The English period soap opera known as Downton Abbey is now in full swing and as with Season 1, Season 2 is filled with characters and lots of exposition of the story line. Season 1 just won the Golden Globe for best mini-series tonight, as a matter of fact. They sure know how to pack it all in and if you're not paying attention, you might miss an important bit of story. Luckily, they seem to be running the episodes twice in a row, which gives me a chance to fill in any blanks I missed while tweeting, or blinking for that matter. Downton Abbey is presented by Masterpiece (formerly and forever Masterpiece Theater) which is produced by WGBH, Boston's PBS station. I worked there for many years and if I was there now, I'd have been able to see advance screeners of the whole season by now. I'd also be preparing for an onslaught of work around the sales reporting on all those dvd's as well - and I do not miss that in the least! I am much happier doing what I'm doing now and watching the show with a decorator's eye.
Last week, I wrote about the Kitchen of Downton Abbey and this week I am focusing on the rest of the servants quarters - both the basement workrooms and the bedrooms. These utilitarian spaces were certainly not "decorated" per se. They were functional and practical and there was little room or attention to fripperies like color. Yet, these spaces have a certain vintage charm to that is worth taking a look at. The color palette is a mix of grays and taupes, along with stained oak or walnut, darkened with age.
Carson, the butler ruminates in the servants dining and work hall. Note the room bells on the wall behind. The furniture is heavy and has put up with a lot of wear and tear.
The generally evil Miss O'Brien and Thomas, the once valet and now soldier. This image really shows the wear and tear on the table, along with the simple cups and saucers on the cabinet in the background.
The servants bedrooms continue the muted color palette. The furnishings are simple, often time painted. Servants shared rooms, based on their ranking in the household. The men and women slept in separate hall ways with a locked door (locked to the men's side) between. Generally, there were no locks on the actual bedroom doors and there was very little privacy for the servants. The beds are iron or painted woods. Rooms also had small tables and chairs, clothing cupboards and small side tables.
Additional links for Downton Abbey:
- Blogger friend Vic has this amazing post about The Servant's Quarter's in homes such as this as well as a post on the use of stately English homes as hospitals during WW1 and how these events propelled the breaking down of the divide between social classes, the emancipation of women and the rise of the servant classes.
- "Downton's Dirty Secret" the seamier side of service on the Daily Mail Online.
- The Oxford Dictionaries has an interesting post about some of the language and phraseology used in the series.
- As a fundraiser, the BBC produced two video spoofs called "Uptown Downstairs Abbey" starring Kim Cattrall as Cora, the Countess of Grantham. Filmed on location at Highclere Castle (upstairs) and Ealing Studios (downstairs scenes) these two videos are hysterical and also explain the continuity issues related to have the sets in two locations.
Visit my Downton Abbey Board on Pinterest for additional images, links and credits for all of the above above.
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