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Here Comes the Bride (Part 2) #33

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 the grounds; you don’t get to drive all through the town with everyone looking at you...

Victorian Society #93

...known as Church of England Primary Schools.  The wealthy would often set up charities to help those less fortunate than themselves along with hospitals and orphanages, of which there was much need.  Queen Victoria herself was patron of Great Ormond Street Hospital, which was set up in 1852 to particularly help children and she also became patron of the Royal Victoria Military Hospital after seeing the huge need for men returning from the wars.  Before then healthcare was pretty much non-existent and many people died from diseases that nowadays we would just take a course of antibiotics for.  Child mortality was particularly high, with 25% of children dying...

Hoar Cross Hall - a bit of history #15

...oar Cross Church.  Sir Hugo de Mesnil of Langley Mesnil represented his county under Edward III in five parliaments and thus started a long line of descent for the Mesnil family eventually changing the name to Meynell in the 1600s. In 1782 Hugo married Elizabeth Ingram Shepheard, daughter and co-heiress of Charles Ingram, 9th Viscount Irwin and Lord Ingram.  Temple Newsam in Yorkshire was their family seat and through the marriage the Meynell family inherited the Ingram estates in Lincolnshire.  When the Hall was built in 1871 it was actually modelled on a wing of the Temple Newsam house, which is why they look so similar.   In 1793, after buying the Hoar...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #20

...ng in the Church choir!  Boys from the local orphanage were also required to offer their services to the choir.  During the 1920s there was a chauffeur and an under-chauffeur, although the Meynells had run a motor car since the early part of the 20th century.  The chauffeur was always addressed as Mr, showing that this position had succeeded that of the groom. Around 28 people were employed on the grounds.  Two young boys were employed just to sweep the pathways and were known as bothy boys.  The most common of all male servants was the gardener as they were responsible for producing all the fruit, vegetables and herbs which were used in the kitchens as we...

Hoar Cross Hall - a bit of history #11

...oar Cross Church.  Sir Hugo de Mesnil of Langley Mesnil represented his county under Edward III in five parliaments and thus started a long line of descent for the Mesnil family eventually changing the name to Meynell in the 1600s. In 1782 Hugo married Elizabeth Ingram Shepheard, daughter and co-heiress of Charles Ingram, 9th Viscount Irwin and Lord Ingram.  Temple Newsam in Yorkshire was their family seat and through the marriage the Meynell family inherited the Ingram estates in Lincolnshire.  When the Hall was built in 1871 it was actually modelled on a wing of the Temple Newsam house, which is why they look so similar.   In 1793, after buying the Hoar...

Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs

...ng in the Church choir!  Boys from the local orphanage were also required to offer their services to the choir.  During the 1920s there was a chauffeur and an under-chauffeur, although the Meynells had run a motor car since the early part of the 20th century.  The chauffeur was always addressed as Mr, showing that this position had succeeded that of the groom. Around 28 people were employed on the grounds.  Two young boys were employed just to sweep the pathways and were known as bothy boys.  The most common of all male servants was the gardener as they were responsible for producing all the fruit, vegetables and herbs which were used in the kitchens as we...