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Downton Abbey. Does anybody still live like that?

4 replies

KenDodd · 23/06/2020 21:11

You know, dressing for dinner, with cooks and lady's maids to help dress you, butlers etc?

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Pippin2028 · 23/06/2020 21:14

Maybe some Royal families in the world or some of the super super rich but even most upper class families will most likely just have housekeepers and nannies nowadays, stylists have replaced ladies maids. I have been watching downton abbey lately and there does seem to be something lovely about it but I don't think life was easy in those days for many people.

topcat2014 · 23/06/2020 21:23

My parents house has bells by the fireplace, and a below stairs part of the house. There is an old note of maids duties too. Plus a snooker room. No staff though..

AlbaAlba · 23/06/2020 21:44

Very very few, if any.

My upper class ILs (grandparent and great grandparent generation) lived like that until maybe 70 years ago, but though they still have some enormous houses they don't have the liquid cash to run them at the same level. I think the really good years ended shortly before WW2. DH's grandfather definitely had a Bertie Wooster lifestyle.

By 30 years ago, when DH was little, he could leave his shoes outside his room and they'd be picked up, cleaned and returned. By the 2000s they often still had housekeeper, cleaner, part-time nanny, gardener, and at the country house lodge keeper, gamekeepers etc, but most are live-out and part-time. When there's a big event (family xmas, wedding etc) they bring in locals from the village as needed, and bring in caterers for most of the food. DH's grandfather still had a housekeeper who brought the tea service in on a silver platter in the late 2000s. She also was only permitted to use the servant's entrance, but was at the same time part of the family (after serving the tea would sit down and chat and admire the grandchildren), I've seen other much-loved housekeepers and longstanding family nannies seated with important guests at weddings.

They still dress for dinner in some of the houses, though not every night (but might wear tweed, bretons, or woollens as appropriate for the other houses). Cocktails before dinner is still a thing though Smile

These families are older money though and definitely past their financial prime though still very well off. Not in the same financial class as your tech billionaire, oligarch etc.

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KenDodd · 23/06/2020 22:43

I've also been watching the re runs of Downton. The upstairs life looks lovely, I guess all the dressing for dinner etc was, well, they didn't seem to have much else going on so you've got to fill your day some way. I don't think I'd like to live like that now, too much faff. I watched an episode of Tamara's World showing the life of Tamara Ecclestone. She seems to have even more staff if anything. As someone said up thread, ladies maids seem to have become stylists. I did wonder if that was a full time job.

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