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Growing up in a stately home #1

...ds of the hall in memory of her husband. This is the church that I got married in almost a hundred years later. On Hugo’s death Emily inherited many large estates and they say she was a double millionairess – which in those days was a huge amount of money! And so we moved to this house with all its history and tragedies in the summer of 1970. Old hall - the original home of the Meynells   My family consisted of my mum and dad and two younger brothers and the five of us were about to take on a stately home in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed to me! It was actually in the middle of Staffordshire but in an incredibly small village, more like a ham...

The Grand Opening #5

...And so we move into 1971 and the preparation of Hoar Cross hall so we could open it to the public by Easter. During the run up to buying the house my dad had been buying furniture, carpets and paintings like crazy and I remember our previous home being jam packed with chaise longues, sideboards and carved chests as well as all the suits of armour that he already had. This furniture was now set out in all the rooms. My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display in the Ballroom as well as my dad’s collection of silver plated ‘display’ armour, which hung around the panelled walls; the suits of armour and the many paintings they had lined the Lon...

To the Manor Born #77

...entrance hall with a door leading through to the kitchen and rear hallway at the back of the house.  These were the servants’ quarters in the 18th century and included, along with the kitchen, a pantry, a dairy, a cheese room, maids’ rooms, store rooms and a back staircase.  Altogether there were nine bedrooms and at the bottom of the house a cellar with brewing tubs in it.  Leading off the main bedroom was a smaller room with another door to the back staircase – we called this the nursery as my younger brother Piers was born here and we assumed that the need for a doorway from the servants’ quarters meant that an 18th century nursery maid could acce...

What the Butler Saw! #37

...Anyone who’s seen Downton Abbey will remember Carter the butler. He is exactly how a butler would have been in the 19th century and, strangely enough, the butler at Hoar Cross hall during the early part of the 20th century was also called Carter! Although most big houses had a house steward who was in charge of accounts and general running of the household, a butler was more commonly engaged by the wealthy. He was usually a grand, authoritarian figure, commanding respect and awe and most of the servants would have been scared to death of upsetting him! He was dressed like a gentleman of the period and generally ran the household with an iron fist. As I said,...

An Edwardian Schoolroom Maid #40

...For the first 75 years of Hoar Cross hall’s history about 50 servants were employed by the Meynell family in the house and grounds. Among these was a young girl of fifteen who started work in 1920 as a Schoolroom Maid. Her name was Miss Inez Sophia Large and she had connections to Hoar Cross through her grand-parents, William and Mary Tooth, who lived in the village where William was the blacksmith; his smithy was just along from the Meynell public house. He had worked on the ironwork of the hall during its construction in the 1860s. Inez’s aunt, Constance Madeley, was the wife of the landlord at the Buffalo Inn, in nearby Newborough, and it was through her...

Victorian Society #93

...of music halls, which were hugely popular for all classes and included singing, dancing and sketches. All in all, the Victorians were a many-varied bunch who did a lot of good for society whilst moving forward with industry and science.  And we also have them to thank for the telephone, the light bulb and a flushing toilet!   Don't miss next month's blog - 'Victorian fashion'   If you’d like to follow my story from the beginning, please click here and feel free to share with your friends.Follow me around my childhood home in my 'Tour of the hall' – click here to view and subscribe to my YouTube channel. OUT NOW!!!  'My Dad Bought a Mansion' is ou...