Story Search Results

The Haunting of Hoar Cross Hall #32

...into the Ballroom Alice was nowhere to be seen. “Hey, are you hiding Alice? Do you want to play hide and seek?” called Viv. She looked at all the Victorian costumes that were on display in the Ballroom and wondered if she was hiding behind one of the large dresses, but a quick look round revealed nothing. All of a sudden Viv realized that Alice’s dress was very old fashioned, not unlike the costumes on display with their ribbons and bows. The familiar prickle went down her spine and she was glad that it was day time as she went back into the Library. As she wandered over to the mirror she looked again at the face so clearly seen in the bottom corner. A c...

A New Year Calamity #34

...The New Year’s Eve Balls at the Hall were usually the highlight of the year. After twelve months of hard work, especially running the Mediaeval Banquets twice a week through the winter, we were always ready to see out the year in style with a big new year party. In those days it was always black tie for the men and long dresses for the ladies – usually around 500 people bought tickets for an evening of entertainment with a dance band, disco and a meal. At midnight a man dressed in traditional Scottish regalia, including a kilt and sporran, would pipe in the new year with his bagpipes. Down the Long Gallery he would slowly walk and into the Ballroom with his...

Suits you Sir! #22

...from the Ballroom as people were always trying to get it off the walls and try it on! These lovely polished breastplates were all safely in his room out of sight of my mum when Percy the parrot decided to make his dash for freedom. We would often leave the cage door open so he could walk about on top of the cage and sometimes he would fly around the lounge but on this occasion someone had left the lounge door open for too long and he flew out and down the Long Gallery then into the Ballroom where a banquet was in full swing! The noise and music must have scared the life out of him as he flew round and round the huge banqueting hall squawking and panicking about...

A Christmas Haunting! #34

...into the Ballroom Alice was nowhere to be seen. “Hey, are you hiding Alice? Do you want to play hide and seek?” called Viv. She looked at all the Victorian costumes that were on display in the Ballroom and wondered if she was hiding behind one of the large dresses, but a quick look round revealed nothing. All of a sudden Viv realized that Alice’s dress was very old fashioned, not unlike the costumes on display with their ribbons and bows. The familiar prickle went down her spine and she was glad that it was day time as she went back into the Library. As she wandered over to the mirror she looked again at the face so clearly seen in the bottom corner. A c...

A New Year Calamity! #35

...The New Year’s Eve Balls at Hoar Cross Hall were usually the highlight of the year. After twelve months of hard work, especially running the Mediaeval Banquets twice a week through the winter, we were always ready to see out the year in style with a big new year party. In those days it was always black tie for the men and long dresses for the ladies – usually around 500 people bought tickets for an evening of entertainment with a dance band, disco and a meal. At midnight a man dressed in traditional Scottish regalia, including a kilt and sporran, would pipe in the new year with his bagpipes. Down the Long Gallery he would slowly walk and into the Ballroom wi...

The Long Gallery #67

...ch as the Ballroom and the Library.  When entertaining, the large oak doors leading to the Ballroom in the centre of the gallery, would be opened thus allowing the guests to wander between the rooms. The deep bay windows on one side would allow light into the Long Gallery where ladies could sit and read or sew. A very cluttered Long Gallery in 1920s Hoar Cross Hall   Monasteries and Abbeys had cloisters as places to exercise outdoors whilst keeping dry and of course were ways of getting from one part of the building to another, almost like a corridor.  Long Galleries were derived from such places as these and incorporated into the designs of Woburn Abb...