Story Search Results

Ventures New! #10

...s. In the seventies mediaeval banquets were becoming the ‘in thing’ so they started planning how they would do this. It was decided that they would run them during the winter months and open the house to the public from Easter to the August Bank Holiday.   The King with members of the cast   Around this time J C Bamford, who had a factory in nearby Uttoxeter, heard that we were planning to run banquets and booked a private one exclusively for their US division. My parents knew Joe Bamford (the JCB owner) quite well and I think my dad hoped that I would one day marry his son and invited him to one or two balls that we had at the Hall, but I was stil...

Hoar Cross Hall - a bit of history #14

...ss in the seventies. It is now a nursing home. Emily also owned a house in London, a villa in Florence and a yacht, which was a fully-crewed schooner of 380 tons with over 20 staff on it. She also had a small chapel made on the yacht and would often take her local vicar on trips with her so they could hold services for her and the crew. Every spring she would go on a cruise around the Mediterranean and sometimes across to the Netherlands and Germany. She loved painting and would spend much of her time doing water colours along with collecting beautiful objects to decorate the Hall and the Church of the Holy Angels. In 1890 she went on a painting trip up the Riv...

Hysterical Productions #16

...spite the seventies shenanigans the nights were always a good laugh and there were lots of funny things that happened. Myra (the fire-eater’s wife) and I always did the cloakroom and one time this lady took her coat off and as she did so her halter neck top came undone and she stood there in her bra and skirt for all to see! The banquet menu   Once the banquets started we would join in with the singing, even standing behind the main act and pretending to be the backing group. Another member of the cast would wear a sombrero and shake maracas to a Latin song while we threw petals all over him – don’t ask me why! The next day, when cleaning up, we wo...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #19

...ll in the seventies, when we were open to the public, quite a few of the servants came to look around and told us their stories of what they had done and what it was like living there in the early part of the century. Most of them agreed that it was hard work and it’s clear that life below stairs was very different to life above. For most servants it was an accepted way of life, and for many, unavoidable.   Don’t miss next week’s instalment:    'Like Father, Like Sons'   If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends.   Follow me around my childhood home to see the actual rooms...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life Below Stairs #35

...ll in the seventies, when we were open to the public, quite a few of the servants came to look around and told us their stories of what they had done and what it was like living there in the early part of the century. Most of them agreed that it was hard work and it’s clear that life below stairs was very different to life above. For most servants it was an accepted way of life, and for many, unavoidable. Don’t miss next week’s instalment:   'The Schoolroom Maid's Story'   If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends. Follow me around my childhood home in my 'Tour of the Hall' �...

The War Years and Beyond #39

...re in the seventies!  Don’t miss next weeks’ instalment:   'The Meynells and Temple Newsam'If you would like to follow my story form the beginning, click here and please 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 out in book form on Amazon - all my memoirs packed with lots of photographs from the times.  Go check it out here and let me know what you think!...