- For the architecture of great houses, see Mansion. For the great house masonry pueblos, see Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
A great house is a large and stately residence; the term encompasses different styles of dwelling in different countries. The name refers to the makeup of the household rather than to any particular architectural style. It particularly refers to large households of times past in Anglophone countries (especially those of the turn of the 20th Century, i. e. the late Victorian or Edwardian ages in the United Kingdom and the Gilded Age in the United States), such as the English country house, the "stately homes of England" and the homes of various "millionaires' row" (or "millionaires' mile") in some U.S. cities such as Newport, Rhode Island) with luxurious appointments and great retinues of indoor and outdoor staff. By some reports, the summer homes of the wealthy at Newport averaged four servants per family member. There was often an elaborate hierarchy among staff, domestic workers in particular. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...
Kiva at Pueblo Del Arroyo Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park and World Heritage Site which contains the densest and most exceptional concentration of large pueblos in the American Southwest. ...
A residence may be a house, a place to live, like a nursing home. ...
The household is the basic unit of analysis in many microeconomic and government models. ...
hhi comm arts fiends!!! said ronnie and phil Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the...
The Edwardian period or Edwardian era in the United Kingdom is the period 1901 to 1910, the reign of King Edward VII. It is sometimes extended to include the period to the start of World War I in 1914 or even the end of the war in 1918. ...
In American history the Gilded Age refers to the post-Civil War and post-Reconstruction era, from 1865 to 1901, which saw unprecedented economic, territorial, industrial, and population expansion. ...
Holkham Hall, one of the grandest English country houses not only displayed the owners fashionable and cultivated tastes, but was the epicentre of a vast landed estate, providing employment to hundreds The English country house is generally accepted as a large house or mansion, once in the ownership of an...
A stately home is, strictly speaking, one of about 500 large properties built in England between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property (after the Dissolution of the Monasteries). ...
Millionaires Mile also written Millionaires Mile and sometimes called Millionaires Row is an informal name given to exclusive residential neighbourhoods of various cities, often along one scenic strip such as a riverside or hilltop drive, or a wide city boulevard. ...
Newport as seen from the International Space Station. ...
It has been suggested that servant (domestic) be merged into this article or section. ...
It was considered declassé to refer to one's own townhouses, estates or villas (or those of friends) as mansions and modern etiquette books still advise that the terms house, big house or great house be used instead. Leinster House Henrietta Street Historically in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in some other countries, a townhouse (or a house in town) was a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. ...
An Estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. ...
The idea and function of a villa has evolved considerably since its invention towards the end of the Roman Republic. ...
This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...
Today's great houses are limited to the very well-to-do; royalty, aristocrats and people whose professions demand that they entertain, such as those in the diplomatic service and chief executive officers. The International Guild of Butlers estimates that the annual salaries of a 20-25 person household staff total in excess of US$1,000,000. Members of the British royal family A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ...
Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ...
A diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. ...
A chief executive officer (CEO), or chief executive, is the highest-ranking corporate officer or executive officer of a corporation, or agency. ...
In countries with supplies of cheap domestic labour, the middle classes are still able to afford household help, but not approaching the numbers involved in the running of a great house. The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ...
Management of a great house On large estates or in families with more than one residence, there may be a steward (or estate manager, a more modern expression) who oversees direction of the entire establishment. Today it is not uncommon for a couple to split the duties of management between them.
Household staff Practices vary depending on the size of the household and the preference of the employers, but in general the staff is divided into departments run by the: - Butler--the head of household staff in most homes; in charge of the pantry, wine cellar and dining room. In a small house the butler also valets for the master of the house. Male staff report to him. The butler is often engaged by the master of the house but usually reports to the lady of the house or sometimes to the housekeeper.
- Cook--in charge of the kitchen and kitchen staff. Sometimes a chef is employed with several subordinate cooks. The cook usually reports directly to the lady of the house but sometimes to the housekeeper.
- Housekeeper--responsible for the house and its appearance; in charge of all female servants. In grand homes the butler and cook sometimes report to the housekeeper.
// For other uses see Butler (disambiguation) The butler is a senior servant in a large household. ...
A valet or gentlemans gentleman is a mans male servant. ...
Master was once a title used in England for men of fairly high rank, such as gentlemen, priests or scholars. ...
A lady is a woman who is the counterpart of a lord; or, the counterpart of a gentleman. ...
A cook is a household staff member responsible for food preparation. ...
For other senses of this word, see chef (disambiguation). ...
A line cook is a skilled worker in a professional kitchen, often the equivalent of a chef de partie. ...
