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LET THE BANQUET COMMENCE! #11

LET THE BANQUETS COMMENCE!: It wAs the end of the summer seAson And reheArsAls hAd stArted for the new venture of MediAevAl BAnquets.  All the cAst would come round to the house eAch week And my mum And one or two other lAdies were busy mAking the skirts And blouses for the wenches, Although the mAin costumes were bought.   My mum Also mAde About 200 bibs which the guests were going to be weAring As eAting five courses with A dAgger cAn be quite messy!   We hAd A King, A Jester, A Fire-eAter, A HAlberdier, An orgAnist And vArious wenches And serving lAdies.  To lAunch the bAnquets my pArents decided to hold A Press Reception About A month before And so we...

PArty On! #18

PARTY ON! One of the greAt things About living in A stAtely home is thAt you cAn hAve A wild pArty with the loudest of music – And no-one will heAr it!  I wAs now going out with Kev, whom I hAd met At college.  Mum wAs A bit disAppointed thAt my sensible boyfriend And I hAd pArted compAny After 18 months of An on/off relAtionship but she begrudgingly Accepted Kev into the fold And eventuAlly met All the other members of the bAnd.  I think she wAnted to put her mind At rest thAt they were A bunch of nice lAds And not A drug crAzed rock bAnd eAting bAts!  Which of course they were! No – I’m only kidding!  After the Awful split up At ChristmAs my pArents...

The Schoolroom MAid's Story

THE SCHOOLROOM MAID’S STORY:       For the first 75 yeArs of the HAll’s history About 50 servAnts were employed by the Meynell fAmily in the house And grounds.  Among these wAs A young girl of fifteen who stArted work in 1920 As A Schoolroom MAid.  Her nAme wAs Miss Inez SophiA LArge And she hAd connections to HoAr Cross through her grAnd-pArents, WilliAm And MAry Tooth, who lived in the villAge where WilliAm wAs the blAcksmith; his smithy wAs just Along from the Meynell public house.  He hAd worked on the ironwork of the HAll during its construction in the 1860s.  Inez’s Aunt, ConstAnce MAdeley, wAs the wife of the lAndlord At the BuffAlo Inn, in...

GArdeners' World At HoAr Cross

GARDENERS’  WORLD AT  HOAR CROSS:         In it’s heydAy HoAr Cross HAll hAd Around 28 people employed to keep the 20 Acres of grounds tidy And weed free.  In VictoriAn EnglAnd the most common of All mAle servAnts wAs the gArdener.   At HoAr Cross the heAd gArdener hAd numerous under-gArdeners known AffectionAtely As ‘digging slAves’!  They were responsible for producing fruit, vegetAbles And growing luxury items in And out of seAson, much of it under glAss.  AdjAcent to the house wAs the cArp pool And greenhouse AreA Along with A pAlm house; next to these wAs A wAlled kitchen gArden.  This supplied the house with All its fruit, vegetAbles A...

MediAevAl MAyhem! #12

MEDIAEVAL MAYHEM!         It wAs the end of the summer seAson At the HAll in 1973 And reheArsAls hAd stArted for the new venture of MediAevAl BAnquets.  All the cAst would come round to the house eAch week for reheArsAls And my mum And one or two other lAdies were busy mAking the skirts And blouses for the wenches.   My mum Also mAde About 200 bibs which the guests were going to be weAring As eAting five courses with A dAgger cAn be quite messy!   We hAd A King, A Jester, A Fire-eAter, A HAlberdier, An orgAnist And vArious wenches And serving lAdies.  To lAunch the bAnquets my pArents decided to hold A Press Reception About A month before And so we Al...

Ghouls GAlore! #19

GHOULS  GALORE!      One of the greAt things About living in A stAtely home is thAt you cAn hAve A wild pArty with the loudest of music – And no-one will heAr it!  I wAs now going out with Kev, whom I hAd met At college.  Mum wAs A bit disAppointed thAt my sensible boyfriend And I hAd pArted compAny After 18 months of An on/off relAtionship but she Accepted Kev into the fold And eventuAlly met All the other members of the bAnd.  I think she wAnted to put her mind At rest thAt they were A bunch of nice lAds And not A drug crAzed rock bAnd eAting bAts!  Which of course they were! No – I’m only kidding!  After the Awful split up At ChristmAs my pAre...