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Like Father, Like Sons #19

As previously mentioned in earlier blogs my dad used to be a racing driver during the 1950s and ran his own team in the 1960s, travelling all over Europe in his trusty Volkswagon van with his two mechanics and driver. He didn’t have big sponsorship money behind him and most of it was done on a shoestring but he came back with lots of funny stories of their van breaking down or some rural ‘hotel’ that they had stayed in. From each country that he visited he always brought me back a doll dressed in the traditional costume of that country. There was quite a collection and I still have them; I used to put them on display in the Library when our house was open...

Alice - the ghost in the mirror #26

...ft in the 1950s.And so herein lies the connection between Alice and the Hall! Fast forward to the 1990s when Hoar Cross Hall had a new owner, Steve Joynes. He converted the Hall into a Spa Hotel and managed to source a lot of the original furniture from the Victorian era when Emily Meynell (nee Wood) lived there with her husband, Hugo. He found the original mirror which came from Hickleton Hall and now it hangs over the fireplace in the Library, just as it did all those years ago.But it seems that the ghost of Alice may have come with the mirror. Ever since the mirror was installed in the Library people have seen a little girl running around the house. There is...

The Chinese Room #71

...ls in the 1950s    During Mediaeval times the nobility dined in a Great Hall which was a large communal area in the centre of the house or castle.  The family sat on a raised dais at the head of the table and the rest of the household sat in order of diminishing rank away from them.  Over time the nobility preferred smaller rooms where they could entertain guests away from the servants and others members of the household – this was due in part to political and social changes and also comfort. As time went on Dining Rooms became smaller and more intimate and parlours were used instead of Great Halls.  At the beginning of the 18th century it became mor...

Meet the Neighbours - Alton Towers #82

...until the 1950s when parts of the grounds were re-opened to the public.  A miniature railway was opened in the grounds along with an indoor model railway in the Chapel, which became the ‘largest of its kind in the world’.  However, in 1993 the Chapel was restored and the railway was sold off.  Over the decades the grounds were redeveloped as a visitor attraction with a boating lake, chairlift and a small fair being installed. The latter day Alton Towers was formed by millionaire property developer John Broome who bought it in 1973 and by 1980 had made it the theme park that we know today – full of shrieks and screams!  A far cry from the gentle stroll...