The Victorians

life below the stairs

It is 1877. Queen Victoria has just become Empress of India. Over the last few years, Lady Clifden has restored the ruins of Holdenby Palace to the Holdenby House we know today.

Now she is hiring servants to run the household. This popular project recreates life "below stairs" for the day. You will be under the strict supervision of:

Mrs Bumbridge, the fierce housekeeper, who will tell you precisely what she expects

Mrs Crumpet, the cook, who will teach you how to make preserves and pickles

Mr Rhett, the severe butler , who rules the servants' hall with a rod of iron

Molly, the parlourmaid, or Mr Legg, the footman, who will instruct you in their painstaking duties

Children from the workhouse will be allocated servants' jobs and must undertake their work with diligence: ONLY PERFECTION IS GOOD ENOUGH. They will work in the kitchen and in the laundry. They will be taken around the house, where they will be told their conditions of service and taught their manners

In the afternoon, children will be presented to her Ladyship. (We ask that children bring some entertainment for her Ladyship: perhaps a Victorian song or poem.) At the end of the day there is time for questions. This project supports Unit 11 in the History National Curriculum KS2, but can be adapted to suit all ages and abilities.

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