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Behan class='highlight'>inan>d the green baize door #47

"The green baize door - dividan class='highlight'>inan>g lan class='highlight'>inan>e betwix servant and master.” all stately homes had at least one green baize door and Hoar Cross Hall was no different. This was the door used by the servants to access the maan class='highlight'>inan> part of the house unobtrusively and silently so they could go about their work without disturban class='highlight'>inan>g the family. The Hall had a spiral staircase at each end of the house for the servants to use and the green baize door on the ground floor opened onto the Garden Corridor which led to the Chapel and the maan class='highlight'>inan> house, as well as the garden. The green baize door on the first floor opened onto the east wan class='highlight'>inan>g corridor and guest bedrooms and from this corridor t...

The country house an class='highlight'>inan> society #48

Country houses are to be found throughout the British Isles and are a peculiarly English phenomenon. Houses range from mediaeval manor houses to classical Palladian mansions, elegant Georgian residences to the Gothic buildan class='highlight'>inan>gs of the Victorian era. a great many have survived for two maan class='highlight'>inan> reasons: Britaan class='highlight'>inan> has been spared much of the havoc of war and revolution affectan class='highlight'>inan>g other countries. Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire   Wentworth Woodhouse (above) is one of the largest stately homes an class='highlight'>inan> Europe and was visited by Kan class='highlight'>inan>g George V and Queen Mary an class='highlight'>inan> 1912. It is now with the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust and is much bigger than this photo shows!   The...

anyone for tennis? #62

With the summer season well and truly an class='highlight'>upan>on us and Wimbledon an class='highlight'>inan> full swan class='highlight'>inan>g, I thought a blog about tennis might be an class='highlight'>inan> order!  The game of tennis first started an class='highlight'>inan> the Mediaeval days and an class='highlight'>inan>volved hittan class='highlight'>inan>g a ball with a bare hand and later with a glove.  By the 16th century the glove had become a racquet and the game had moved to an enclosed playan class='highlight'>inan>g area and the rules had stabilized.  This was known as ‘real tennis’.  The word tennis came an class='highlight'>inan>to use an class='highlight'>inan> English an class='highlight'>inan> the mid-14th century from French, via the anglo-Norman term Tenez, which can be translated as 'hold', 'receive' or 'take', a call from the server to his opponent an class='highlight'>inan>dicatan class='highlight'>inan>g that he is about to serve....

Meet the Neighbours - Shugborough Hall #80

The next house an class='highlight'>inan> this series is a mere half hour from Hoar Cross Hall and we often visited it duran class='highlight'>inan>g the summer months and later, when my children were born, we’d take them for a visit too!  Seated on the edge of Cannock Chase this elegant house was once a manor house owned by the Bishops of Lichfield, until the dissolution of the monasteries around 1540.  Later it came an class='highlight'>inan>to the hands of the anson family, who were ancestors of the Earls of Lichfield, and stayed there for three centuries.  William anson’s grandson, also called William, demolished the manor house an class='highlight'>inan> 1693 and built a three storey buildan class='highlight'>inan>g an class='highlight'>inan> the Neo-Classical style which forms the central p...

anyone for Tennis? #96

With the summer season well and truly an class='highlight'>upan>on us and Wimbledon almost here, I thought a blog about tennis might be an class='highlight'>inan> order!  The game of tennis first started an class='highlight'>inan> the Mediaeval days and an class='highlight'>inan>volved hittan class='highlight'>inan>g a ball with a bare hand and later with a glove.  By the 16th century the glove had become a racquet and the game had moved to an enclosed playan class='highlight'>inan>g area and the rules had stabilized.  This was known as ‘real tennis’.  The word tennis came an class='highlight'>inan>to use an class='highlight'>inan> English an class='highlight'>inan> the mid-14th century from French, via the anglo-Norman term Tenez, which can be translated as 'hold', 'receive' or 'take', a call from the server to his opponent an class='highlight'>inan>dicatan class='highlight'>inan>g that he is about to serve....

The Grand Openan class='highlight'>inan>g #5

and so we move an class='highlight'>inan>to 1971 and the preparation of Hoar Cross Hall so we could open it to the public by Easter. Duran class='highlight'>inan>g the run an class='highlight'>upan> to buyan class='highlight'>inan>g the house my dad had been buyan class='highlight'>inan>g furniture, carpets and paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>gs like crazy and I remember our previous home bean class='highlight'>inan>g jam packed with chaise longues, sideboards and carved chests as well as all the suits of armour that he already had. This furniture was now set out an class='highlight'>inan> all the rooms. My mum’s collection of Victorian costumes were on display an class='highlight'>inan> the Ballroom as well as my dad’s collection of silver plated ‘display’ armour, which hung around the panelled walls; the suits of armour and the many paan class='highlight'>inan>tan class='highlight'>inan>gs they had lan class='highlight'>inan>ed the Lon...