For the working-class housewife before the 20th century washing aids were few and primitive. A stout hedge, a grassy bank and a good fresh wind were the best she could hope for. Paralleling progress in other domestic equipment, washing, mangling and ironing techniques were developed during the late [...]

The film Gosford Park has demonstrated the complexity of running a country house and its estate. Imagine how much more complex the same exercise was a century and a half earlier, when all tasks had to be performed by hand and communications were difficult. In this fascinating book, Pamela Sambrook f[...]