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Gardeners' World at Hoar Cross #36

GaRDENERS’  WORLD aT  HOaR CROSS:       an class='highlight'>inan> it’s heyday Hoar Cross Hall had around 28 people employed to keep the 20 acres of grounds tidy and weed free.  an class='highlight'>inan> Victorian England the most common of all male servants was the gardener.   at Hoar Cross the head gardener had numerous under-gardeners known affectionately as ‘diggan class='highlight'>inan>g slaves’!  They were responsible for producan class='highlight'>inan>g fruit, vegetables and growan class='highlight'>inan>g luxury items an class='highlight'>inan> and out of season, much of it under glass.  adjacent to the house was the carp pool and greenhouse area along with a palm house; next to these was a walled kitchen garden.  This supplied the house with all its fruit, vegetables and...

aristocratic travels # 39

aRISTOCRaTIC TRaVELS:   Emily Charlotte Meynell, the origan class='highlight'>inan>al owner of Hoar Cross Hall, was probably one of the wealthiest an class='highlight'>inan>dependent women of the late 19th century an class='highlight'>inan> Britaan class='highlight'>inan>.  Her property an class='highlight'>inan>cluded country estates around the Midlands, a London house an class='highlight'>inan> Eaton Square and a villa an class='highlight'>inan> Florence.  For many years she owned a yacht, the latter a fully-crewed schooner of 380 tons.  The family had large fan class='highlight'>inan>ancial resources an class='highlight'>inan> addition to their estate an class='highlight'>inan>come, through which they were sustaan class='highlight'>inan>ed until well an class='highlight'>inan>to the 20th century. Emily cruised the Mediterranean every spran class='highlight'>inan>gtime an class='highlight'>inan> her yacht and occasionally crossed the North Sea to the Netherlands and Germany an class='highlight'>inan> the su...

alice - the ghost an class='highlight'>inan> the mirror

aLICE – THE GHOST an class='highlight'>inan> THE MIRROR:       an class='highlight'>inan> 1865 Lewis Carroll wrote another story about alice followan class='highlight'>inan>g on from ‘alice an class='highlight'>inan> Wonderland’.   It was called ‘alice through the Lookan class='highlight'>inan>g Glass’.  an class='highlight'>inan> this story alice climbs onto the mantlepiece over the fireplace an class='highlight'>inan> her lounge and fan class='highlight'>inan>ds that she can climb through the mirror an class='highlight'>inan>to another world which is reversed, just like a reflection.  Once agaan class='highlight'>inan>, she encounters strange figures an class='highlight'>inan> a world doman class='highlight'>inan>ated by a chess set and nursery rhyme characters, among others.  But what an class='highlight'>inan>spired Lewis Carroll to write about a little girl havan class='highlight'>inan>g lots of adventures? an class='highlight'>inan> the 1850s Charles Dodgson (Carroll’s real name) studied...

Like father, like sons #20

LIKE FaTHER, LIKE SONS:        as previously 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, Shardlow Motor Racan class='highlight'>inan>g, an class='highlight'>inan> the 1960s, travellan class='highlight'>inan>g all over Europe an class='highlight'>inan> his trusty Volkswagon van (see picture above) with his two mechanics and racan class='highlight'>inan>g 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 collectio...

Race day parties #26

RaCE DaY PaRTIES:     My dad used to be a racan class='highlight'>inan>g driver so he was often an class='highlight'>inan>vited to parties and open days at various racan class='highlight'>inan>g circuits.  He naturally knew lots of racan class='highlight'>inan>g people and on this particular occasion he was an class='highlight'>inan>vited to an Open Day at Donan class='highlight'>inan>gton Park.   Tom Wheatcroft, a local entrepreneur, had bought Donan class='highlight'>inan>gton Park an class='highlight'>inan> the 1970s as he owned the largest collection of Grand Prix cars an class='highlight'>inan> the world at that time.  an class='highlight'>inan> 1973 he opened a museum there to house them all and called it the Donan class='highlight'>inan>gton Grand Prix Exhibition.  Donan class='highlight'>inan>gton became the favoured home of the British round of the MotoGP motorcyclan class='highlight'>inan>g championships but he was really hopan class='highlight'>inan>g to bran class='highlight'>inan>g Formula 1 ra...

Here Comes the Bride (Part 2) #30

HERE COMES THE BRIDE (Part 2):    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 have a nice long drive all through the town with everyone loo...