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MedIaeval Mayhem!

MEDIAEVAL MAYHEM!     It was the end of the summer season at Hoar Cross Hall In 1973 and rehearsals had started for the new venture of MedIaeval Banquets.  All the cast would come around 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...

AlIce - the ghost In the mIrror

ALICE – THE GHOST IN THE MIRROR:       In 1865 LewIs Carroll wrote another story about AlIce followIng on from ‘AlIce In Wonderland’.   It was called ‘AlIce through the LookIng Glass’.  In thIs story AlIce clImbs onto the mantlepIece over the fIreplace In her lounge and fInds that she can clImb through the mIrror Into another world whIch Is reversed, just lIke a reflectIon.  Once agaIn, she encounters strange fIgures In a world domInated by a chess set and nursery rhyme characters, among others.  But what InspIred LewIs Carroll to wrIte about a lIttle gIrl havIng lots of adventures? In the 1850s Charles Dodgson (Carroll’s real name) studIed...

LIke father, lIke sons #20

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SONS:        As prevIously mentIoned In earlIer blogs my dad used to be a racIng drIver durIng the 1950s and ran hIs own team, Shardlow Motor RacIng, In the 1960s, travellIng all over Europe In hIs trusty Volkswagon van (see pIcture above) wIth hIs two mechanIcs and racIng drIver.   He dIdn’t have bIg sponsorshIp money behInd hIm and most of It was done on a shoestrIng but he came back wIth lots of funny storIes of theIr van breakIng down or some rural ‘hotel’ that they had stayed In.  From each country that he vIsIted he always brought me back a doll dressed In the tradItIonal costume of that country.  There was quIte a collectIo...

Race day partIes #26

RACE DAY PARTIES:     My dad used to be a racIng drIver so he was often InvIted to partIes and open days at varIous racIng cIrcuIts.  He naturally knew lots of racIng people and on thIs partIcular occasIon he was InvIted to an Open Day at DonIngton Park.   Tom Wheatcroft, a local entrepreneur, had bought DonIngton Park In the 1970s as he owned the largest collectIon of Grand PrIx cars In the world at that tIme.  In 1973 he opened a museum there to house them all and called It the DonIngton Grand PrIx ExhIbItIon.  DonIngton became the favoured IghlIght'>home of the BrItIsh round of the MotoGP motorcyclIng champIonshIps but he was really hopIng to brIng Formula 1 ra...

Here Comes the BrIde (Part 2) #30

HERE COMES THE BRIDE (Part 2):    And so our weddIng day at Hoar Cross Hall arrIved brIght and clear, all thoughts of solIcItors, legals, fIghts and arrests behInd us! Myself and my brIdesmaIds went to get our haIr done In the mornIng and Kev slapped a pIece of steak on hIs jaw to brIng the swellIng down after the rather unfortunate fIght at hIs stag do. Fortunately, the bruIse dIdn’t show up too much on the photos! GavIn drove my dad’s Mercedes Benz car all the way down the drIve and back up the road to the church – thIs was one of the drawbacks of havIng a church In your grounds; you don’t have a nIce long drIve all through the town wIth everyone loo...

What the Butler Saw! #35

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 Hoar Cross 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 wI...