“Have you seen the grand party we have had at Errwood Hall? It is in the Macclesfield paper (below). I shall save all the news till I see you. I was never at such a party before in my life. I wish you could have seen it, over a hundred of us. We were invited for five o’clock and we stayed until four the next morning.”
Entertainment to Tenants
Saturday January 19th 1895.
A very interesting and pleasant gathering took place at Errwood Hall last Wednesday week, when Miss Grimshawe and Captain the Hon. E. Preston and Mrs Preston (Errwood Hall) entertained the tenantry and tradesmen of the district to dinner.
The tenants and others assembled at the Hall for five o’clock. For the first portion of the evening, they were entertained with a lantern exhibition. The views were illustrative of the Prince of Wales’ journey from Custon to New York and also of the Prince’s Indian tour.
Dinner was then served in the spacious dining hall. The tables were beautifully decorated with flowers &c., the work of the Hon. Mrs E. Preston and the proceedings were enlivened by music.
The following was the menu:- Chicken pratles, roast round, and sirloin of beef, venison, roast turkeys and pheasant, game pies &c., boars head, plum puddings, mince pies, orange jelly &c., Dessert:- apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, pineapples, &c., iced cakes and sweets. Wines: port, sherry, claret, champagne, punch.
Among those present, in addition to the tenantry were Father McKenna and Miss Gaskell of Ingersley Hall. After dinner had been partaken of, dancing was indulged in, Miss Grimshawe opening. This continued until four o’clock next morning. Everyone heartily enjoyed the evening.
A vote of thanks to Miss Grimshawe, the Hon. E. Preston and Mrs Preston was proposed by Father McKenna, and the proposition being heartily received Captain the Hon. E. Preston responded.
If the “Time Machine” is ever invented, we would like to go back as guests to that party as above and meet the people we have wondered about for fifty years! They certainly knew what good food was all about.
I have in my possession a reference relating to my grandmother Mrs Genevieve Nixon (born Butler) written by the Hon Mrs Edward Preston in French. Mrs Preston, when still Miss Genevieve Grimshawe was my grandmother’s godmother.