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Hoar Cross Hall - Life below stairs #45

...od in the schoolroom at the Hall. The sons of the family were away at boarding school but the girls had a governess and nursery maid to look after them. Dorothy had her own personal maid at the age of 11. The schoolroom was situated just off the main entrance hall on the ground floor and the maid would bring breakfast there for them. Later she would spend her time mending and sewing in the workroom before serving lunch then supper later on in the nursery. One Sunday in four was a day off – although it was only from 2.30pm – 10pm and they weren’t allowed to be late back! Original plan of the basement floor   For servants a good singing voice could r...

The Origins of the Stately Home #39

...Why are stately homes so called? Stately home actually means 'a large impressive old house with interesting history and usually visited by the public.' Well, I suppose they do look very 'stately' for a start but these houses were also a status symbol for the great families of England, who competed with each other to provide hospitality for the royal household who would travel around England meeting their subjects. Stately homes were huge mansions which were always beautiful and the epitome of perfect architecture, often designed by famous architects of the day. The gardens too would be perfectly landscaped to show balance, variety, sequence and colour. One of t...

Behind the Green Baize Door #41

...ed by the schoolroom maid and the governess. Up one more floor and you would be in the attics where the female servants' bedrooms were. Off the staircase to one side was a large walk-in cupboard which held all the linen and towels and I often used to hide in this cupboard when playing hide-and-seek with my brothers! However, upheavals of war, social changes and financial challenges in the early part of the 20th century signalled that the heyday of the 'Upstairs, downstairs' culture was all but over. Many of these large houses are now open to the public, as was ours, and it's interesting to see the doors and what's behind them.   Don't miss next week's insta...

Behind the green baize door #47

...ed by the schoolroom maid and the governess. Up one more floor and you would be in the attics where the female servants' bedrooms were.   A similar staircase to the ones at the Hall   Off the staircase to one side was a large walk-in cupboard which held all the linen and towels and I often used to hide in this cupboard when playing hide-and-seek with my brothers! However, upheavals of war, social changes and financial challenges in the early part of the 20th century signalled that the heyday of the 'Upstairs, downstairs' culture was all but over. Many of these large houses are now open to the public, as was ours, and it's interesting to see the doors...

Hoar Cross History #65

...ecame the schoolroom maid at Hoar Cross Hall in the 1920s.   Mary Tooth’s sister, Constance Madeley, was the wife of the landlord at the Buffalo Inn in the nearby village of Newborough and it was through her that Inez secured the job at the Hall. The Buffalo Inn   After the Hall was built many of the cottages in the village were bought by the Hoar Cross Estate so they had somewhere to house their employees. In the 1870s the school was built and this must have been a much needed addition to the village. I can imagine that Emily Meynell probably had something to do with that as was often the case in those days, where the local gentry provided funds fo...