Story Search Results

Ghouls Galore!

...of ghost hunting by candlelight, so we dared them to try it!   Well, they certainly found them!  They all sat around in a circle on the bare wooden floors and joined hands; the candle was placed in the middle of the circle creating an eerie glow and making shadows dance in the corners.   The more experienced people did a bit of chanting and then they all waited to see what happened.   We carried on partying downstairs turning the music up loud – to be honest, I didn’t really want to know what was going on in the attic, that whole part of the building terrified me! After about 30 minutes we ventured up the spiral staircase a little way to see what wa...

What the Butler Saw! #35

...othes and hunting gear. In the absence of a footman, he would also answer the door – sounds like he was a very busy man! Let’s hope that someone didn’t come calling at lunchtime while he was helping his master get changed into yet another outfit! Another thing large houses always had was a letter bag - used for receiving and dispatching letters – the butler would have the key to this bag and be responsible for distributing the mail. Can you imagine the excitement amongst the staff as the postman cycled up the long drive bringing the mail – and then having to wait until later on to see if there was a letter for them! Most servants wouldn’t have recei...

Ghouls Galore! #17

...of ghost hunting by candlelight, so we dared them to try it! Well, they certainly found them! They all sat around in a circle on the bare wooden floors and joined hands; the candle was placed in the middle of the circle creating an eerie glow and making shadows dance in the corners. The more experienced people did a bit of chanting and then they all waited to see what happened. We carried on partying downstairs turning the music up loud – to be honest, I didn’t really want to know what was going on in the attic, that whole part of the building terrified me! After about 30 minutes we ventured up the spiral staircase a little way to see what was happening. A...

What the Butler Saw! #38

...othes and hunting gear. In the absence of a footman, he would also answer the door – sounds like he was a very busy man! Let’s hope that someone didn’t come calling at lunchtime while he was helping his master get changed into yet another outfit! Another thing large houses always had was a letter bag - used for receiving and dispatching letters – the butler would have the key to this bag and be responsible for distributing the mail. Can you imagine the excitement amongst the staff as the postman cycled up the long drive bringing the mail – and then having to wait until later on to see if there was a letter for them! Most servants wouldn’t have recei...

The Life and Times of an Upper Class Family #41

...ich was a hunting lodge near to where they were later to build Hoar Cross Hall. Tragically, after moving into the Hall which took nine years to build, Hugo died from injuries sustained in a riding accident some fourteen months earlier which had left him bed-ridden. Upon her husband's death, Emily's brother, the Hon. Frederick George Lindley Wood, moved from Hickleton and came to live with her. He was a huge help with managing all the estates that Emily had inherited on Hugo's death. He also became her 'reader' as Emily had poor eyesight and couldn't read or write for more than a few minutes. Frederick Meynell in 1905   In 1878 Frederick married Lady Mary...

My Dad Bought a Mansion #1

...d built a hunting lodge there known as Old Hall and founded the Meynell Hunt. It seemed the family lived here for many years until Hugo’s grandson, also Hugo, got married in 1863 and decided to build the present Hall for him and his wife, Emily Charlotte. The house took nine years to build and was eventually finished in 1871. Hugo and Emily had already moved in, but their new life together was soon to be cut short by a tragic accident. Fourteen months earlier at Birch Wood on their estate Hugo had a horse riding accident and had been bed-ridden ever since – he died in May of that year. They had no children and Emily built The Church of the Holy Angels in the...