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A Christmas Celebration #74

...ted their servants and workers quite well compared to some families and always hosted a party just before Christmas for the indoor and outdoor staff as well as the estate workers who lived in the cottages nearby.  The party was held in the Long Gallery where there were roaring log fires in the two fireplaces and a small band playing music.  A table was laden with food and drinks including mulled wine and ginger beer.  The staff dressed up in their ‘Sunday best’ and for one night of the year they could imagine what it was like to be a member of the aristocracy – however, they weren’t allowed to go into any other ground floor rooms and the big, oak doub...

What the Butler Saw! #38

...WHAT THE BUTLER SAW!      Anyone who’s seen Downton Abbey will remember Carter the butler. He is exactly how a butler would have been in the 19th century and, strangely enough, the butler at the Hall during the early part of the 20th century was also called Carter! Although most big houses had a house steward who was in charge of accounts and general running of the household, a butler was more commonly engaged by the wealthy. He was usually a grand, authoritarian figure, commanding respect and awe and most of the servants would have been scared to death of upsetting him! He was dressed like a gentleman of the period and generally ran the household with an...

Our mansion gets a facelift #4

...s how the servants would have accessed these rooms when bringing the family breakfast trays in the mornings. Where children were to be seen and not heard, servants were to be neither seen nor heard by members of the family and all the areas to the house were accessed via the spiral staircases and then inner hallways and corridors so they could go about their duties quickly and quietly. My dad spent a lot of his time at auction houses buying and selling antiques and so he went back there again to source carpets and kitchen equipment. He also installed huge electric heaters to keep our new tenants warm. The West Wing was smaller than the East Wing so was made int...

A Christmas Celebration #89

...The final Christmas blog this year is a story of how the servants celebrated Christmas at Hoar Cross Hall, based around true events.  The Meynells always gave a party for their servants and local tradesmen in the Long Gallery, and I imagine it went a bit like this!     “Come on, look sharp!” shouted Cook to her assistants in the kitchen.  “We’ve got a load of cooking to do for the Christmas party at the weekend and if you don’t get a move on there’ll be nothing to eat!” The kitchen maids looked at each other, stopped their gossiping and started to move a bit quicker.  Cook could be quite intimidating when she was in one of her moods.  The...

THE RENOVATIONS BEGIN #4

...s how the servants would have accessed the rooms when bringing the family breakfast trays in the mornings.  Where children were to be seen and not heard, servants were to be neither seen nor heard by members of the family and all the areas to the house were accessed via the spiral staircases and then inner hallways and corridors, so they could go about their duties quickly and quietly.  My dad spent a lot of his time at auction houses buying and selling antiques and so he went back there again to source carpets and kitchen equipment.  He also installed huge electric heaters to keep our new tenants warm.  The West Wing was smaller than the East Wing so was m...

Reburbishing our Mansion #4

...s how the servants would have accessed these rooms when bringing the family breakfast trays in the mornings.  Where children were to be seen and not heard, servants were to be neither seen nor heard by members of the family and all the areas to the house were accessed via the spiral staircases and then inner hallways and corridors so they could go about their duties quickly and quietly.  My dad spent a lot of his time at auction houses buying and selling antiques and so he went back there again to source carpets and kitchen equipment.  He also installed huge electric heaters to keep our new tenants warm.  The West Wing was smaller than the East Wing so was...