Love story of two Edwardian servants on Yorkshire estate told in new collection | English Heritage
He was a valet, a kitchen maid, and more than a century, they met because they needed a warm place to use a passion for photography and a temporary studio.
Alf Edwards and Caroline Palmer worked on the opposite ends of an imposing country house on a large property with hundreds of employees, and there was another reason for their way to pass.
But they did and fell in love and married, even though they advised everyone.
Alf and Caroline’s touching story under Edwardian, the British Heritage’s maids so far, the most important and the greatest donation of objects about the objects that are released.
The couple’s grandson Gordon Edwards donated more than 60 objects such as photos, letters, postcards and Alf’s camera, Caroline’s Gold Watch and a handmade engagement.
They document a story that can be a land line from the Downton Monastery and add them to the understanding of life more broadly. BRODSWORTH HALLOnce “Winter Shooting, Summer Bed” the Thellusson family, a Victoria village house near Doncaster.
British Heritage’s collection and interior curator Eleanor Matthews said, “A great story and a magnificent object group,” he said. “Such collections do not survive.”
Matthews said Brodsworth is always very good in telling the stories of people working at home. “But what the servants have, used, look, were in their rooms while working at home… This makes it super special.”
Alf and Caroline were the employees of Charles and Constance Thermusson, whose ancestor Peter The Thellusson bought in 1791, bought Brodsworth Estate in 1791.
Peter Thelusson gathered a great deck, which is a significant part of the transatlantic slave economy. When he died, he left what was defined “One of the most spectacular vindictive wills in British history”Most of them remained safe for their unborn grandchildren.
The current Brodsworth Hall was built between 1861-63 and survived almost unchanged as the vision of the middle Victorian vision of a comfortable country house.
As the First World War approached, Alf and Caroline met because of their enthusiasm for photography.
Maybe they started to set up because of the times and they were quickly engaged. Many men employed in Brodsworth were compulsory, but the ALF did not register for health.
Soon he was promoted to cooking at Caroline Brodsworth and received extra tasks, including being an alf driver.
Bad health caused everyone to advise the couple not to get married and left briefly. However, the separation was very high and they married on July 17, 1916 and spent three happy years, while Caroline gave birth to two boys before the Alf was 34 years old.
Matthews likes Caroline’s long life and always likes to time in Brodsworth.
The donated objects include the camera of the Alf, which was built by Eastman Kodak from Rochester New York and probably bought on a journey to the east of the United States in 1914 with Thellussonsonsonsonsons.
There is also what Alf’s interaction with Caroline – a good message of chance and a wooden picture frame that was overhauled by him with a fixed horse shoe.
Some objects are now exhibited at home, and hope can help open the lock of other stories.
Matthews said Trove contains the oldest staff image in the property. “I hope we can define them all over time,” he said.
“These beautiful, touching elements have been told to us a great deal of unknown story for us, and thanks to the donation, we can add another layer of understanding to the rich texture of the history of Brodsworth.”
The collection is catalogized and preserved, while the Alf’s camera, carved wooden stools, three pipes, First World War Registration Cards, Postcards and Caroline’s wedding wrist time, including several distinguished parts will be exhibited on Wednesday at Brodsworth Hall.
