Story Search Results

The Tax Man Cometh! #26

...plan our wedding as we had always wanted to get married in the church in the grounds and have the reception at the Hall – with all those bottles of champagne that my dad had been saving for years! The year was now 1980 and we set a date in August, a couple of months before my dad had to leave. It was strange having to meet up with the vicar who we had had such a fall out with when we were youngsters, when we had lit all the candles in the church one day to brighten it up. I hoped he didn’t remember! I also hoped he didn’t know that it was Gavin and I who had sabotaged the many Christmas and Easter high teas at the vicarage after the church services, when...

Here Comes the Bride (Part 2) #33

...HERE COMES THE BRIDE (Part 2):    And so our wedding day at Hoar Cross Hall arrived bright and clear, all thoughts of solicitors, legals, fights and arrests behind us! Myself and my bridesmaids went to get our hair done in the morning and Kev slapped a piece of steak on his jaw to bring the swelling down after the rather unfortunate fight at his stag do. Fortunately, the bruise didn’t show up too much on the photos! Gavin drove my dad’s Mercedes Benz car all the way down the drive and back up the road to the church – this was one of the drawbacks of having a church in the grounds; you don’t get to drive all through the town with everyone looking at you...

What the Butler Saw! #38

...r Diamond wedding anniversary in 1972. Mr and Mrs Carter on their Diamond wedding Anniversary   However, when at the Hall his main duties would have been looking after the wine cellar and silverware or plate as it was known. This was kept in a room next to his bedroom so he could keep an eye on it and make sure no-one stole anything. Similarly with the wine cellar, he would have kept it all under lock and key so none of the servants could have a crafty drink when no-one was looking. There was actually a Chubb walk-in safe in the basement where, I assume, the more valuable items were kept for special occasions. Near to the butler’s room was a Chubb wall...

Get me to the church on time #31

...And so our wedding day at Hoar Cross Hall arrived bright and clear, all thoughts of solicitors, legals, fights and arrests behind us! Myself and my bridesmaids went to get our hair done in the morning and Kev slapped a piece of steak on his jaw to bring the swelling down after the rather unfortunate fight at his stag do. Fortunately, the bruise didn’t show up too much on the photos! My brother Gavin drove my dad’s Mercedes Benz car all the way down the drive and back up the road to the church – this is one of the drawbacks of having a church next door to your house; you don’t get to drive all through the town with everyone looking at you! At least a sma...

Moving On #35

...we had a wedding lunch the next day at the Hall plus a tour of all the rooms new and old. It was quite fascinating to see the spa and treatment rooms which are now in the old basement. The pool is in the old Servants Hall which in turn became my dad’s workshop and the treatment rooms are in other parts of 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 h...

Moving Out #32

...And so the day arrived a month or so after our wedding when my dad had to leave Hoar Cross Hall. Ten years after moving in he was now moving out, leaving his dream home for my mum to live in alone. Gavin moved with him and Piers was away at school most of the time. It was a mammoth task as he had so much stuff to move, especially from the basement. He had some heavy machinery too that he’d brought with him from his alabaster days, including a band saw which we used to saw up logs for the huge fireplaces in the main rooms. He had bought a house in nearby Burton-on-Trent which had some outbuildings for a workshop and there he moved to start afresh. He carried o...