Downtown Downer

Are you suffering from a lack of sleep this morning? Do you have a bad case of Downton-itis? And just think, the cure (which would be another season of Downton Abbey) is months and months away. Sigh.
So here are some book suggestions to keep you from suffering too much withdrawal from the Crawleys and their staff:

Life Below Stairs: True Lives of Edwardian Servants

by Alison Maloney
This quick read is not a novel, be forewarned. This is more a primer about how exactly those below-stairs characters lived. Each chapter details daily life, like the way households were structured, what exactly each post paid, techniques used in cleaning and caring for the family, how holidays were handled, and how one could be hired or fired. Quick fact: You really could make more money as a footman if you were taller than the others.

Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor

by Rosina Harris
Beginning in 1928 and for 35 years after, Rosina Harris served as the personal lady's maid for Lady Nancy Astor. She was by her side through huge political and historical events, through quiet personal moments, through joy and tragedy. On call to the Lady at every moment, seven days a week, Rose became closer to Lady Astor than anyone, particularly since that Lady was not exactly an easy person to know (think Lady Violet on steroids). Rose tells her story with pluck and pride, with enough detail to keep the biggest Downton fan happy.

Up and Down Stairs: The History of
the Country House Servant

by Jeremy Musson
Believe it or not, Downton Abbey (and Highclere Castle, which is Downton's true location) were meant to be country houses. But they required armies of servants to run whenever families were in residence. Musson tells the story of these grand homes from their earliest days through Downton days and beyond, by using letters, newspaper articles, and stories of the servants who worked in them. The duties and rules for servants changed dramatically over the years, including the "not seen, not heard" rule that we often think of.

Servants' Hall

By Margaret Powell
Margaret Powell served as a kitchen maid right after World War I in Redlands, a Downton-worthy home owned by the Wardham family. She chronicles her life in the house in Below Stairs. In this short volume, she tells a very Lady Sybil-like (and true) story of what happened when parlourmaid Rose eloped with the family's only son Mr. Gerald. While the servants thought it sounded like a "fairy tale," let's just say it didn't turn out quite the way Tom's experience did on Downton.

Snobs

by Julian Fellowes
If you don't know who Julian Fellowes is, shame on you. He's only the writer of the amazing series you've been enjoying for three years. And he is quite prolific at his craft. To enjoy more of his fly-on-the-wall eye at the way the English live, be sure to watch the movie Gosford Park, or curl up with this delicious novel. The only fiction book I've listed here, it's a terrific take on what happens when a social-climbing girl marries an aristocratic boy and their two very different lives collide.

Downton Abbey - Reality TV

The second season of Downton Abbey began here on PBS last night. I've been waiting forever for the new season, and the first night did not disappoint. If you aren't watching, it's a bit like Upstairs Downstairs, but set in the Edwardian era and featuring much more scandal and action.

While waiting for the new episodes, I found the book Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey to keep me entertained. Downton Abbey is filmed at Highclere Castle, the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, and Lady Almina (written by the current Countess) looks at the life and times of the Edwardian era's Carnarvon family.
Featuring letters, diary entries, photographs, and memories of long-time servants and employees, the book tells the story of Lady Almina, a young woman who (like Cora Crawley on Downton) brought a huge fortune to her marriage with the 5th Earl Carnarvon. Almina was the illegitimate daughter of the fabulously wealthy Alfred de Rothschild, but the Carvarvons were willing to overlook that little fact as long as the money flowed in.
Luckily for Almina, she and her husband (known as Porchy) were in love and seemed to have had a successful marriage. Her money allowed the Earl to travel the world, and later to be involved in the famous opening of the King Tut tomb with Howard Carter.
But the better part of this book is when it focuses on Highclere, its inner workings, and the golden era of the Edwardians. That, for me, is the compelling part of Downton Abbey, too.
It would be impossible to focus on just a few servants in the book, the way the TV show does. Highclere Castle had a platoon of servants rather than the few shown on Downton. The Highclere staff even had a boy who did nothing but watch the bells from each room to ensure that he alerted the appropriate servant when services were required. After all, there were 66 bells that could ring at any time.
Unfortunately for Highclere, and for Downton, the Edwardian era ended with the start of World War I, when Highclere also served as a hospital, just as Downton Abbey will in the next episode. Photographs from that time show the Countess, her family, and her staff in nursing uniforms, entertaining young soldiers as they recuperated.
As you're watching Downton and you see the shots of that beautiful building, keep in mind that it truly was a home, housing a family and a household of servants that were clinging to an era that was quickly slipping away. As Matthew said on last night's show, "It seems like another world."