Story Search Results

Midnight Pool Parties #21

After leaving school I spent a year at Burton-on-Trent Technical College studying to be a secretary but my year at college had come to an End - now to find a job! It didn’t take too long as there was plenty of employment around in the seventies and I was soon offered a position with a small engineering firm in Burton. As I didn’t drive there was still the problem of me getting to work and dad managed to talk the residents of our apartments into taking me, as they were going to Burton every day as well, and it would save him coming out twice a day (no doubt he was thinking about the petrol he would save too!) Kev, my boyfriEnd, and the band were getting a fe...

More Tea Vicar? #13

MORE TEA VICAR?         Life at Hoar Cross Hall was always busy but during the long summer holidays it was easy to get bored.  As there was no public transport from Hoar Cross and no other families living nearby, we three children had to make our own entertainment and we were always having adventures and getting up to mischief – a bit like the Famous Five but without a dog!  We would roam around the village or explore the basement.  My dad was a hoarder and had kept all sorts of stuff over the years including gas masks and field phones from World War 2.  The old Servants Hall was now my dad’s workshop and he spent a lot of time down there restoring...

Whodunit in the Library #24

...tackling East End villains in London! By now I was getting quite worried and I noticed that the trail of blood was heading towards the open window. I followed it cautiously and looked out onto the terrace. The blood was on the window sill and along the ground so I climbed out of the window and followed it. The trail went down some steps and towards the church – on I went through the churchyard, the drops of blood racing ahead of me, until I reached the vicarage across the road. The vicar answered my knock and told me that my dad had collapsed on his doorstep earlier that day and was now in the local cottage hospital!   The (almost) 'murder' weapon  ...

Whodunit in the Library? #26

...tackling East End villains!  By now I was getting quite worried and I noticed that the trail of blood was heading towards the open window.  I followed it cautiously and looked out onto the terrace.  The blood was on the window sill and along the ground so I climbed out of the window and followed it.  The trail went down some steps and towards the church – on I went through the churchyard, the drops of blood racing ahead of me, until I reached the vicarage across the road.  The vicar answered my knock and told me that my dad had collapsed on his doorstep earlier that day and was now in the local cottage hospital! So now it had come to this.  I later fou...

Moving on - the End of an era #33

...MOVING ON - THE End OF AN ERA:          And so I come to the End of my story.  After ten years of living in a stately home,  my parents’ divorce agreement meant that my dad had to be bought out by my mum and he had to leave his dream home forever.  He and Gavin moved out to live in Burton-on-Trent and my mum carried on running Mediaeval Banquets for a few more years.  She and the singer eventually got together much to my dad’s chagrin.  The singer spent a lot more time at the Hall helping my mum run the banquets; however, Piers didn’t really get on with him.  When he was about 14 years old my dad received a phone call from Piers – he had run...

Moving house to a mansion #1

...MOVING HOUSE TO A MANSION:       My parents took vacant possession of Hoar Cross Hall in 1970 and the whole process of moving house was done over the summer months.  We lived about 20 miles away in an old vicarage with a large garden and lots of outbuildings. This house was about 200 years old and they say Bonnie Prince Charlie marched past it on his way to battle back in the day, for all you history buffs out there!  Actually I love history and I think my interest was fuelled by living in these historic houses as a child.  My dad used to be a racing driver in the 1950s and before that he did motorcycle racing, often at nearby Donington Park.  During the...