan class='highlight'>inan>g driver duran class='highlight'>inan>g the 1950s and ran his own team an class='highlight'>inan> the 1960s, travellan class='highlight'>inan>g all over Europe an class='highlight'>inan> his trusty Volkswagon van with his two mechanics and driver. He didn’t have big sponsorship money behan class='highlight'>inan>d him and most of it was done on a shoestran class='highlight'>inan>g but he came back with lots of funny stories of their van breakan class='highlight'>inan>g down or some rural ‘hotel’ that they had stayed an class='highlight'>inan>. From each country that he visited he always brought me back a doll dressed an class='highlight'>inan> the traditional costume of that country. There was quite a collection and I still have them; I used to put them on display an class='highlight'>inan> the Library when our house was open to the publ...

Here Comes the Bride (Part 2) # 28

and so our weddan class='highlight'>inan>g day at Hoar Cross Hall arrived bright and clear, all thoughts of solicitors, legals, fights and arrests behan class='highlight'>inan>d us! Myself and my bridesmaids went to get our hair done an class='highlight'>inan> the mornan class='highlight'>inan>g and Kev slapped a piece of steak on his jaw to bran class='highlight'>inan>g the swellan class='highlight'>inan>g down after the rather unfortunate fight at his stag do. Fortunately, the bruise didn’t show up too much on the photos! Gavan class='highlight'>inan> drove my dad’s Mercedes Benz car all the way down the drive and back up the road to the church – this was one of the drawbacks of havan class='highlight'>inan>g a church an class='highlight'>inan> your grounds; you don’t get a nice long drive through the town where everyone can see you! Never man class='highlight'>inan>d, a small crowd of l...

Joan class='highlight'>inan> Me On a Video Tour Of My Old home! Hoar Cross Hall

Hi everyone I've just seen that a few people have been readan class='highlight'>inan>g this blog from 2018, but discovered that the YouTube video was missan class='highlight'>inan>g as the lan class='highlight'>inan>k was to the origan class='highlight'>inan>al post that unbelievably somehow got deleted with all those views (47,000)  :(  anyway, I've just updated the lan class='highlight'>inan>k to the re-uploaded video, so this isn't a new post for this week, but just so it works for anyone readan class='highlight'>inan>g it now for the first time! -  Don't miss tomorrows blog - The Kitchen Maid's Story! <><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><&g...

What the Butler Saw! #37

anyone who’s seen Downton abbey will remember Carter the butler. He is exactly how a butler would have been an class='highlight'>inan> the 19th century and, strangely enough, the butler at Hoar Cross Hall duran class='highlight'>inan>g the early part of the 20th century was also called Carter! although most big houses had a house steward who was an class='highlight'>inan> charge of accounts and general runnan class='highlight'>inan>g of the household, a butler was more commonly engaged by the wealthy. He was usually a grand, authoritarian figure, commandan class='highlight'>inan>g respect and awe and most of the servants would have been scared to death of upsettan class='highlight'>inan>g him! He was dressed like a gentleman of the period and generally ran the household with an iron fist. as I said,...