Story Search Results

Hysterical Productions #15

...od in the kitchen which was meant for the guests and we nearly ran out of cheese and pate – the chef was ranting and raving at them, threatening to walk out if they didn’t stop! Oh, it really was hysterical! In from the cold!   The year finished with our annual New Year’s Eve Ball which was marred slightly by my parents arguing, something which was becoming all too regular during the course of this last year. Mum had received a plant as a birthday present and my dad was going berserk about it, wanting to know who it was from – she obviously had a secret admirer but wasn’t telling! Dad decided to go away for the new year but when he went to driv...

An Edwardian Schoolroom Maid #40

...For the first 75 years of Hoar Cross 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 nearby Newborough, and it was through her...

Behind the green baize door #47

...from the kitchens. Brass tacks held the cloth in place and was often very decorative in design (see header picture).  Baize dates back to 1525 and a well-known 17th century ditty mentions 'bays' as follows:-  “Hops, heresies, bays and beer All came to England in just one year.”   It became popular in the mid 18th century and was used mainly for cabinet and closet linings in Europe – also games tables. I'm sure you are all familiar with pool and snooker tables showing off their red and green baize cloth. Baize was also used as clothing for monks, nuns and soldiers as it was very warm and hard wearing. Is there no end to the talents of this servicea...

The Long Gallery #67

...I thought that a little series on the different rooms in Hoar Cross Hall might be quite interesting, taking a deeper look at what these rooms were used for and a bit of history surrounding them.  The main ground floor rooms were open to the public during the 1970s when people wandered around our home admiring the fine paintings and furniture followed by a walk in the grounds trying to imagine how it looked in days gone by.  The house was entered through two huge oak doors which led into an Entrance Hall - this was our cafe area and the Butlers Pantry just off there was what we used as a kitchen to bake scones and sell snacks and ice creams.  Leading off the E...

The Chinese Room #71

...from the kitchens below.  Apparently, a pantry boy fell down the lift shaft one day and broke his leg quite badly and after that they sealed it up and the food was brought up a different way – up the spiral staircase and across the Entrance Hall.  More extra work for the poor servants! Christmas Day dining for the Meynells 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...