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Hoar Cross hall - a bit of history #13

HOAR CROSS hall - A BIT OF HISTORY:       Hoar Cross was part of Needwood Forest, the 11th century lands of Henry de Ferrers. The land was passed down to Henry’s son and subsequent various people over the course of 500 years ending with the Webb family, around the 1730s, who bought the land and house known as the Manor of the Cross. This was quite a large house built on a hill near Yoxall (which is the village next to Hoar Cross). In 1740 the manor house was demolished and later the Hon. Charles Talbot bought the estate for £17,000. Eventually it was sold to Hugo Meynell, who already owned huge amounts of property all over the county. This branch of the...

Meet the Neighbours - Blithfield hall #78

This month I start a brand new series on stately homes local to Hoar Cross hall and the first one is Blithfield hall, which was probably the nearest stately home neighbour to Hoar Cross hall and had been privately owned by the Bagot family since the 14th century.  The house, which is Grade I listed, is situated between Rugeley and Abbots Bromley and is about 6 miles from the hall.  I remember calling round with my parents once to see Nancy, Lady Bagot, and admiring the goats they had roaming around the nearby fields.  Blithfield hall is known as the home of a breed of goat, the Bagot goat, which for several hundred years have lived semi-wild on the estate....

Hoar Cross hall - Life Below Stairs #35

...from the servants hall (where they all ate their meals) was the butler’s pantry and plate room and the butler’s bedroom. The plate room was where all the silver plate was kept and it was the butler’s job to look after it, even having his bedroom next to the plate room so it was always under guard, especially at night. There was also a wall safe to keep valuables in and next to the wine cellar was a Chubb walk-in safe. The still room was a large area for making jams and cakes and where the afternoon teas were prepared. It was also used for pastry making and other meals such as the breakfast trays for the nursery which gave some relief to the kitchen staff...

Hoar Cross hall - Life below stairs #45

...from the servants hall (where they all ate their meals) was the butler’s pantry and plate room and the butler’s bedroom. The plate room was where all the silver plate was kept and it was the butler’s job to look after it, even having his bedroom next to the plate room so it was always under guard, especially at night. There was also a wall safe to keep valuables in and next to the wine cellar was a Chubb walk-in safe. The still room was a large area for making jams and cakes and where the afternoon teas were prepared. It was also used for pastry making and other meals such as the breakfast trays for the nursery which gave some relief to the kitchen staff...

Hickleton hall and the Meynells #38

...This lovely Grade II listed Georgian house in South Yorkshire was once the childhood home of The Honourable Emily Charlotte Meynell who married Hugo Meynell of Hoar Cross and who, together with Hugo, built Hoar Cross hall to be their family home in 1873, a hundred years before my family lived there.  The original house was called Hickleton Palace and had been built for Judge Francis Rodes in the 16th century but in 1745 Hickleton hall was built just to the south of this house after the estate was bought by Godfrey Wentworth in about 1730. Thirty years later he extended the house and added two low wings, one either side, and a servants wing (see header picture)...

The War Years and Beyond #39

...During the Second World War, life in country houses changed dramatically. It was no different at Hoar Cross hall. The flower borders on the main lawns were turfed over to reduce maintenance and vegetables were grown in areas formerly restricted to flowers. Evacuees from Birmingham came to stay for the duration of the war and they lived in the basement, as it was considered to be the safest place. I imagine that they must have been in the care of the servants as they were living amongst them but it must also have been quite exciting for them to move from a bombed out city to the relative safety of the countryside, although they must have missed their parents of c...