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Whodunit in the Library? #24

...one! One day during this time, I came home from college to find the house empty and the Library door locked, which was most unusual on both counts. I eventually got in through the secret door to find blood all over the floor – and I mean loads of it - right in the middle of the room. I thought I’d walked onto the set of a Hercule Poirot film – it was a real whodunit! It looked like someone had been murdered and then whilst looking around I found the ‘weapon’ – it was a Victorian truncheon that we had on display. This was a large wooden truncheon with a chunk of lead in the end - and it was covered in dried blood. This could do some serious damage if...

An Englishman's Home is his Mansion! #2

...AN ENGLISHMAN'S HOME IS HIS 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 Donnington Park. During the 1960s...

Ghostbusters! #8

...GHOSTBUSTERS! People were always coming to Hoar Cross Hall to either hire the place or to have a look around. In 1973, because of all the media interest in our ghosts, we had a couple of professional ghost hunters asking to stay over one night to try and find the source of the noises. They brought cases full of recording equipment and set it all up in one of the attic rooms. Rather them than me I thought! Then I had a brilliant idea and went off to tell my brother Gavin all about it. As mentioned in my first blog the attic and basement had a row of bells which the family used to summon the servants. Before the three men arrived we spent all day trying out all t...

Rags to Riches #15

...My family originated from Derby and my parents were married there in July 1952. Mum was 19 and dad was 36 so quite a bit older. They both lived in Derby and were very arty; my dad went to the Derby Sketching Club in his free time and my mum attended art college. I’m not sure where they met but it was either at something art related or at a dance, as was usual in those days. My dad was a sculptor by trade; I think his interest was sparked by seeing all the beautiful alabaster in Italian churches during the war. After the war he set up his own business making alabaster lamps, bowls and candlesticks among other things (see header picture). He would go to the alab...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #19

...This week I’ve done a historical 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 million servants; most young girls went...

Whodunit in the Library #24

...  One day during this time, I came home from college to find the house empty and the Library door locked, which was most unusual on both counts. I eventually got in through the secret door to find blood all over the floor – and I mean loads of it - right in the middle of the room. I thought I’d walked onto the set of a Hercule Poirot film – it was a real whodunit! It looked like someone had been murdered and then whilst looking around I found the ‘weapon’ – it was a Victorian truncheon that we had on display. This was a large wooden truncheon with a chunk of lead in the end - and it was covered in dried blood. This could do some serious damage if...