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The Grand Openan class='highlight'>inan>g #5

THE GRaND OPENan class='highlight'>inan>G:        and so we move an class='highlight'>inan>to 1971 and the preparation of the Hall so we could open it to the public by Easter.  Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the run up to buyan class='highlight'>inan>g the house my dad had been buyan class='highlight'>inan>g furniture, carpets and paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>gs like  crazy and I remember our previous home bean class='highlight'>inan>g 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 an class='highlight'>inan> all the rooms. My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display an class='highlight'>inan> 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 many pai...

Calendar Girls and Front Covers #7

CaLENDaR GIRLS aND FRONT COVERS:        Duran class='highlight'>inan>g our time at the Hall people would occasionally hire the house for a day’s filman class='highlight'>inan>g or whatever.   Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the summer of 1973 a photographer from London hired the place for a day and he brought two models with him, one English and one German, and they were takan class='highlight'>inan>g photos for a glamour calendar.  We were told to keep right out of the way as they were takan class='highlight'>inan>g photos an class='highlight'>inan> the gardens as well as the house.  Naturally we wanted to see everythan class='highlight'>inan>g that was goan class='highlight'>inan>g on and my younger brother Gavan class='highlight'>inan> especially was very keen to watch – so much so that he found a pair of ban class='highlight'>inan>oculars to follow all the proceedan class='highlight'>inan>gs!  We managed...

Hysterical Productions #17

HYSTERICaL PRODUCTIONS:           By the end of 1974 we had done about 40 banquets at the Hall and they were still goan class='highlight'>inan>g strong.  Most of the origan class='highlight'>inan>al cast were still with us but we were on our second Kan class='highlight'>inan>g now and also doan class='highlight'>inan>g our own cateran class='highlight'>inan>g and bar, whereas when we first started, we had a cateran class='highlight'>inan>g firm an class='highlight'>inan> to do it all.  Every weekend over 200 people came to sample our Noble Brose, Roast Lambe and Saracen’s Delight and san class='highlight'>inan>g along to ‘I’m Henry VIII’ whilst dran class='highlight'>inan>kan class='highlight'>inan>g beer, wan class='highlight'>inan>e and mead.  But it was a very adult environment for 15 year old girls to work an class='highlight'>inan>; a few of my school friends also worked at the banquets as wenches and we were constantly be...

The Schoolroom Maid's Story #34

THE SCHOOLROOM MaID'S STORY:       For the first 75 years of the Hall’s history about 50 servants were employed by the Meynell family an class='highlight'>inan> the house and grounds.  among these was a young girl of fifteen who started work an class='highlight'>inan> 1920 as a Schoolroom Maid.  Her name was Miss an class='highlight'>inan>ez Sophia Large and she had connections to Hoar Cross through her grand-parents, William and Mary Tooth, who lived an class='highlight'>inan> the village where William was the blacksmith; his smithy was just along from the Meynell public house.  He had worked on the ironwork of the Hall duran class='highlight'>inan>g its construction an class='highlight'>inan> the 1860s.  an class='highlight'>inan>ez’s aunt, Constance Madeley, was the wife of the landlord at the Buffalo an class='highlight'>inan>n, an class='highlight'>inan> ne...

Than class='highlight'>inan>gs that go bump an class='highlight'>inan> the night #3

THan class='highlight'>inan>GS THaT GO BUMP an class='highlight'>inan> THE NIGHT!     Goan class='highlight'>inan>g to sleep an class='highlight'>inan> a big old house is quite scary when you’re young but goan class='highlight'>inan>g to sleep an class='highlight'>inan> a big old house that’s haunted is even more scary!!  That first wan class='highlight'>inan>ter at Hoar Cross Hall was like that.  Every time there was a wan class='highlight'>inan>dy night I could hear a wan class='highlight'>inan>dow bangan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> the attic – all night long it kept me awake.  The next day I would go upstairs to close it but there would be no wan class='highlight'>inan>dows open or even loose.   They were all tightly shut as they had been for 20 years.  I remember standan class='highlight'>inan>g there an class='highlight'>inan> the attic rooms feelan class='highlight'>inan>g a tan class='highlight'>inan>glan class='highlight'>inan>g down my span class='highlight'>inan>e and goose bumps all over as I felt the atmosphere closan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> on me -  and...

Our mansion gets a facelift #4

OUR MaNSION GETS a FaCELIFT:        We moved an class='highlight'>inan>to Hoar Cross Hall duran class='highlight'>inan>g the summer holidays and my parents quickly realised that they had a lot of work on their hands to make the place habitable as well as to earn some money from it.  as previously mentioned, there was an East Wan class='highlight'>inan>g and a West Wan class='highlight'>inan>g to the house.  My dad decided to convert the first floor rooms of each wan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan>to three separate apartments; he had done this at our previous house.  This would generate an class='highlight'>inan>come from rents until we got the maan class='highlight'>inan> house open to the public.  It wasn’t a big job to convert the rooms as the East Wan class='highlight'>inan>g had four maan class='highlight'>inan> rooms and two bathrooms already there, which would...