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Behind the Green Baize Door #41
Posted by Viv Wilson on 28th February 2022 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,green baize,servants,butler,housekeeper,downton abbey,keeping up with the aristocrats,upstairs downstairs
...s, hidden tunnels and corridors contrasting with the grandeur of 'upstairs'. Housemaids were often taught to turn their face to the wall if their employer passed them in the house. Clearly the aristocracy thought they were too grand to be looked upon by a 'lowly' servant!
So why were these doors covered in green (or red) baize cloth? Baize is a sturdy green cloth which insulated against noise and absorbed smells from the kitchens. Brass tacks held the cloth in place and was often very decorative in design (see header picture). Baize dates back to 1525 and a well-known 17th century ditty mentions 'bays' as follows:-
“Hops, heresies, bays and beer
All cam...Behind the green baize door #47
Posted by Viv Wilson on 23rd March 2023 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,Meynell,servants,baize,snooker table,England,bays,my dad bought a mansion,the crown,downton abbey
...s, hidden tunnels and corridors contrasting with the grandeur of 'upstairs'. Housemaids were often taught to turn their face to the wall if their employer passed them in the house. Clearly the aristocracy thought they were too grand to be looked upon by a 'lowly' servant!
So why were these doors covered in green (or red) baize cloth? Baize is a sturdy green cloth which insulated against noise and absorbed smells from the kitchens. Brass tacks held the cloth in place and was often very decorative in design (see header picture). Baize dates back to 1525 and a well-known 17th century ditty mentions 'bays' as follows:-
“Hops, heresies, bays and beer
All cam...
The Library #69
Posted by Viv Wilson on 17th November 2023 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall spa hotel,barons eden,meynell ingram,amazon,secret,Chapel,Library,Robert Adam,Earl of Worcester,Lichfield Cathedral,my dad bought a mansion,Downton Abbey,The Crown,Royal Family
...smugglers tunnels going from a house or pub to the nearby beach to sneak in contraband or thieves evading the law!
However, nothing so exciting at our house! But my brother and I did like to play tricks on the visitors by sneaking in and out of the secret doors when they weren’t looking!
Don't miss next week's instalment: 'The Ballroom'
If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, please click here and feel free to share with your friends.Follow me on a personal tour of my childhood home on YouTube and see the secret doors in action!OUT NOW!! 'My Dad Bought a Mansion' book is available on Amazon.
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Meet the Neighbours - Trentham Gardens #83
Posted by Viv Wilson on 29th August 2024 in Growing Up In a Stately Home | hoar cross hall,barons eden,hoar cross hall spa hotel,History,doomsday book,Duke of Sutherland,Aristocracy,Grade II listed,Elizabethan,Trentham Gardens,Trentham Estate,capability brown,French,italian gardens,Lakes
...and boat tunnels. Some of the trees still standing are hundreds of years old and are certainly a ‘must-see’ if you ever manage to visit.
During the early part of the 20th century the Duke of Sutherland offered the house to the local Council so it could be used as an institute of higher education but they couldn’t come to any agreement on this so in the end the house was sadly demolished by the Duke in 1912-13. It seems that the nearby River Trent was getting more polluted with sewage and effluent from the local pottery businesses (the ‘potteries’ being the local name for Stoke-on-Trent) and this put them off taking it on as this would make a resi...