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<span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> - Life below stairs #18

<span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> – LIFE BELOW STAIRS:   This week I’ve done a history blog about the servants who lived at the <span class='highlight'>hallspan> from the 1870s to the 1950s when the <span class='highlight'>hallspan> became empty. They were an essential part of keeping a big house running but were often not appreciated by the aristocracy as they went about their day to day duties. The life of a servant in Victorian times was a hard one. They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all the fires and dust and polish the floors, then do a day’s work, often not getting to bed much before midnight. No wonder they didn’t live to a great age in those days! By the end of the 19th century there were nearly one and a half...

Growing up in a stately home #1

It was the summer of 1970, Mungo Jerry was at the top of the hit parade and we were about to move house. But not to any old house – to a 70 roomed mansion in 20 acres of grounds! For years my dad had collected antiques, ever since he was a young boy of 12, and it was his dream to own a large house where he could put them on show to the general public. In the 1970s he owned the largest private collection of arms and armour in the country and his dream was about to be realised; but little did we know what a nightmare would unfold before us. <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> was the home of the Meynell Ingram family who originated from Leicestershire. Hugo Meynell of Quorndon was...

Hysterical Productions #15

By the end of 1974 we had done about 40 banquets at <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> and they were still going strong. Most of the original cast were still with us but we were on our second King now and also doing our own catering and bar, whereas when we first started, we had a catering firm in to do it all. Every weekend over 200 people came to sample our Noble Brose, Roast Lambe and Saracen’s Delight and sing along to ‘I’m Henry VIII’ whilst drinking beer, wine and mead. But it was a very adult environment for 15 year old girls to work in; a few of my school friends also worked at the banquets as wenches and we were constantly being chatted up by men who bought us dri...

Panto Pranks! #76

During the 1970s <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> was used from time to time for local community activities and one such event was the production in 1978 of a traditional pantomime, ‘Midnight and a Journey back to Happiness’.   It was written by local people, Robert Leighton from Yoxall and the Hon. Alexandra Meynell, daughter-in-law of Mrs Jean Meynell whom we had purchased the <span class='highlight'>hallspan> from.  The words and music were written by local songwriter, David Matthews, who had written songs for quite a few pop artists during the 1960s, his most famous being Matt Munro’s ‘We’re gonna change the world’.  So off to a good start there! For those of you who don’t reside in t...

Meet the Neighbours - Trentham Gardens #83

This neighbour was a little further afield to <span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> than the other houses, as it was in Stoke-on-Trent.  However, we often visited the gardens and I went to a few concerts there which were held in the Ballroom of the house. It was very similar to Alton Towers in that it had formal gardens with a large house and in later years was made into pleasure grounds, although not as grand as the rides at Alton towers! Originally the Trentham site was a priory but had been demolished during the dissolution of the monasteries in Henry XIII’s reign.  In 1599 the first <span class='highlight'>hallspan> on this estate was built on the priory ruins but later in 1633 a Richard Leveson replace...

<span class='highlight'>hoarspan> <span class='highlight'>crossspan> <span class='highlight'>hallspan> - Life below stairs #19

This week I’ve done a historical blog about the servants who lived at the <span class='highlight'>hallspan> from the 1870s to the 1950s when the <span class='highlight'>hallspan> became empty. They were an essential part of keeping a big house running but were often not appreciated by the aristocracy as they went about their day to day duties. The life of a servant in Victorian times was a hard one. They had to rise at 5am to clean and light all the fires and dust and polish the floors, then do a day’s work, often not getting to bed much before midnight. No wonder they didn’t live to a great age in those days! By the end of the 19th century there were nearly one and a half million servants; most young girls went...