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A Christmas Celebration #74

The final festive story is here based on true events and people that lived at Hoar Cross Hall.  “Come on, look sharp!” shouted Cook to her assistants in the kitchen.  “We’ve got a load of cooking to do for the Christmas party at the weekend and if you don’t get a move on there’ll be nothing to eat!” The kitchen maids looked at each other, stopped their gossiping and started to move a bit quicker.  Cook could be quite intimidating when she was in one of her moods.  The table was laden with pastries, jellies and fruit and the girls were just putting the finishing touches to the gingerbread biscuits before starting on the blancmange. “I love...

A Christmas Celebration #89

The final Christmas blog this year is a story of how the servants celebrated Christmas at Hoar Cross Hall, based around true events.  The Meynells always gave a party for their servants and local tradesmen in the Long Gallery, and I imagine it went a bit like this!     “Come on, look sharp!” shouted Cook to her assistants in the kitchen.  “We’ve got a load of cooking to do for the Christmas party at the weekend and if you don’t get a move on there’ll be nothing to eat!” The kitchen maids looked at each other, stopped their gossiping and started to move a bit quicker.  Cook could be quite intimidating when she was in one of her moods.  The...

party On! #18

party ON! One of the great things about living in a stately home is that you can have a wild party with the loudest of music – and no-one will hear it!  I was now going out with Kev, whom I had met at college.  Mum was a bit disappointed that my sensible boyfriend and I had parted company after 18 months of an on/off relationship but she begrudgingly accepted Kev into the fold and eventually met all the other members of the band.  I think she wanted to put her mind at rest that they were a bunch of nice lads and not a drug crazed rock band eating bats!  Which of course they were! No – I’m only kidding!  After the awful split up at Christmas my parents...

Midnight Pool Parties #20

...ncy dress party where Kev had dressed up as a knight with tights and tabard on – these were abandoned at the side of the pool where our friend’s gardener found them next day. Apparently he took our friend to one side and whispered “I think your young lady has left these behind”. His face must have been a picture when Chris said “Oh no, those are Kev’s!”   The pool parties were great fun and once we’d dried ourselves off we headed for the house to find some food and then to wash it down with lashings of champagne, courtesy of our friend, who would then play Frank Sinatra songs very loudly on his stereo. One young lady always liked to do a fan...

Midnight Pool Parties # 59

...ncy dress party where Kev had dressed up as a knight with tights and tabard on – these were abandoned at the side of the pool where our friend’s gardener found them next day.  Apparently he took our friend to one side and whispered “I think your young lady has left these behind”.  His face must have been a picture when Chris said “Oh no, those are Kev’s!” Kev minus the tights!   The pool parties were great fun and once we’d dried ourselves off we headed for the house to find some food and then to wash it down with lashings of champagne, courtesy of our friend, who would then play Frank Sinatra songs very loudly on his stereo.  One youn...

Coming Of Age #21

...ncy dress party where Kev had dressed up as a knight with tights and tabard on – these were abandoned at the side of the pool where our friend’s gardener found them next day.  Apparently he took our friend to one side and whispered “I think your young lady has left these behind”.  His face must have been a picture when Carl said “Oh no, those are Kev’s!”   All the people renting our apartments were now young men and women and they soon became part of the crowd in the Meynell.  Every weekend would find us all creeping along the basement passage to one flat or another for a party – at least no-one could hear us; the walls in this stately home...