Story Search Results

Hoar Cross hall - Life Below Stairs #35

...servants hall (where they all ate their meals) was the butler’s pantry and plate room and the butler’s bedroom. The plate room was where all the silver plate was kept and it was the butler’s job to look after it, even having his bedroom next to the plate room so it was always under guard, especially at night. There was also a wall safe to keep valuables in and next to the wine cellar was a Chubb walk-in safe. The still room was a large area for making jams and cakes and where the afternoon teas were prepared. It was also used for pastry making and other meals such as the breakfast trays for the nursery which gave some relief to the kitchen staff in the ma...

Hoar Cross hall - Life below stairs #45

...servants hall (where they all ate their meals) was the butler’s pantry and plate room and the butler’s bedroom. The plate room was where all the silver plate was kept and it was the butler’s job to look after it, even having his bedroom next to the plate room so it was always under guard, especially at night. There was also a wall safe to keep valuables in and next to the wine cellar was a Chubb walk-in safe. The still room was a large area for making jams and cakes and where the afternoon teas were prepared. It was also used for pastry making and other meals such as the breakfast trays for the nursery which gave some relief to the kitchen staff in the ma...

The War years and beyond

...THE WAR YEARS AND BEYOND:           During the Second World War, life in country houses changed dramatically.  It was no different at Hoar Cross.  The borders on the main lawns were turfed over to reduce maintenance and vegetables were grown in areas formerly restricted to flowers.  Evacuees from Birmingham came to stay for the duration of the war and they lived in the basement, as it was considered to be the safest place.  I imagine that they must have been in the care of the servants as they were living amongst them but it must also have been quite exciting for them to move from a bombed out city to the relative safety of the countryside, although th...

Alice - the ghost in the mirror #32

...nt to the hall to research the Alice story, he took a photograph of the mirror and many people said they could see a little girls’ face in the bottom left hand corner of it. How strange! Is this the real Alice looking through the glass back at us? What do you think?   Don't miss next week's instalment:  'New Year Jinks'   If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends. Follow me around my childhood home in my 'Tour of the hall' – click here to view and subscribe to my youtube channel. COMING SOON!!!  'My Dad Bought a Mansion' will be out in book form soon on Amazon - all my memoi...

Meet the Neighbours - Shugborough hall #80

...rt of the hall today.  In the 1740s William’s elder son, Thomas, would further extend the house and added two pavilions on either side of the central block.  The state rooms contain some of the most opulent and highly decorated interiors in the hall and include the State Dining Room, The Red Drawing Room, The Library, The Saloon and the Veranda Room among others. The land around Shugborough is mainly flat and Thomas Anson took a keen interest in landscaping the parkland so that trees, water and follies were on view to the family. If you’re wondering what a folly is, it’s an ornamental building of no practical use which the aristocracy would build in the...

Moving On #35

...MOVING ON – THE END OF AN ERA:      And so, after ten years of growing up and living in a stately home, I have come to the end of my story. After my parents’ divorce it was agreed that my mum bought out my dad's half of the house and he had to leave his dream home forever. He and Gavin moved out to live in Burton-on-Trent and my mum carried on running Mediaeval Banquets for a few more years. She and the singer eventually got together much to my dad’s chagrin. The singer spent a lot more time at the hall helping my mum run the banquets; however, Piers didn’t really get on with him. When he was about 14 years old my dad received a phone call from Piers...