Story Search Results

Hoar Cross hall meets Downton Abbey #99

...ds of the hall in memory of her husband. This is the church that I got married in over a hundred years later. On Hugo’s death Emily inherited the family's many large estates and they say she was a double millionairess – which in those days was a huge amount of money! Emily Charlotte   The original site of Highclere Castle was recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1086 when an Anglo-Saxon king granted the estate to the Bishops of Winchester and in the 14th century a palace was built there by the Bishop.  However, it was confiscated during the Reformation by Henry VIII.  Later it was rebuilt in 1679 by Sir Robert Sawyer, Attorney-General to Charles II and...

Alice - the ghost in the mirror #38

...ed at the hall and this is the little girl believed to be his inspiration for Alice. But also, the room in which he taught the children had a lovely mirror over the mantlepiece which is exactly the same as the picture of the mirror in his story ‘Alice through the Looking Glass’. So it seems that lots of things from that time inspired him! The Mad Hatter   When Charles Wood’s daughter Emily got married in 1863 she took the mirror with her to her new home, Hoar Cross hall, and there it hung over the fireplace in the Library for many decades until the Meynells left in the 1950s.  And so herein lies the connection between Alice and the hall! Fast for...

Hoar Cross hall - Life below stairs #20

...servants hall (where they all ate their meals) was the butler’s pantry and plate room and the butler’s bedroom.  The plate room was where all the silver plate was kept and it was the butler’s job to look after it, even having his bedroom next to the plate room so it was always under guard, especially at night.  There was also a wall safe to keep valuables in and next to the wine cellar was a Chubb walk-in safe.  The still room was a large area for making jams and cakes and where the afternoon teas were prepared.  It was also used for pastry making and other meals such as the breakfast trays for the nursery which gave some relief to the kitchen staff i...

Hoar Cross hall - Life below stairs

...servants hall (where they all ate their meals) was the butler’s pantry and plate room and the butler’s bedroom.  The plate room was where all the silver plate was kept and it was the butler’s job to look after it, even having his bedroom next to the plate room so it was always under guard, especially at night.  There was also a wall safe to keep valuables in and next to the wine cellar was a Chubb walk-in safe.  The still room was a large area for making jams and cakes and where the afternoon teas were prepared.  It was also used for pastry making and other meals such as the breakfast trays for the nursery which gave some relief to the kitchen staff i...

Hoar Cross hall - Life below stairs #39

...servants hall (where they all ate their meals) was the butler’s pantry and plate room and the butler’s bedroom. The plate room was where all the silver plate was kept and it was the butler’s job to look after it, even having his bedroom next to the plate room so it was always under guard, especially at night. There was also a wall safe to keep valuables in and next to the wine cellar was a Chubb walk-in safe. The still room was a large area for making jams and cakes and where the afternoon teas were prepared. It was also used for pastry making and other meals such as the breakfast trays for the nursery which gave some relief to the kitchen staff in the ma...

Hoar Cross hall - Life below stairs #18

...entrance hall on the ground floor and the maid would bring breakfast there for them. Later she would spend her time mending and sewing in the workroom before serving lunch then supper later on in the nursery. One Sunday in four was a day off – although it was only from 2.30pm – 10pm and they weren’t allowed to be late back! Two of the servants on their day off   For servants a good singing voice could really help you get a job – especially if you were willing to sing in the Church choir! Boys from the local orphanage were also required to offer their services to the choir. During the 1920s there was a chauffeur and an under-chauffeur, although t...