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A Christmas Celebration #74

The final festive story is here based on true events and people that lived at Hoar Cross Hall.  “Come on, look sharp!” shouted Cook to her assistants in the kitchen.  “We’ve got a load of cooking to do for the Christmas party at the weekend and if you don’t get a move on there’ll be nothing to eat!” The kitchen maids looked at each other, stopped their gossiping and started to move a bit quicker.  Cook could be quite intimidating when she was in one of her moods.  The table was laden with pastries, jellies and fruit and the girls were just putting the finishing touches to the gingerbread biscuits before starting on the blancmange. “I love...

A Christmas Celebration #89

The final Christmas blog this year is a story of how the servants celebrated Christmas at Hoar Cross Hall, based around true events.  The Meynells always gave a party for their servants and local tradesmen in the Long Gallery, and I imagine it went a bit like this!     “Come on, look sharp!” shouted Cook to her assistants in the kitchen.  “We’ve got a load of cooking to do for the Christmas party at the weekend and if you don’t get a move on there’ll be nothing to eat!” The kitchen maids looked at each other, stopped their gossiping and started to move a bit quicker.  Cook could be quite intimidating when she was in one of her moods.  The...

The Kitchen Maid's Story

...ed by the butler who joined in the game of baiting her.  Cooks like this were typical of her kind – ‘trained with the whip’ – and Jenny found the working conditions difficult.  However, leaving wasn’t easy as she lived at the Hall, all her belongings were there, her mother and sisters were all living and working a long way off and she also sent money home to her grandparents.  She was also determined not to be beaten by the cook. During ‘the season’ most of the staff went to the family’s London house.  For those of you who don’t know what ‘the season’ is, it was a time between January and June which coincided with the opening of Parlia...

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 ma...

The Kitchen Maid's Story #34

...ed by the butler who joined in the game of baiting her. Cooks like this were typical of her kind – ‘trained with the whip’ – and Jenny found the working conditions difficult. However, leaving wasn’t easy as she lived at the Hall, all her belongings were there, her mother and sisters were all living and working a long way off and she also sent money home to her grandparents. She was also determined not to be beaten by the cook. During ‘the season’ most of the staff went to the family’s London house. For those of you who don’t know what ‘the season’ is, it was a time between January and June which coincided with the opening of Parliament. Th...

Gardeners World at Hoar Cross #36

.... If the butler was an important figure inside the house, the head gardener had as much authority outside. Even the mistress from the house was unable to enter the nursery garden without his permission, and to help herself to his produce would have been unthinkable. Only the head gardener had the key and the door was always kept locked outside working hours! Around Christmas time, all the local trades’ people who supplied the house, were invited to a party held for them in the Long Gallery. They were restricted to this area only, whenever there was a party or Servants Ball – well, you couldn’t have the servants peeking into the family’s private rooms c...