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Author
Language
English
Description
This beautifully illustrated book takes readers on a guided tour of a single day in an upper-crust English home of the Edwardian era. Starting with the servants hard at work while the family is still abed, and culminating in a lavish dinner party, Upstairs & Downstairs lifts the curtain on this fascinating period, as well as its historical bookends, the Victorian and post-World War I eras. Includes accounts from actual masters and servants, along...
Author
Language
English
Description
Working as a housekeeper was one of the most prestigious jobs a nineteenth and early twentieth century woman could want – and also one of the toughest. A far cry from the Downton Abbey fiction, the real life Mrs Hughes was up against capricious mistresses, low pay, no job security and gruelling physical labour. Until now, her story has never been told. The Housekeeper's Tale reveals the personal sacrifices, bitter disputes
...Author
Language
English
Description
Jim Henderson is one of six guests summoned by the mysterious Edwin Carson, a collector of precious stones, to a weekend party at his country house, Thrackley. The house is gloomy and forbidding but the party is warm and hospitable except for the presence of Jacobson, the sinister butler. The other guests are wealthy people draped in jewels; Jim cannot imagine why he belongs in such company. After a weekend of adventure, with attempted robbery and...
85) Wideacre
Author
Series
Wideacre trilogy volume 1
Language
English
Formats
Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory comes the stunning first novel of a thrilling trilogy about the Lacey family, and the captivating woman at the heart of a power-hungry estate willing to go to any means to protect her family name.
Beatrice Lacey, as strong-minded as she is beautiful, refuses to conform to the social customs of her time. Destined to lose her heritage and beloved Wideacre estate once she is...
Beatrice Lacey, as strong-minded as she is beautiful, refuses to conform to the social customs of her time. Destined to lose her heritage and beloved Wideacre estate once she is...
Author
Series
Daisy Dalrymple mysteries volume 1
Language
English
Appears on list
Formats
Description
"It's the early 1920s in England - the country is still recovering from the Great War and undergoing rapid social changes that many are not quite ready to accept. During this heady and tumultuous time, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple, the daughter of a Viscount, makes a decision shocking to her class: rather than be supported by her relations, she will earn her own living as a writer. Landing an assignment for Town & Country magazine for a series of...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
1925. The fashionable Bright Young Things from London have descended on Wychbourne Court, the Kentish stately home of Lord and Lady Ansley, for an extravagant fancy dress ball followed by a midnight Ghost Hunt -- and chef Nell Drury knows she's in for a busy weekend. What she doesn't expect to encounter is sudden violent death. When a body is discovered, Nell finds herself caught up in the police investigation which follows. As the darker side of...
89) The reaping
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
An artist commissioned to paint a young woman's portrait discovers evil and horror when he arrives at the secluded country mansion.
Author
Series
Herbert Reardon novels volume 3
Language
English
Description
Introducing Detective Inspector Herbert Reardon in a new mystery series, set in the Downton Abbey period. November, 1928. Family and friends have gathered at the Shropshire country home of Penrose Llewellyn to celebrate the retired wealthy businessman's 60th birthday. But the morning after what should have been a convivial supper party, their host is found dead in his bed - and the circumstances look decidedly suspicious. As he questions the victim's...
Author
Series
Star and the shamrock volume 2
Language
English
Description
"Ariella Bannon is being hunted. Someone is determined to betray her as a Jew, but she has survived against incredible odds, and the end is in sight. She will be reunited with her precious children, no matter what it takes. Meanwhile, Liesl and Erich have found a home in Ireland away from the chaos of war-ravaged Europe. As the dark news of what has happened to the Jews filters through, they are torn - love for their mother and their home on one hand,...
Author
Language
English
Description
"Containing the most approved directions and guidance for staff in every station within the household in order to discharge their duties correctly & with efficiency, with particular instructions for the butler, housekeeper, cook, valet. lady's maid, footman, housemaid, kitchen staff, and including useful information on tried and tested methods for all."
Downton Abbey may be fictional, but the hierarchy and high standards expected of the staff were...
Language
English
Description
When Lucy Angkatell hosts a weekend get-together at her country estate, she appears to overlook the obvious fact that all her guests loathe one another. Poirot enjoys a ringside seat for the bizarre goings-on, but he is thrust into an active role when the proceedings suddenly turn deadly.
95) Swimming pool
Language
English
Description
Sarah is a famous British murder mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts an offer from her publisher to stay at his home in the south of France. Sarah finds that the beautiful country locale and unhurried pace is just the tonic for her - until late one night, when John's sexy and provocative daughter, Julie, unexpectedly arrives. Sarah's English reserve is jarred by Julie's lifestyle. An increasingly...
96) Mansfield Park
Language
English
Description
When Fanny Price is sent away to live with her rich cousins, she's meant to learn the ways of proper society but manages to enlighten them as well.
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
"In The Long Weekend, acclaimed historian Adrian Tinniswood tells the story of the rise and fall of the English aristocracy through the rise and fall of the great country house. Historically, these massive houses had served as the administrative and social hubs of their communities, but the fallout from World War I had wrought seismic changes on the demographics of the English countryside. In addition to the vast loss of life among the landed class,...
Author
Language
English
Description
Mathilda Rainbird bequeaths her home to three unknown relatives: twenty-two-year-old Tessa, who misses her dead parents and brother but has learned to live alone; Will, a widower, who is drawn to Mathilda's housekeeper, Isobel; and Beatrice, a retired prep-school matron who thinks the idea of living with her cousins is preposterous.
99) A week in winter
Author
Language
English
Description
When Maudie decides she must sell Moorgate, her beautiful farmhouse, she anticipates strong objections from her family - particularly Selina, her stepdaughter. But no one could ever have predicted the feelings Moorgate evokes or the consequences.
Author
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
"For fans of The House at Riverton and Rebecca--a debut spanning from the 1930s to the present day, from a magnificent estate in war-torn England to Thailand, this sweeping novel tells the tale of a concert pianist, Julia, and the prominent Crawford family whose shocking secrets are revealed, leading to devastating consequences for generations to come. As a child Julia Forrester spent many idyllic hours in the hothouse of Wharton Park, the great house...