How to Care for a Manor House

The manor house at sunset

Owning a manor house is the dream of many people. A large, beautiful home that is always well-cared for, never needs cleaning or upkeep and is in the family for generations. It's not difficult to duplicate this type of lifestyle -- provided that you have the money to do so.

Instructions

1. Hire inside help. One of the hallmarks of the manor house is that it has a full-time, live-in staff of servants, including maids for upstairs and for downstairs. The number of maids hired will depend on how large the manor house is and how clean you want it to be kept.

2. Hire outside help. The gardeners or groundskeepers keep the outside of the manor house looking pristine. Hire someone to care for the swimming pool, if you have one. You'll also want to consider hiring a groom to tend any horses that you may own. The groom as head of the stables oversees the hiring of lower-ranked stable boys.

3. Hire a manager for the manor house. This is the servant to whom you speak regarding how the house is run and who in turn gives orders to the other servants. The manager sees to the grocery shopping, as well as dealing with any staff issues that might arise.

4. Hire a chef. While normal daily meals may be simple fare, entertaining is very important to the manor house life style. Hire a chef who is well-trained, preferably French-trained.

5. Hire a butler. The butler does more than answer doors and announce guests. He also is responsible for the kitchen and dining room, overseeing these areas to keep them running smoothly. The butler makes certain that the kitchen staff is aware of any changes in meals owing to guests, that the kitchen runs on schedule and that the instructions of the master or mistress of the manor are carried out.

Tips & Warnings

• Ideally, the senior staff you hire will hire the underlings. Hire carefully, and you'll need to speak frequently only to the butler and the house manager. It is considered unseemly to be overly friendly or to even speak very often to the lesser staff.

References

• PBS: Manor House
• History On The Net: Medieval Life -- The Manor