Story Search Results

Victorian Society #93

...n, unlike lots of people who lived in poverty in the inner cities. Hoar Cross Hall servants   c.1910   Class was a big issue and encompassed income, occupation, education, family structure and leisure.  Men were primarily in charge and independent.  They took part in politics and paid work while the dependent women stayed at home and ran the household and looked after the children.  The Victorians were also very moral people generally, particularly in the upper classes, although there were a lot of ‘double standards’.  There was a prudish refusal to admit the existence of sex, for instance, even though educated men constantly discussed it or wr...

MOTOR RACING DAYS #9

...go in and lots of free food and drink which was great when you’re a kid – and my dad would always help himself to free bottles of champagne which he said he was keeping for when I got married!  But that’s another story! When Gavin was older my dad encouraged him to race too and he went on to run his own World Championship Team travelling all over the world.  He also took Piers go-kart racing at nearby Chasewater Park in Cannock – more about that in future blogs!   Don’t miss next week’s instalment when we're back at the Hall:  Ventures New - Subscribe now and please feel free to share with your friends!...

SKOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER! #13

...they had lots of climbing frames and slides.  At one of the fetes I was standing next to a crockery smashing stall and a piece of crockery cut my head open causing a huge gash.  I ran all the way home screaming and crying with blood pouring down my face – no-one could stop me – and was taken to the nearby hospital to have it stitched up.  I still have a huge scar from that cut but luckily it’s on my hair line so no-one can see it! The private road also joined up to our woods near the driveway and this is the road I walked along every day, up to the main road, to catch the bus to school.  It was about half a mile but I hated walking through the woods,...

Suits You Sir! #23

...ob we had lots of dutch courage inside of us! Gradually over the next year or two we managed to swap most of the armour over and also exchanged the better paintings for reproduction versions; we took the original antiques to Kev’s parents’ house and kept them in their attic until my dad could sell them.  My dad managed to sneak out other smaller items too but as there was so much stuff in Kev’s attic he forgot what he’d taken; a few years after the divorce was over Kev’s dad found a pair of duelling pistols in a lovely wooden box still up there under a pile of Christmas decorations!  Whilst his friend was making the reproduction pieces, my dad aske...

Motor Racing Days #9

...contained lots of free food and drink which was great when you’re a kid – and my dad would always help himself to free bottles of champagne which he said he was keeping for when I got married!  But that’s another story! When Gavin was older my dad encouraged him to race too and he went on to run his own World Championship Team travelling all over the world.  He also took Piers go-kart racing at nearby Chasewater Park in Cannock – more about that in future blogs! Don’t miss next week’s instalment:  Ventures New If you would like to follow my story from the beginning, please click here and feel free to share with your friends.    ...

Skools out for summer! #14

...they had lots of climbing frames and slides.  At one of the fetes I was standing next to a crockery smashing stall and a piece of crockery cut my head open causing a huge gash.  I ran all the way home screaming and crying with blood pouring down my face – no-one could stop me – and was taken to the nearby hospital to have it stitched up.  I still have a huge scar from that cut but luckily no-one can see it! The private road also joined up to our woods near the driveway and this is the road I walked along every day, up to the main road, to catch the bus to school.  It was about half a mile but I hated walking through the woods, especially in the winter...