Publisher's Synopsis
Behind the walls and parkland fencing of Britain's country estates, demi-paradises can be found: great halls, cobbled stable-yards, walled gardens, groves of ancient oaks, serene lakes and mellowed cottages, all nestling in a protected landscape without a tower-block or power station in sight. It is probably best to regard the country estate almost as a self-contained village, and to understand fully what life was really like as part of the estate community we must listen to those who have spent their lives within it. John Bailey here records the memories of a range of people from estates all over the country - from Trebah in Cornwall to Caer Beris Manor in Wales and Chatsworth in Derbyshire - who take us into the very heart of these time-forgotten places: cooks and butlers, aged retainers, housemaids and gardeners, nursery maids and estate workers.
