Irnham Hall’s domestic staff included a governess, two nurses, cook and six maids within the house, along with a coachman and his family living in the stables. Redmond’s social status was confirmed in the invitation he received to a banquet held by the Duke of Newcastle at Clumber Park, to celebrate the young nobleman's coming of age in 1886.(3)
Irnham Hall, Lincolnshire
Redmond was a keen sportsman and shooting, a sport at which
he excelled, was one of his passions. He also entertained lavishly as part of
his lifestyle and on Saturday 12th November 1887 Redmond hosted a shooting party with more
than 40 guests.
The fire at Irnham, 1887
They were just about to sit down for dinner at
about 6.30pm, when Ellen entered the dining room and discovered it full of smoke.
At the same time, some of the guests heard the ceiling crack and in just a few
minutes the whole north wing, which consisted of the chapel, library, nursery,
dining room and state rooms was ablaze. When the guests evacuated to the
courtyard, flames could be seen on the roof, which was soon a single mass of
fire.
The intensity of the blaze made it almost
impossible to tackle, so the servants and some guests concentrated on saving
the remainder of the hall. The fire brigades from Grantham, Colsterworth, Bourne
and Grimthorpe were called to deal with the blaze, under the leadership of
Captain S.G. Gamble and they had it under control by midnight. The Penny
Illustrated Paper reported that “The old armoury trophies and much of the
furniture were removed, and 4000 cartridges, stored near the billiard room,
were also got out. The portion of the building destroyed was of the early Tudor
period.” The Nottinghamshire Guardian surmised that the blaze started in the
principal guest chamber (above the dining room and next to the chapel) with the
woodwork of the chimney igniting and causing the fire. Luckily the building was
insured as the damage amounted to £13,000 which was a huge amount for the time.
Equally fortunately, despite the seriousness of the blaze, there were no
injuries at the house, but the driver of the Colsterworth engine fell from his
machine on the way to the fire and broke his leg in two places. The Grantham
fire brigade remained on the scene until ten the following morning.(4)