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Below Stairs at Harewood House |
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“In summer or winter, on state occasions or when vast rooms lay empty and unlit, the heart of the house was the servant’s hall. From there the life-blood of the household was carried to every room and staircase, and to the various outside departments, by the hard-working team of servants.”
‘Below Stairs in the Great Country Houses’
Adeline Hartcup’s description of the people who lived below-stairs at this country’s stately homes is the apt starting point for this consideration of the people who worked at Harewood House near Leeds.
Nestling in Capability Brown landscaped grounds, Harewood is one of the great treasure houses of England and is renowned for its architecture and art collections. Steeped in history, Royal Family memorabilia recalls Lord Harewood’s mother, HRH Princess Mary, Princess Royal, who lived at Harewood from 1929 until her death in 1965. But leaving the high society and lavish furnishings behind, what lies beneath the polished surfaces of one of the country’s grandest stately homes?
Beyond the state floor was a world of servants and staff. Behind closed doors and below stairs a different reality existed, running in parallel to and in support of the family’s lives. This photo gallery provides an insight into the lives of the hidden workers of Harewood House.
Hidden workforce
The dinner gong summoned the family to their meals but also acted as a signal to the maids downstairs that the sitting rooms would be empty and ready to be tidied and sorted. As in all country houses, when working on the state floor, house maids in the 18th and 19th centuries were to remain invisible to the family at all times. One reason for this was so a gentleman would not happen upon a maid carrying a heavy load and be obliged to help her, causing social embarrassment and inconvenience. The house had to run seamlessly and as if by magic, after all, this was the purpose of preparing a large staff of servants.
Servants’ social scene
Marriages between servants were common. Other servants and staff would have been the only social contact many young girls would have. Many young maids hoped to progress in service and then marry well, particularly if they came to a house like Harewood that had younger, male staff compared to many smaller households in the area. Many servants would fraternise illicitly, but servants' dances would offer a legitimate opportunity for socialising. One such servants' dance is recorded as taking place here at Harewood on January 6th 1837 for Twelfth Night. It is highly likely they would have been held in the Servants' Hall, and with 'appropriate' restrictions relating to amounts of drink and finishing times. .
Heirachy
Sarah Sanders was the scullery maid and at the bottom of the kitchen hierarchy. The job was one of the hardest and most tiresome jobs and included vegetable preparation, washing up and general cleaning of the kitchen. Sarah also scrubbed the kitchen table, she remembered "kneeling on the big table and scrubbing it to keep it white, because it was just bare wood then". .
Wartime role
Harewood House was used as a convalescent hospital during both world wars. During the Second World War, the house was effectively divided between hospital and family use. Extra partition walls were put up and protective boards were placed in many of the rooms.
Nurses, orderlies, kitchen staff and officers fraternised freely, despite the Colonel and Matron’s best attempts to keep them apart. Once a week there was a film showing in the Dining Room and dances for officers well enough to attend were also held with the help of a gramophone. Princess Mary would sometimes attend these dances and dance alongside the nurses with a lucky officer. .
The following picture gallery relates to the world Below Stairs at Harewood House, revealing the effort and manpower that went into running an English stately home.
The illustrations, photographs and text were produced in collaboration with Harewood House Trust, and the Maids and Mistresses Exhibition.
The exhibition, which runs from the 17th March 2004 until 14th November 2004 is called, Below stairs: Harewood's Hidden Collections.
The collection includes pieces which haven't been seen for centuries.
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