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Lest we forget #86

During the two World Wars the Meynell family of Hoar Cross HAll served their country alongside many others from All walks of life.  After each war there was huge social upheaval, especiAlly for women, who had been doing what was traditionAlly 'men's work' during the war and weren't prepared to go back to domestic roles.  At the time of the First World War Frederick Meynell and Lady Mary Meynell were living at the HAll with their five children.  Their four sons All served in the war and their daughter Margaret served in the Red Cross as a volunteer. Their eldest son Francis was a Major but was wounded in action in 1917 with sEvere wounds to his back. He was m...

Celebrating VE Day #94

As a way of commemorating V. E. Day I have re-posted my blog from November's Remembrance Day which tells of the sacrifice that the men of the Meynell family made during both world wars as well as the many thousands of others who took part.  During the two World Wars the Meynell family of Hoar Cross HAll served their country alongside many others from All walks of life.  After each war there was huge social upheaval, especiAlly for women, who had been doing what was traditionAlly 'men's work' during the war and weren't prepared to go back to domestic roles.  At the time of the First World War Frederick Meynell and Lady Mary Meynell were living at the HAll with...

Anyone for Tennis? #96

With the summer season well and truly upon us and Wimbledon almost here, I thought a blog about tennis might be in order!  The game of tennis first started in the Mediaeval days and involved hitting a bAll with a bare hand and later with a glove.  By the 16th century the glove had become a racquet and the game had moved to an enclosed playing area and the rules had stabilized.  This was known as ‘real tennis’.  The word tennis came into use in English in the mid-14th century from French, via the Anglo-Norman term Tenez, which can be translated as 'hold', 'receive' or 'take', a cAll from the server to his opponent indicating that he is about to serve....

Change and the Country House #61

Hoar Cross HAll was clearly a very different house in the Victorian era compared to today.  Like other country houses it has not been immune from the social and economic changes affecting All walks of life over the last hundred years. At the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837 the local landowner with his country house and estate was the focal point of the community, often dispensing law, charity and education.  The estate would also provide employment for the local people and over fifty locals were employed on the Hoar Cross estate in the house and grounds plus many more on Home Farm along with carpenters, electricians and plumbers to keep the esta...

Victorian Fashions #95

The Victorian era was roughly from 1830 – 1900 and saw many changes in fashion styles.  This was the era of technological advancement and the mass production of sewing machines in the 1850s and the advent of synthetic dyes introduced major changes in fashion.  This, coupled with the printing of fashion magazines, Allowed the masses to become more fashion conscious – the middle classes were rising up thanks to the Industrial Revolution! Clothes were an expression of your place in society, therefore upper-class women, who didn’t need to work, could wear more elaborate dresses over layers of petticoats with tightly laced corsets.  Men would wear long froc...

Join Me On A Video Tour Of My Old Home! Hoar Cross HAll

Hi Everyone I've just seen that a few people have been reading this blog from 2018, but discovered that the YouTube video was missing as the link was to the original post that unbelievably somehow got deleted with All those views (47,000)  :(  Anyway, I've just updated the link to the re-uploaded video, so this isn't a new post for this week, but just so it works for anyone reading it now for the first time! -  Don't miss tomorrows blog - The Kitchen Maid's Story! <><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><&g...