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Victorian Fashions #95

The Victorian era was roughly from 1830 – 1900 and saw many changes in fashion styles.  This was the era of technological advancement and the mass production of sewing machines in the 1850s and the advent of synthetic dyes introduced major changes in fashion.  This, coupled with the printing of fashion magazines, allowed the masses to become more fashion conscious – the middle classes were rising up thanks to the Industrial Revolution! Clothes were an expression of your place in society, therefore upper-class women, who didn’t need to work, could wear more elaborate dresses over layers of petticoats with tightly laced corsets.  Men would wear long froc...

Victorian Courtship - gloves #92

...� Wealthy women also wore silk and cotton gloves for informal or country wear.  But how did they use gloves in courtship?  In 1890, Henry Wehman presented his interpretation and analysis of the glove language, as presented in his book,  “The mystery of love, courtship and marriage explained”.  Here are a few samples:-             Holding with tips downward ………………….........I wish to be acquainted           Using them as a fan ………………………… ...............Introduce me to your company           Striking them over the hand ………………............I am displeased           Tossing...

The Church of the Holy Angels #55

...Many stately homes had churches built near them or even a chapel inside them, as was done at Hoar Cross Hall. However, the church that was built in the grounds of the Hall became known as 'The Cathedral of the Midlands' due to its magnificent structure and is generally regarded as one of the finest Victorian churches in the country. It resembles a cathedral in miniature, being more like an English minster than a humble village church. When Emily Meynell Ingram's husband, Hugo died in 1871 from a hunting accident, she wanted to keep his memory alive. They had only been married for eight years and she had no children to comfort her and so in 1872 she commissioned...

Change and the Country House #61

...any young women too, who had only known domestic service before the war, were now wanting to better themselves and work in shops and factories rather than be a ‘skivvy’. Servants at Hoar Cross Hall, early 20th century   The Edwardian era saw a growing shortage of servants which led to the introduction of labour-saving devices and a greater use of part-time help in the house.  The number of female servants fell by a quarter and both male and female servants started to look elsewhere for work in hotels and restaurants rather than private houses.  In 1931 only half of the 70,000 males in domestic service were in private service.  By 1951 only 1% of w...

Victorian Society #93

...Victorian society was built around Queen Victoria’s reign, loosely between 1820-1914.  It was characterised by a class-based society and Britain being the most powerful empire in the world. Hoar Cross Hall was built in 1870, at the height of the Victorian era, and boasted up to seventy rooms, twenty-five of them for the servants, approximately fifteen for the kitchens and utility areas, leaving around thirty rooms for the family and their guests.  During this time a lot of people, particularly women, went into domestic service and the Housekeeper at the Hall earned about £50 a year, while a housemaid earned £15 a year – quite the difference!  By all ac...

Hoar Cross Hall - a bit of history! #14

...HOAR CROSS HALL - A BIT OF HISTORY:  Due to many requests asking about the history of the house, this week I'm taking a break from my family's story to look back a few hundred years of what happened before we lived there!     Hoar Cross was part of Needwood Forest, the 11th century lands of Henry de Ferrers.  The land was passed down to Henry’s son and subsequent various people over the course of 500 years ending with the Webb family, around the 1730s, who bought the land and house known as the Manor of the Cross.  This was quite a large house built on a hill near Yoxall (which is the village next to Hoar Cross).  In 1740 the manor house was demolished...