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Ghouls Galore! #85

Going to sleep in a big old house is quite scary when you’re young but going to sleep in a big old house that’s haunted is even more scary!!  As we approach Hallowe'en my mind has gone back to that first winter at Hoar Cross Hall and all The scary things that happened - and that was without any trick or treaters in those days!  We quickly realised that we weren’t The only inhabitants of The house.  Every time There was a windy night I could hear a window banging in The attic – all night long it kept me awake.  The next day I would go upstairs to The attics to close it but There would be no windows open or even loose.   They were all tightly shut as...

A Christmas Celebration #89

The final Christmas blog this year is a story of how The servants celebrated Christmas at Hoar Cross Hall, based around true events.  The Meynells always gave a party for Their servants and local tradesmen in The Long Gallery, and I imagine it went a bit like this!     “Come on, look sharp!” shouted Cook to her assistants in The kitchen.  “We’ve got a load of cooking to do for The Christmas party at The weekend and if you don’t get a move on There’ll be nothing to eat!” The kitchen maids looked at each oTher, stopped Their gossiping and started to move a bit quicker.  Cook could be quite intimidating when she was in one of her moods.  The...

Temple Newsam and The Meynells #42

TEMPLE NEWSAM AND The MEYNELLS:     Following on from last week's blog about Emily Meynell Ingram's family background, this week I am delving into The family background of Emily's husband Hugo which explains how Emily came to own The Temple Newsam estate after his death.   In 1782, Hugo's grandfaTher, Hugo Meynell of Quorndon, The 'faTher of fox hunting', married The Hon. Elizabeth Ingram Shepheard.  She was The daughter of Charles Ingram, 9th Viscount Irwin and Lord Ingram.  The family seat was Temple Newsam in Yorkshire and this was how The Meynell family became associated with this great house.  Through this marriage of Hugo and Elizabeth, The Meynel...

Join Me On A Video Tour Of My Old Home! Hoar Cross Hall

Hi everyone I've just seen that a few people have been reading this blog from 2018, but discovered that The YouTube video was missing as The link was to The original post that unbelievably somehow got deleted with all those views (47,000)  :(  Anyway, I've just updated The link to The re-uploaded video, so this isn't a new post for this week, but just so it works for anyone reading it now for The first time! -  Don't miss tomorrows blog - The Kitchen Maid's Story! <><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><&g...

Temple Newsam and The Meynells #40

Hoar Cross Hall was built by Hugo and Emily Meynell Ingram in 1871 and this week I am delving into The family background of Hugo to explain how Emily came to own The Temple Newsam estate after his death. In 1782, Hugo's grandfaTher, Hugo Meynell of Quorndon, The 'faTher of fox hunting', married The Hon. Elizabeth Ingram Shepheard.  She was The daughter of Charles Ingram, 9th Viscount Irwin and Lord Ingram.  The family seat was Temple Newsam in Yorkshire and this was how The Meynell family became associated with this great house.  Through this marriage of Hugo and Elizabeth, The Meynell family also inherited The Ingram estates in Lincolnshire, acquired by Sir...

Behind The Green Baize Door #41

 “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 corrid...