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The Halifax Estates - Garrowby #46

Hugo Meynell-Ingram and his wife Emily Charlotte built Hoar Cross hall to be their home after getting married in 1863. Emily was the daughter of Sir Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax who owned considerable estates in the north of England. Their wealth came from the discovery of coal on their ancestral estate. In addition to this Sir Charles had a very successful political career, owning many seats in Garrowby and Pocklington near York; Hickleton near Doncaster and a home in Belgrave Square, London. He was a member of the Whig party, which in those days was likened to the Liberal party of today and served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1846-52. In the 1850...

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 Chapel #68

Continuing our series on the rooms that were open to the public during the 1970s at Hoar Cross hall, we find the Garden hall and Chapel leading off the Long Gallery at the east end of the house.  This private chapel was a later addition to the hall and was designed by G F Bodley, the gothic revival architect, and completed in 1897 at a cost of just under £1000.  The walls have a fine linenfold panelling and the ceiling is richly decorated.  Many houses in days gone by had their own private chapel and it seems that before the chapel was built, services had been held in another room of the house.  I would imagine that Emily Meynell wanted a proper consecrated...

Summer Balls and Garden Parties #97

Balls and functions held at Hoar Cross hall were lavish affairs, especially before the First World War, with the catering and other services invariably being provided by premier London companies.  In 1907, Gunter & Co of Berkeley Square, London, could supply a Ball supper and refreshments for ten shillings (50p) a head, plus 'extra services'. For a Ball Supper in January 1913, Mayfair Catering, Grosvenor Square, assured Lady Mary Meynell that they had engaged 'a superior staff of tall waiters' to attend her guests and, “.....if waiters are desired to be in Full Dress (silk stockings) the additional cost will be five shillings (25p) per man.”  They als...

Skools out for Summer #16

When Hugo and Emily Meynell built Hoar Cross hall it included a whole estate with it, namely kitchen gardens, greenhouses, stables, a farm and cottages. Old hall (their original home) was also on the estate and was accessed via a private road, which ran from the main road. By the time the seventies came along the stable block and Old hall were private houses and another part of Old hall had been made into a children’s home. Emily Meynell had started this home in the Victorian days, calling it ‘The Home of the Good Shepherd’ but it was for boys only at that time. When we were at the hall it was a mixed home and run by a husband and wife couple. They used to...

Skools out for Summer! #58

When Hugo and Emily Meynell built Hoar Cross hall they also included on their estate kitchen gardens, greenhouses, stables, a farm and cottages. Old hall (their original home) was also on the estate and was accessed via a private road, which ran from the main road. By the time the seventies came along the stable block and Old hall were private houses and another part of Old hall had been made into a children’s home. Emily Meynell had started this home in the Victorian days, calling it ‘The Home of the Good Shepherd’ but it was for boys only at that time. When we were there it was a mixed home and run by a husband and wife couple. They used to have fetes t...