Story Search Results

A New Year Calamity! #90

...and put a lock on the door – these were her property now!  This left my dad in a bit of a quandary about what to do for tables and after a lot of ranting he decided that he would have to hire some.  As my dad was well known for being ‘careful’ with his money, he didn’t want to spend too much and hired the cheapest tables and chairs he could.  They arrived on the day of the Ball in a van with a man (or two) and they carried them into the Ballroom and left.  Kev, my boyfriend, and I went to set them out later on – it was only then that we realised why they were so cheap.  The tables folded out but the chairs were all joined together in rows of 10! ...

Hallowe'en Hauntings #100

...m I would lock the doors and burrow down under the blankets so I wouldn't see or hear anything - quite forgetting that ghosts can walk through walls! The haunted bedroom corridor   When I got older it was great to have parties in the attics as we could play our rock music really loud and no-one would hear it!  My dad had made the west wing of the house (the old Victorian nurseries) into an apartment which we rented out and it was here that my 18th birthday was celebrated as we had become friends with the people that lived there. As everyone had heard about the ghost stories at the Hall, we made an ouija board and tried to contact the spirits.  Most peo...

What the Butler saw!

...all under lock and key so none of the servants could have a crafty drink when no-one was looking. There was actually a Chubb walk-in safe in the basement where, I assume, the more valuable items were kept for special occasions.  Near to the butler’s room was a Chubb wall safe, which would have been used for keeping guests’ valuables in while they were staying at the Hall.  Not unlike a hotel nowadays!  Carter also waited on table at all the meals and at night, secured all doors and windows and checked the fires were safe before retiring to bed.  If there was no valet in the house then the butler would also have been responsible for looking after his mast...

The Tax Man Cometh! #28

...locals to lock up the pub (this was quite common in those days). As the night went on we got hungry and the chef decided to cook some chips for us all. He went into the kitchen and saw that the chimney was on fire! We all ran out of the pub and sure enough, there were flames pouring out of the top. As the landlord only lived in the village the chef phoned him up and told him about the fire but he wouldn’t believe him! He thought we were playing a joke on him and slammed the phone down. Once more the chef rang him and told him that the pub was on fire – he must come straight away, but once again he wouldn’t believe us and hung up. Meanwhile we rang the fire...

What the Butler Saw! #35

...all under lock and key so none of the servants could have a crafty drink when no-one was looking. There was actually a Chubb walk-in safe in the basement where, I assume, the more valuable items were kept for special occasions. Near to the butler’s room was a Chubb wall safe, which would have been used for keeping guests’ valuables in while they were staying at the Hall. Not unlike a hotel nowadays! He also waited on table at all the meals and at night, secured all doors and windows and checked the fires were safe before retiring to bed. If there was no valet in the house then the butler would also have been responsible for looking after his master’s cloth...

The Tax Man Cometh! #26

...locals to lock up the pub (this was quite common in those days). As the night went on we got hungry and the chef decided to cook some chips for us all. He went into the kitchen and saw that the chimney was on fire! We all ran out of the pub and sure enough, there were flames pouring out of the top. As the landlord only lived in the village the chef phoned him up and told him about the fire but he wouldn’t believe him! He thought we were playing a joke on him and slammed the phone down. Once more the chef rang him and told him that the pub was on fire – he must come straight away, but once again he wouldn’t believe us and hung up. Meanwhile we rang the fire...