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Behind the green baize door #47
Posted by Viv Wilson on 23rd March 2023 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,servants,baize,snooker table,England,bays,my dad bought a mansion,the crown,downton abbey
"The green baize door - dividing line betwix servant and master.”
All stately homes had at least one green baize door and Hoar Cross Hall was no different. This was the door used by the servants to access the main part of the house unobtrusively and silently so they could go about their work without disturbing the family. The Hall had a spiral staircase at each end of the house for the servants to use and the green baize door on the ground floor opened onto the Garden Corridor which led to the Chapel and the main house, as well as the garden. The green baize door on the first floor opened onto the east wing corridor and guest bedrooms and from this corridor t...
The War Years and Beyond #38
Posted by Viv Wilson on 8th July 2019 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,Hollybush Park,Burton General Hospital,F W Lycett,Fradley aerodrome,Second world war,first world war,Lichfield
THE WAR YEARS AND BEYOND: During the Second World War, life in country houses changed dramatically. It was no different at Hoar Cross. The flower borders on the main lawns were turfed over to reduce maintenance and vegetables were grown in areas formerly restricted to flowers. Evacuees from Birmingham came to stay for the duration of the war and they lived in the basement, as it was considered to be the safest place. I imagine that they must have been in the care of the servants as they were living amongst them but it must also have been quite exciting for them to move from a bombed out city to the relative safety of the countryside, althoug...
Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #18
Posted by Viv Wilson on 12th October 2020 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,servants,gardeners world,butler,aristocracy
HOAR CROSS HALL – LIFE BELOW STAIRS: This week I’ve done a history blog about the servants who lived at the Hall from the 1870s to the 1950s when the Hall became empty. They were an essential part of keeping a big house running but were often not appreciated by the aristocracy as they went about their day to day duties.
The life of a servant in Victorian times was a hard one. They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all the fires and dust and polish the floors, then do a day’s work, often not getting to bed much before midnight. No wonder they didn’t live to a great age in those days! By the end of the 19th century there were nearly one and a half...
Moving On #35
Posted by Viv Wilson on 7th February 2021 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,meynell ingram arms,BMX,Morzine,haunted,servants Hall,Victorian
...f the old servants’ quarters – it was barely recognisable!
In 2005 we went back again with my mum and two of our children, Lee and Hannah. Again, it was great fun to explore the house and grounds and show my children where I had lived as a child. I was particularly fascinated to see the attic rooms as these had always looked so spooky and were obviously haunted – how strange to see those dusty old rooms decorated and carpeted!
Lee, Hannah and my mum in 2005
In 2018 we were back again to make the video for the tour of the house to accompany my blogs. Again, it was lovely to be there and spend two whole days having a good look around the house tha...The War Years and Beyond #40
Posted by Viv Wilson on 14th March 2021 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,fradley aerodrome,first world war,second world war,Auxiliary Red Cross Hospital,Hollybush Park,monks
...THE WAR YEARS AND BEYOND: During the Second World War, life in country houses changed dramatically. It was no different at Hoar Cross. The flower borders on the main lawns were turfed over to reduce maintenance and vegetables were grown in areas formerly restricted to flowers. Evacuees from Birmingham came to stay for the duration of the war and they lived in the basement, as it was considered to be the safest place. I imagine that they must have been in the care of the servants as they were living amongst them but it must also have been quite exciting for them to move from a bombed out city to the relative safety of the countryside, although they must ha...The War Years and Beyond #39
Posted by Viv Wilson on 14th February 2022 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,Second World War,barometric,First World War,London,Red Cross,downton abbey,Hotel and Spa,fradley aerodrome,keeping up with the aristocrats
...During the Second World War, life in country houses changed dramatically. It was no different at Hoar Cross Hall. The flower borders on the main lawns were turfed over to reduce maintenance and vegetables were grown in areas formerly restricted to flowers. Evacuees from Birmingham came to stay for the duration of the war and they lived in the basement, as it was considered to be the safest place. I imagine that they must have been in the care of the servants as they were living amongst them but it must also have been quite exciting for them to move from a bombed out city to the relative safety of the countryside, although they must have missed their parents of c...