Story Search Results

Like father, like sons #20

...his 10th birthday he also wanted to get into kart racing, although this one only had a modified lawnmower engine in it so not very fast!  Mostly he just drove it up and down the long drive at the Hall but one day the steering arm broke and he crashed head on into the chapel wall breaking his pelvis!  Occasionally he got to drive it at Chasewater when Gavin was testing so then there were two of them going off to race at weekends.   Gavin and Piers at Chasewater with their karts   It was in 1979/80 that Piers started to test a proper racing kart and went on to race for four seasons with 1983 being the most successful – the highlight was winning the...

The Kitchen Maid's Story #34

...her 21st birthday – a lot of money in those days! On her return to the Hall she found that a new temporary cook had started. For the next four months her days were dominated by nagging and persecution, aided and abetted by the butler who joined in the game of baiting her. Cooks like this were typical of her kind – ‘trained with the whip’ – and Jenny found the working conditions difficult. However, leaving wasn’t easy as she lived at the Hall, all her belongings were there, her mother and sisters were all living and working a long way off and she also sent money home to her grandparents. She was also determined not to be beaten by the cook. During...

Ventures New #9

...y mum’s birthday present once, saying it was better to spend their money on an investment rather than flowers that would wither and die! I don’t think my mum was very impressed! Another time he bought an ancient Japanese funeral urn to put on display in the Chinese Room – to make it seem more authentic he filled it with ashes from the fireplace and placed a few animal bones in for good measure! The display sign read that it was the remains of a Samurai Warrior from the Far East! One Easter we decided to hire a small steam train to give rides to the families that came. It was set up on the lower terrace and ran from one end to the other. It was a real hit...

Like Father, Like Sons #19

...his 10th birthday he also wanted to get into kart racing, although this one only had a modified lawnmower engine in it so not very fast! Mostly he just drove it up and down the long drive at the Hall but one day the steering arm broke and he crashed head on into the chapel wall breaking his pelvis! Occasionally he got to drive it at Chasewater when Gavin was testing so then there were two of them going off to race at weekends. Piers testing the car   It was in 1979/80 that Piers started to test a proper racing kart and went on to race for four seasons with 1983 being the most successful – the highlight was winning the Cristal Challenge National. He al...

The Kitchen Maid's Story #37

...her 21st birthday – a lot of money in those days! The duck shoot at Laughton - 1930s   On her return to the Hall she found that a new temporary cook had started. For the next four months her days were dominated by nagging and persecution, aided and abetted by the butler who joined in the game of baiting her. Cooks like this were typical of her kind – ‘trained with the whip’ – and Jenny found the working conditions difficult. However, leaving wasn’t easy as she lived at the Hall, all her belongings were there, her mother and sisters were all living and working a long way off and she also sent money home to her grandparents. She was also deter...

Like Father, Like Sons #20

...his 10th birthday he also wanted to get into kart racing, although this one only had a modified lawnmower engine in it so not very fast! Mostly he just drove it up and down the long drive at the Hall but one day the steering arm broke and he crashed head on into the chapel wall breaking his pelvis! Occasionally he got to drive it at Chasewater when Gavin was testing so then there were two of them going off to race at weekends. Piers with his new kart    It was in 1979/80 that Piers started to test a proper racing kart and went on to race for four seasons with 1983 being the most successful – the highlight was winning the Cristal Challenge National. H...