Story Search Results

Calendar Girls and Front Covers #7

CaLENDaR GIRLS aND FRONT COVERS:        Duran class='highlight'>inan>g our time at Hoar Cross 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 m...

Hysterical Productions! #13

HYSTERICaL PRODUCTIONS:     By the end of 1974 we had done about 40 banquets at Hoar Cross 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 bean class='highlight'>inan>...

The Schoolroom Maid's Story #33

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> nearby New...

Calendar Girls and Front Covers #6

CaLENDaR GIRLS aND FRONT COVERS:     Duran class='highlight'>inan>g our time at Hoar Cross 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 to fan class='highlight'>inan>d...

Hysterical Productions #15

HYSTERICaL PRODUCTIONS:    By the end of 1974 we had done about 40 banquets at Hoar Cross 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 bean class='highlight'>inan>g chatte...

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 haunted house is even more scary!! That first wan class='highlight'>inan>ter at Hoar Cross Hall was like that. The attic rooms were on the floor above our bedrooms – there were about fifteen rooms which had been used for the servant girls to sleep an class='highlight'>inan>. 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> those d...