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Moving Out #29

and so the day arrived a month or so after our wedding when an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>Dadan> had to leave Hoar Cross Hall. Ten years after moving in he was now moving out, leaving his dream home for an class='highlight'>Myan> mum to live in alone. Gavin moved with him and Piers was away at school most of the time. It was a mammoth task as he had so much stuff to move, especially from the basement. He had some heavy machinery too that he’d brought with him from his alabaster days, including a band saw which we used to saw up logs for the huge fireplaces in the main rooms. He had an class='highlight'>Boughtan> a house in nearby Burton-on-Trent which had some outbuildings for a workshop and there he moved to start afresh. He carried o...

Moving Day arrives #2

...NOW!!!  'an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>Dadan> an class='highlight'>Boughtan> a Mansion' is out in book form on amazon - all an class='highlight'>Myan> memoirs packed with lots of photographs from the times.  Go check it out here and let me know what you think!   ...

Race Day Parties #27

...RaCE DaY PaRTIES:      an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>Dadan> used to be a racing driver so he was often invited to parties and open days at various racing circuits.  He naturally knew lots of racing people and on this particular occasion he was invited to an Open Day at Donington Park.   Tom Wheatcroft, a local entrepreneur, had an class='highlight'>Boughtan> Donington Park in the 1970s as he owned the largest collection of Grand Prix cars in the world at that time.  In 1973 he opened a museum there to house them all and called it the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition.  Donington became the favoured home of the British round of the MotoGP motorcycling championships but he was really hoping to bring Formula 1...

Race Day Parties #25

...RaCE DaY PaRTIES:    an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>Dadan> used to be a racing driver so he was often invited to parties and open days at various racing circuits. He naturally knew lots of racing people and on this particular occasion he was invited to an Open Day at Donington Park. Tom Wheatcroft, a local entrepreneur, had an class='highlight'>Boughtan> Donington Park in the 1970s as he owned the largest collection of Grand Prix cars in the world at that time. In 1973 he opened a museum there to house them all and called it the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition. Donington became the favoured home of the British round of the MotoGP motorcycling championships but he was really hoping to bring Formula 1 racing back to...

MOTOR RaCING DaYS #9

...MOTOR RaCING DaYS: although an class='highlight'>Myan> blogs are about living at Hoar Cross Hall, I would just like to give a bit of background about an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>Dadan>’s racing career in the years leading up to moving to the Hall as this will set the scene for later instalments of an class='highlight'>Myan> story.  as mentioned in an class='highlight'>Myan> first blog an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>Dadan> used to be a racing driver but he actually started off racing motor cycles.  He had been a despatch rider in World War 2 in North africa and after the war ended and he’d recovered from TB he decided to take up racing his bike as a hobby.  as he lived in Derby the nearest track was Donington Park and he raced there at the beginning of the 1950s.  after that he move...

RaGS TO RICHES! #15

...RaGS TO RICHES:  an class='highlight'>Myan> parents were married in Derby in July 1952.  Mum was 19 and an class='highlight'>Dadan> was 36 so quite a bit older.  They both lived in Derby and were very arty; an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>Dadan> went to the Derby Sketching Club in his free time and an class='highlight'>Myan> 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.  an class='highlight'>Myan> an class='highlight'>Dadan> 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 alabast...