I have some details of ‘below stairs’ events, some details of social history of the houses but most of the everyday interactions beyond that has to be guesswork. It that dent in the doorframe where he kicked it in frustration over the Corporation failing to act on sewerage reports, is that cupboard where children used to play and hide?
Even the parts we think we know, descriptions and etiquette of the time… how accurate is what we read? As an experiment I had a look at the current Debrett’s; in a hundred year’s time, will people look at that and assume we followed this advice to the letter? How much of written history is pure supposition? Written whilst tapping and jiggling despite best practice suggesting otherwise.
Ps This will make no sense if you haven’t clicked the link. Possibly not even then.