A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence. ...
Support staff A chauffeur is one who drives an automobile as a job. ...
Companion is the word for a close friend, or an associate, who stand by you all the time. ...
A ladys companion was a woman of genteel birth who acted as a paid companion for women of rank or wealth. ...
A governess is a female employee from outside of the family who teaches children within the family circle. ...
A ladys maid is a female personal attendant who waits on the lady of the house. ...
A nanny is defined as a childs nurse. The traditional nanny was a servant in a large household and reported directly to the lady of the house. ...
// In English and Irish Secondary Schools the Form Tutor is similar to an American Home Room Teacher. ...
A valet or gentlemans gentleman is a mans male servant. ...
Junior staff A footman is a male household servant. ...
A between maid (also called hall girl, particularly in the United States) is a female junior servant in a large household with many staff. ...
The hall boy was the lowest ranked male servant on the staff of a great house. ...
A maidservant or in current usage maid is a female employed in domestic service. ...
A chambermaid is a maid who cleans and cares for bedrooms. ...
A kitchen maid is a junior female servant in a great house ranking below a cook and above a scullery maid. ...
A nursery maid is a female servant in an elite household. ...
In great houses, scullery maids were the lowest-ranking of the female servants and is assistant to a kitchen maid. ...
The still room maid is a female servant who works in the still room, the functional room in a great house in which drinks and jams are made. ...
A page is a young male servant. ...
Turn of the century sewing in Detroit, Michigan An old sewing machine Sewing is an ancient craft involving the stitching of cloth, animal skins, furs, or other materials, using needle and thread. ...
A useful man or houseman is a male servant ranking below a footman but above a hall boy. ...
Grounds staff An Estate Manager may have charge of the maintenance and care of the grounds, landscaping, and outbuildings (pool, cabana, stables, greenhouse etc.) which is divided into departments run by the: The head gardener (also known as a curator) is an individial who manages the staff of a large garden, landscape or park, such as a residential garden, botanical garden, theme park, public park, museum or roadside embankments and islands. ...
A Stable Master or Head Groom is the manager in charge of a stable. ...
A Stud Master (ie: DB) is an individual responsible for an employers breeding stock, the term is usually used of dogs or horses. ...
The Master of the Horse was (and in some cases, is) a historical position of varying importance in several European nations. ...
A gamekeeper is a person who looks after an area of countryside to make sure there are enough (game)birds for shooting. ...
horse, see Horse (disambiguation). ...
A fox hunt Fox hunting is a form of hunting for foxes using a pack of scent hounds. ...
Dog Fancy is a monthly magazine dedicated to dogs, owners of dogs, and breeders of dogs. ...
Support staff A gardener is any person involved in the growing and maintenance of plants, notably in a garden. ...
A groundskeeper is a person who maintains landscaping, gardens or golf courses and their vegetation for appearance and functionality. ...
A groom or stablehand (a more old-fashioned term) is responsible for the welfare of an employers horses. ...
The terms handyperson, handywoman, or handyman, describe someone competent in a variety of small skills or inventive or ingenious in repair or maintenance work; somebody who earns money by the experience and skill to perform a variety of small jobs and/or odd jobs in and around your home. ...
Depictions of great houses The complex hierarchy of a staff in a great house has been portrayed in several notable productions for film and television. Among these are: Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ...
Backstairs at the White House is a 1979 miniseries based on the book My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks (with Frances Spatz Leighton). ...
The Edwardian Country House was an acclaimed British miniseries in the reality tv genre. ...
Gosford Park is a 2001 film, directed by Robert Altman. ...
Ightham Mote For the London district, see Manor House, London. ...
The Remains of the Day (1993) is a Merchant Ivory Film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. ...
Jane Austens novel Sense and Sensibility (1811) was adapted into a 1995 film by Emma Thompson, for which she received general acclaim as well as the 1996 Academy Award. ...
Upstairs, Downstairs was a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning British drama set in a large Edwardian townhouse in London that depicted the lives of the servants downstairs and their masters upstairs. It ran on ITV for five series from 1970 to 1975. ...
You Rang MLord? was a British television series written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, broadcast between 1990 and 1993 on the BBC (although there had earlier been a pilot episode in 1988). ...
Notable great houses - The household is divided into departments: G-branch, general household staff comprising valets, butlers, under-butlers, 13 footmen, and drivers. Other footmen work for F-branch - food and drinks, which has five chefs - and H-branch - housekeeping and cleaning.
- The household employs five full time chefs.
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