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a New Year Calamity #34

The New Year’s Eve Balls at the Hall were usually the highlight of the year. after twelve months of hard work, especially runnan class='highlight'>inan>g the Mediaeval Banquets twice a week through the wan class='highlight'>inan>ter, we were always ready to see out the year an class='highlight'>inan> style with a big new year party. an class='highlight'>inan> those days it was always black tie for the men and long dresses for the ladies – usually around 500 people bought tickets for an evenan class='highlight'>inan>g of entertaan class='highlight'>inan>ment with a dance band, disco and a meal. at midnight a man dressed an class='highlight'>inan> traditional Scottish regalia, an class='highlight'>inan>cludan class='highlight'>inan>g a kilt and sporran, would pipe an class='highlight'>inan> the new year with his bagpipes. Down the Long Gallery he would slowly walk and an class='highlight'>inan>to the Ballroom with his...

See you an class='highlight'>inan> Court #28

SEE YOU an class='highlight'>inan> COURT:     The saga of my parents’ split contan class='highlight'>inan>ued as we grew an class='highlight'>upan> an class='highlight'>inan> our stately home, although their behaviour was anythan class='highlight'>inan>g but stately for most of the time!  Seven years of arguan class='highlight'>inan>g and fightan class='highlight'>inan>g were about to come to an end and the solicitors had fan class='highlight'>inan>ally agreed on a  date to go to court.  We carried on helpan class='highlight'>inan>g my dad to run the Hall and he still went to his boat an class='highlight'>inan> Caernarfon at weekends to get away from the house but we were all gettan class='highlight'>inan>g weary of it now.  We were young adults and wantan class='highlight'>inan>g to get on with our own lives.  after five years together we were hopan class='highlight'>inan>g to get married at some poan class='highlight'>inan>t so we were glad that it was fan class='highlight'>inan>ally goan class='highlight'>inan>g to be sorted...

See you an class='highlight'>inan> Court #27

SEE YOU an class='highlight'>inan> COURT:     The saga of my parents’ split contan class='highlight'>inan>ued as we grew an class='highlight'>upan> an class='highlight'>inan> our stately home, although their behaviour was anythan class='highlight'>inan>g but stately for most of the time!  Seven years of arguan class='highlight'>inan>g and fightan class='highlight'>inan>g were about to come to an end and the solicitors had fan class='highlight'>inan>ally agreed on a  date to go to court.  We carried on helpan class='highlight'>inan>g my dad to run the Hall and he still went to his boat an class='highlight'>inan> Caernarfon at weekends to get away from the house but we were all gettan class='highlight'>inan>g weary of it now.  We were young adults and wantan class='highlight'>inan>g to get on with our own lives.  after five years together we were hopan class='highlight'>inan>g to get married at some poan class='highlight'>inan>t so we were glad that it was fan class='highlight'>inan>ally goan class='highlight'>inan>g to be sorted...

See you an class='highlight'>inan> Court #31

SEE YOU an class='highlight'>inan> COURT:     The saga of my parents’ split contan class='highlight'>inan>ued as we grew an class='highlight'>upan> an class='highlight'>inan> our stately home, although their behaviour was anythan class='highlight'>inan>g but stately for most of the time! Seven years of arguan class='highlight'>inan>g and fightan class='highlight'>inan>g were about to come to an end and the solicitors had fan class='highlight'>inan>ally agreed on a date to go to court. We carried on helpan class='highlight'>inan>g my dad to run the Hall and he still went to his boat an class='highlight'>inan> Caernarfon at weekends to get away from the house but we were all gettan class='highlight'>inan>g weary of it now. We were young adults and wantan class='highlight'>inan>g to get on with our own lives. after five years together we were hopan class='highlight'>inan>g to get married at some poan class='highlight'>inan>t so we were glad that it was fan class='highlight'>inan>ally goan class='highlight'>inan>g to be sorted out one wa...

Movan class='highlight'>inan>g On #35

MOVan class='highlight'>inan>G ON – THE END OF aN ERa:      and so, after ten years of an class='highlight'>growan class='highlight'>inan>gan> an class='highlight'>upan> and livan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> a stately home, I have come to the end of my story. after my parents’ divorce it was agreed that my mum bought out my dad's half of the house and he had to leave his dream home forever. He and Gavan class='highlight'>inan> moved out to live an class='highlight'>inan> Burton-on-Trent and my mum carried on runnan class='highlight'>inan>g Mediaeval Banquets for a few more years. She and the san class='highlight'>inan>ger eventually got together much to my dad’s chagran class='highlight'>inan>. The san class='highlight'>inan>ger spent a lot more time at the Hall helpan class='highlight'>inan>g my mum run the banquets; however, Piers didn’t really get on with him. When he was about 14 years old my dad received a phone call from Piers...

DIY Stately home #4

We moved an class='highlight'>inan>to Hoar Cross Hall duran class='highlight'>inan>g the summer holidays and my parents quickly realised they had a lot of work on their hands to make the place habitable as well as to earn some money from it. as previously mentioned, there was an East Wan class='highlight'>inan>g and a West Wan class='highlight'>inan>g to the house. My dad decided to convert the first floor rooms of each wan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan>to three separate apartments; he had done this at our previous house. This would generate an class='highlight'>inan>come from rents until we got the maan class='highlight'>inan> house open to the public. It wasn’t a big job to convert the rooms as the East Wan class='highlight'>inan>g had four maan class='highlight'>inan> rooms and two bathrooms already there, which would have been used as guest bedrooms an class='highlight'>inan> Victorian times. H...