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Moving Out #29

And so the day arrived a month or so after our wedding when my dad had to leave Hoar Cross Hall. Ten years after moving in he was now moving out, leaving his dream home for my 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 bought a house in nearby Burton-on-Trent which had some outbuildings for a workshop and there he moved to start afresh. He carried o...

What the Butler Saw! #37

...r Diamond wedding anniversary in 1972. Mr & Mrs Carter celebrating their Diamond Anniversary   However, when at the Hall his main duties would have been looking after the wine cellar and silverware or plate as it was known. This was kept in a room next to his bedroom so he could keep an eye on it and make sure no-one stole anything. Similarly with the wine cellar, he would have kept it all under lock and key so none of the servants could have a crafty drink when no-one was looking. There was actually a Chubb walk-in safe in the basement where, I assume, the more valuable items were kept for special occasions. Near to the butler’s room was a Chubb w...

Hoar Cross History #65

...Hoar Cross Hall, where I grew up, is in the village of Hoar Cross, so small that it is almost a hamlet.  The only thing that defines it as a village is the fact that it has a place of worship which is The Church of the Holy Angels, built by Emily Meynell in the 1870s in memory of her husband, Hugo.  The name of the village was first recorded in 1230 and called ‘Horcros’ and may refer to a grey boundary cross which stood as a marker but is now long gone.  No-one is entirely sure if this cross is the point where the four wards of Needwood Forest once met, or whether it indicated the extent of the land owned by Burton Abbey.  Whatever the reason we shall ne...

The Ballroom #70

...hrough to wedding gowns, afternoon dresses and Ball gowns. A Ballgown on display near the Chapel   Originally this room was called the Drawing Room, the name deriving from the word ‘withdrawing’ as in a room you ‘withdrew’ to after dinner.  This term remained in use throughout the 17th century, first making an appearance in 1642. The main purpose of a drawing room was to entertain guests and visitors but it also gave its name to drawing room plays.  This was an early form of drama that the upper classes liked to get involved in and as time went on it evolved to encompass comedy and forms of dramatic monologue. Drawing room comedy typically feat...

Meet the Neighbours - Shugborough Hall #80

...Diana’s wedding in 1981 – well, he was the 5th Earl who lived at Shugborough and you can see his studio as part of an exhibition of his work in the hall! The house is now marketed as “The Complete Working Historic Estate”, which includes a working model farm museum dating from 1805 complete with a working watermill, kitchens, a dairy, a tea room and rare breeds of farm animals.  Originally restored in 1990, the estate’s brewery is England’s only log-fired brewery that still produces beer commercially and is operated by Titanic Brewery.  So there is lots to see and do at this historic house and I know that we always enjoyed our visits there where t...