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The Hauntan class='highlight'>inan>g of Hoar Cross Hall #27

THE HaUNTan class='highlight'>inan>G OF HOaR CROSS HaLL:    (Based on true events)             The typewriter keys clattered away as Viv wrote her story. It was coman class='highlight'>inan>g along nicely and she was feelan class='highlight'>inan>g pleased with herself. The attic room that she and her brothers had made an class='highlight'>inan>to their ‘den’ was ideal for gettan class='highlight'>inan>g away from everybody and havan class='highlight'>inan>g some peace and quiet and she quite forgot about the time as she lost herself an class='highlight'>inan> the plot. Suddenly she looked up and realized how dark it was gettan class='highlight'>inan>g; the December nights were pullan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> and it was already quite dusky by 3.30pm. Quickly she packed her books and folders away and prepared to go downstairs. How she hated bean class='highlight'>inan>g up an class='highlight'>inan> the a...

Christmas High Jan class='highlight'>inan>ks! #29

CHRISTMaS HIGH Jan class='highlight'>inan>KS:       The sounds of La Golondran class='highlight'>inan>a floated through the air as Viv sat at the grand piano. How pleased she was that someone had asked them to look after this fan class='highlight'>inan>e musical an class='highlight'>inan>strument for a few months. Havan class='highlight'>inan>g learned to play when she was younger, this gave Viv the opportunity to brush up on her skills as a pianist and she was thoroughly enjoyan class='highlight'>inan>g it. The piano was an class='highlight'>inan> the Library and suited the room perfectly. She could hear her father and an antique dealer talkan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> the Long Gallery as they haggled over the price of a paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>g that he was sellan class='highlight'>inan>g. Viv gazed out of the wan class='highlight'>inan>dow as she played and thought back to the Midsummer’s Eve Ball that...

aristocratic travels Part 2

aRISTOCRaTIC TRaVELS PaRT 2:    Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the latter part of the 1800s Emily Charlotte Meynell travelled around the Mediterranean on board her schooner, ariadne, recordan class='highlight'>inan>g her travels an class='highlight'>inan> her many diaries and drawan class='highlight'>inan>g books, as mentioned an class='highlight'>inan> my previous blog.  I have now found the photo of her yacht and one of her paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>gs; she was a skilled water colour artist as you can see but had a particular affection for nautical subjects.  One particular holiday around Nice an class='highlight'>inan> the South of France with her brother Charles is documented by the water-colour paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>gs they both made.  Soon after her husband Hugo's death an class='highlight'>inan> 1871, she embarked on a Mediterranean tour with her...

The Graveyard Shift..... #24

THE GRaVEYaRD SHIFT...... Life carried on at the Hall as best it could an class='highlight'>inan> difficult circumstances.  My dad contan class='highlight'>inan>ued to go to arms fairs to buy and sell antiques and we also went to a mediaeval banquet an class='highlight'>inan> Cheshire one night, although it wasn’t anywhere near as good as ours!  Once or twice we took my dad out with our friends to Derby, where he origan class='highlight'>inan>ated from, and that seemed to cheer him up.  But he really needed to get away from the house for longer periods of time and when he saw a boat advertised for sale at Caernarvon he jumped at the chance and bought it.  It was an ex lifeboat called The Benbow so quite sturdy, although an class='highlight'>inan> need of a lick of paan class='highlight'>inan>t and...

THE TaX MaN COMETH #29

THE TaX MaN COMETH - The court case was fan class='highlight'>inan>ally over and my dad had six months to leave the house.  an class='highlight'>inan> the meantime my mum had to fan class='highlight'>inan>d the funds to buy him out and he had to fan class='highlight'>inan>d another house to live an class='highlight'>inan>.  He also had an awful lot of stuff to move too!  He eventually found a house an class='highlight'>inan> nearby Burton on Trent but as it was obviously a lot smaller he had to get rid of a lot of his possessions and one of the first than class='highlight'>inan>gs to go was his Lotus Elite.  He advertised it an class='highlight'>inan> the local paper but an class='highlight'>inan>stead of gettan class='highlight'>inan>g a phone call from a likely buyer, the first call was from the local tax office.  Back an class='highlight'>inan> those days they used to check advertisements an class='highlight'>inan> the newspapers and t...

Gardeners' World at Hoar Cross

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 a...