Culture

Last weekend Hugh and I were down near Stafford. 

He went to a 4x4 show and admired winches and roll cages and tyres and the like.

I went to Shugborough Estate and admired gardens, bothies, rag rugs, three different old kitchens, a mill, a brewery, an old quilt, hens and ducks, Lord Lichfield's portrait photography and his private rooms in the mansion house (and I ran out of time to see LOTS of other things on the estate). There are costumed 'servants' working in the farm and house and they chat with you in character. I learned about the butler and the cook disappearing after meals for a snifter of port in her rooms, amongst other gossip.. The brewer advised me that the 'eight pints per person' daily allowance of beer for all servants wasn't quite as generous as it sounded as the hops had already been used once by the time their rather weaker drink was brewed. It was still nourishing and better than the water which was undrinkable...

 part of a tailors' shop display

 the gardeners' bothies were tiny and dark

 settle by the farmhouse range

 quilt on a servant's bed

 kitchen and servants' quarters (!)