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Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #20

HOaR CROSS HaLL – LIFE BELOW STaIRS:       This week I’ve done a history blog about the servants who lived at the Hall from the 1870s to the 1950s when the Hall became empty.  They were an essential part of keepan class='highlight'>inan>g a big house runnan class='highlight'>inan>g but were often not appreciated by the aristocracy as they went about their day to day duties. The life of a servant an class='highlight'>inan> Victorian times was a hard one.  They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all the fires and dust and polish the floors, then do a day’s work, often not gettan class='highlight'>inan>g to bed much before midnight.  No wonder they didn’t live to a great age an class='highlight'>inan> those days!  By the end of the 19th century there were nearly...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs

HOaR CROSS HaLL – LIFE BELOW STaIRS:       This week I’ve done a history blog about the servants who lived at the Hall from the 1870s to the 1950s, when the Hall became empty.  They were an essential part of keepan class='highlight'>inan>g a big house runnan class='highlight'>inan>g but were often not appreciated by the aristocracy as they went about their day to day duties. The life of a servant an class='highlight'>inan> Victorian times was a hard one.  They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all the fires and dust and polish the floors, then do a day’s work, often not gettan class='highlight'>inan>g to bed much before midnight.  No wonder they didn’t live to a great age an class='highlight'>inan> those days!  By the end of the 19th century there were nearly...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #18

HOaR CROSS HaLL – LIFE BELOW STaIRS:   This week I’ve done a history blog about the servants who lived at the Hall from the 1870s to the 1950s when the Hall became empty. They were an essential part of keepan class='highlight'>inan>g a big house runnan class='highlight'>inan>g but were often not appreciated by the aristocracy as they went about their day to day duties. The life of a servant an class='highlight'>inan> Victorian times was a hard one. They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all the fires and dust and polish the floors, then do a day’s work, often not gettan class='highlight'>inan>g to bed much before midnight. No wonder they didn’t live to a great age an class='highlight'>inan> those days! By the end of the 19th century there were nearly one and a half...

Party On! #18

PaRTY ON! One of the great than class='highlight'>inan>gs about an class='highlight'>livan class='highlight'>inan>gan> an class='highlight'>inan> a stately home is that you can have a wild party with the loudest of music – and no-one will hear it!  I was now goan class='highlight'>inan>g out with Kev, whom I had met at college.  Mum was a bit disappoan class='highlight'>inan>ted that my sensible boyfriend and I had parted company after 18 months of an on/off relationship but she begrudgan class='highlight'>inan>gly accepted Kev an class='highlight'>inan>to the fold and eventually met all the other members of the band.  I than class='highlight'>inan>k she wanted to put her man class='highlight'>inan>d at rest that they were a bunch of nice lads and not a drug crazed rock band eatan class='highlight'>inan>g bats!  Which of course they were! No – I’m only kiddan class='highlight'>inan>g!  after the awful split up at Christmas my parents...

The War years and beyond

THE WaR YEaRS aND BEYOND:           Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the Second World War, life an class='highlight'>inan> country houses changed dramatically.  It was no different at Hoar Cross.  The borders on the maan class='highlight'>inan> lawns were turfed over to reduce maan class='highlight'>inan>tenance and vegetables were grown an class='highlight'>inan> areas formerly restricted to flowers.  Evacuees from Birman class='highlight'>inan>gham came to stay for the duration of the war and they lived an class='highlight'>inan> the basement, as it was considered to be the safest place.  I imagan class='highlight'>inan>e that they must have been an class='highlight'>inan> the care of the servants as they were an class='highlight'>livan class='highlight'>inan>gan> amongst them but it must also have been quite excitan class='highlight'>inan>g for them to move from a bombed out city to the relative safety of the countryside, although th...

Mediaeval Mayhem! #12

MEDIaEVaL MaYHEM!         It was the end of the summer season at the Hall an class='highlight'>inan> 1973 and rehearsals had started for the new venture of Mediaeval Banquets.  all the cast would come round to the house each week for rehearsals and my mum and one or two other ladies were busy makan class='highlight'>inan>g the skirts and blouses for the wenches.   My mum also made about 200 bibs which the guests were goan class='highlight'>inan>g to be wearan class='highlight'>inan>g as eatan class='highlight'>inan>g five courses with a dagger can be quite messy!   We had a Kan class='highlight'>inan>g, a Jester, a Fire-eater, a Halberdier, an organist and various wenches and servan class='highlight'>inan>g ladies.  To launch the banquets my parents decided to hold a Press Reception about a month before and so we al...