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The haunting of Hoar Cross Hall #15

...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 of a sudden Viv realized that Alice’s dress was very old fashioned, not unlike the costumes on display with their ribbons and bows.  The familiar prickle went down her spine and she was glad that it was day time as she went back into the Library.  As she wandered over to the mirror she looked again at the face so clearly seen in the bottom...

A New Year Calamity!

...into the Ballroom  with his pipes droning on.  When midnight arrived a net full of balloons was dropped onto all the guests from the ceiling, out came the party poppers and hats and everyone joined hands to sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’.  Once all the traditional stuff was done the band started up again and we all did the Hokey Cokey, the Conga  and other silly dances that only happen on New Year’s Eve!  It was always great fun and I loved to dress up in my long dress. My parents were having a trial separation around this time so my dad had to run the New Year’s Eve Ball on his own.  I helped, as I had before, with the administration; posting out tickets...

Suits you sir! #23

...from the Ballroom as people were always trying to get it off the walls and try it on!  These lovely polished breastplates were all safely in his room out of sight of my mum when Percy the parrot decided to make his dash for freedom.  We would often leave the cage door open so he could walk about on top of the cage and sometimes he would fly around the lounge but on this occasion someone had left the lounge door open for too long and he flew out and down the Long Gallery then into the Ballroom where a banquet was in full swing!  The noise and music must have scared the life out of him as he flew round and round the huge banqueting hall squawking and panicking...

The Grand Opening #5

...THE GRAND OPENING:     And so we move into 1971 and the preparation of Hoar Cross Hall so we could open it to the public by Easter. During the run up to buying the house my dad had been buying furniture, carpets and paintings like crazy and I remember our previous home being 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 in all the rooms. My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display in 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 painti...

Suits you Sir! #22

...from the Ballroom as people were always trying to get it off the walls and try it on! These lovely polished breastplates were all safely in his room out of sight of my mum when Percy the parrot decided to make his dash for freedom. We would often leave the cage door open so he could walk about on top of the cage and sometimes he would fly around the lounge but on this occasion someone had left the lounge door open for too long and he flew out and down the Long Gallery then into the Ballroom where a banquet was in full swing! The noise and music must have scared the life out of him as he flew round and round the huge banqueting hall squawking and panicking about...

My Dad Bought A Mansion! #1

...allery, a Ballroom, a Drawing Room, a Chapel and a Library with secret doors!  How I loved it – I was a big fan of The Famous Five in those days and it really did feel like I was in the middle of one of their mysteries!  There were about 15 basement rooms, some of which had had the floors removed due to damp rot, but the main passageway was made of flagstones so you could still walk through it – this was where a lot of the male servants had slept and it was also where the wine cellars were along with linen storage cupboards.   In the attic a similar number of rooms were bare and empty and had once housed all the female servants.  Two spiral staircases j...