Story Search Results

Moving in - to a stately home! #2

...s full of weeds near Robert Bakewell gates   At other times we’d play tennis in the Ballroom – I’m not sure if my parents knew we were doing this but it was good fun while the room was empty – it was incredible that we didn’t do any damage to the large ornamental pieces hanging from the ceiling!! And so the summer rolled into Autumn and we were about to start our new schools. I was moving up to secondary school having passed my 11 Plus and was going to the local grammar school in nearby Uttoxeter – well I say nearby but it was actually about 10 miles away and I had to catch a double decker bus to get there. At least the school bus hadn’t be...

HUNTIN’, SHOOTIN’ & FISHIN’ #6

...d full of weeds so no fishing for us, although we did try and find some fish in the big ponds in the woods but never did.  In the main gardens there were two round lily ponds with a fountain in the middle which must have looked lovely in their day but like everything else they didn’t work.  My dad did have a go at trying to make them work, even finding huge water tanks under the terraces which were the water supplies to the fountains but the pipes were rusted up so we left them alone. However, in the garden which we used as our private garden, there was a little pond in the middle which was full of newts and we had hours of fun playing with them and making...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #20

...constant weeds down and tend to the rose bushes and hedges.  This in itself would have been a full time job.  The kitchen gardens and greenhouses would have provided a lot of the produce they ate as well as the pheasants and other game birds that were reared to be eaten.  There was also a carp pool for their fish stock.   In total there were about 50 servants employed by the Meynell family which included cooks, housemaids, chambermaids, lady’s maid, a governess, a nanny, a butler, footmen and a house-keeper among others.  All staff were expected to attend the 9am service which was held in the Chapel in the house.  They were also expected to attend serv...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs

...constant weeds down and tend to the rose bushes and hedges.  This in itself would have been a full time job.  The kitchen gardens and greenhouses would have provided a lot of the produce they ate as well as the pheasants and other game birds that were reared to be eaten.  There was also a carp pool for their fish stock.   In total there were about 50 servants employed by the Meynell family which included cooks, housemaids, chambermaids, lady’s maid, a governess, a nanny, a butler, footmen and a house-keeper among others.  All staff were expected to attend the 9am service which was held in the Chapel in the house.  They were also expected to attend serv...

THE GRAND OPENING #5

...a lot of weeds, the outskirts of the gardens were still very overgrown as well as the woods which had once had lovely pathways through them where Victorian ladies and gentlemen took their afternoon strolls.  Family picture from the hall brochure 1971 We soon got used to having people wandering around our house, although they weren’t allowed upstairs.  Gavin and I were quite the little monkeys and usually involved our little brother in our tricks too.  We would hang over the balcony near the stairs and watch people walk by then drop things near them or make funny noises. Once Gavin was holding an ice cream and it started to melt - we saw a bald headed...

VENTURES NEW #10

...VENTURES NEW: We were now in our third year at the Hall and our lives were always busy keeping on top of the weeds and general upkeep of the house.  My dad expected us children to help as much as possible, which we hated, and much of our time was spent trying to hide from him to get out of doing the chores.  But sometimes we didn’t mind and we happily pulled an old trolley into the woods every now and then to collect wood for the fires and sometimes as a family we would spend a day clearing parts of the woods and grounds.  My mum had hired a lady from the village to help with the housework and we had also taken on a retired chap called Mr Hickman to do some...