Story Search Results

A Christmas Haunting! #34

...nose and lots of curly hair – if she didn’t know any better she could have sworn that it was Alice! A giggle erupted behind her and as she turned she saw Alice standing by one of the secret doors.   “Hello,” said Viv. “Do you want to play?” Alice smiled and ran through the door. Viv followed close behind but as she emerged from the doorway into the Ballroom Alice was nowhere to be seen. “Hey, are you hiding Alice? Do you want to play hide and seek?” called Viv. She looked at all the Victorian costumes that were on display in the Ballroom and wondered if she was hiding behind one of the large dresses, but a quick look round revealed no...

What the Butler Saw! #42

...ouses had lots of corridors and back staircases separate to the main house.  Ever wondered why doors open into rooms a certain way in older properties?  This was for modesty purposes so that if a servant opened the bedroom door to help her mistress get dressed, she could enter discreetly without the occupant being seen from the corridor.  Often bedrooms were interconnected (as they were at the Hall) so that families could move between rooms without having to use the corridors and therefore risk bumping into a servant taking the chamber pots away!   Many houses had rooms with at least two doorways for ease of access but usually kept closed to keep the heat i...

Royal Visitors at Hoar Cross Hall #49

...n imagine lots of front rooms crammed with neighbours eager to see the new Queen or even watching outside a shop window (yes, this really did happen!) People watching the Coronation in 1952   The Queen and her family made their first documentary for TV in 1969 and she had her first walkabout in 1970 during a tour of Australia. The Queen had fourteen Prime Ministers during her reign, the first one being Sir Winston Churchill who helped her enormously when she first became Queen whilst she was still getting over the loss of her father no doubt. Her grandmother Queen Mary must have been a huge help to her in those early days with advice and support althoug...

A Christmas Celebration #74

...nd having lots of fun.  When she went to bed that night she was quite exhausted from all the extra activity and soon went to sleep.  Suddenly she was rudely awakened by a ringing bell. “Surely it’s not morning already?” sighed Molly as she got out of bed, but when she looked at her clock it only said 3am. Outside of her room in the attic corridor rang the bell again.  Molly went cold all over and hoped it was the temperature of the room and not something more sinister.  It wasn’t the first time the female staff had heard strange noises in the attic rooms – people walking around and windows banging.  She didn’t dare go out into the corridor but...

Christmas High Jinks #87

...ards with lots of food, mince pies and mulled wine along with a group of bell-ringers to finish off the evening.  The thought of nice Christmas fare was enough to mollify them but they were already thinking up tricks they could play on the unsuspecting parishioners! The day of the Carol Service arrived and as they approached the church Gavin and Viv went to show their mother where the grave was.  But as they got nearer they couldn’t find it. “How strange,” said Viv.  “I’m sure it was here, just round the corner from the front door!” They looked around but couldn’t see anything but overgrown grass and crooked headstones.  Their mother bustled...

Ghosts of Christmas Past #88

...nose and lots of curly hair – if she didn’t know any better she could have sworn that it was Alice!  A giggle erupted behind her and as she turned she saw Alice standing by one of the secret doors. “Hello,” said Viv.  “Do you want to play?” Alice smiled and ran through the door.  Viv followed close behind but as she emerged from the doorway into the Ballroom Alice was nowhere to be seen.  “Hey, are you hiding Alice?  Do you want to play hide and seek?” called Viv.  She looked at all the Victorian costumes that were on display in the Ballroom and wondered if she was hiding behind one of the large dresses, but a quick look round revealed...