Book description
This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The
Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually,
examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind
them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.
It is a strange life for the likes of Carson and Mrs Hughes, sitting
between the family and the servants and never completely belonging to
either group. It's easy to understand why the two of them seek refuge in
each other, even in their own rather stilted fashion.
'Carson comes from a family of soldiers and servants,' says Julian
Fellowes. 'His grandfather was a head groom and so he's middle-middle
class - they certainly weren't scrabbling in the gutter for food.'
Mrs Hughes gave up the idea of marriage and a family for her career as
Downton's housekeeper. This does not mean she was without ambition: a
career in service was something to be proud of; the job was steady, she
had respect from her colleagues and she could look forward to a
reasonably comfortable retirement provided by the Downton Abbey estate,
if she served the family for many years.
Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer
still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about
their social context - from the changing role of the aristocracy to
fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and
life below stairs in a big country house like Downton.
Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts
combined. Jessica Fellowes is the No. 1 bestselling author of The
World of Downton Abbey. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Country Life, she
has also been a columnist for the London Paper - her columns formed the
basis of her book Mud & the City: Dos and Don'ts for Townies in the
Country. Jessica also writes for the Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Weekend,
The Lady and Sunday Times Style, and lives with her family in London.
Matthew Sturgis is a freelance writer and critic who has written art
criticism for Harpers & Queen, travel pieces for the Sunday
Telegraph and football reports for the Independent on Sunday. He is the
author of Passionate Attitudes: the English Decadence of the 1890s and
the highly-praised Aubrey Beardsley. He lives in London.
