Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-29
ENGLISH cot NTRY LIFE.
Some Facts and Figures to It's Cost
and Enjoyment.
From the London Mail


and Enjoyment.
From the London Mall.
There are, as nearly possible 5000
places in the united kingdom large enough
to be dgnified by the title of country
seat" OF these there are at least sixty
where staff of from go to $50 servants
is found necessary, and in these cases the
annual wages bill reaches total of from
f16 COO to 40 600
Country seats Of such magnitude as this
are represented by Welbeck Abbey, the
property of the Duke of Portland: Alnwick
Castle Haddon. Tring, Madresfield Court,
and numerous other stately homes.
AT the majority Of our largest country
seats the gardens form the most expensive
item. Al Webeck, for example, with a staff
of seventy or eighty men and boys In the
glass houses and garden proper, the dukes
wages bill in this department leaves him
very little change out Of $4,000 per annum.
The horticultural work at the abbey IS.
however, exceedingly heavy, there being
over thirty acres of kitchen garden alone.
One Of the best examples of these lux
urious gardens to be found near London is
at Sion House Brentford. the town seat of
the Duke of northumberland. where staff
of thirty or forty is kept busy largely in
the splendid kitchen garden and fruit
houses.
wages item in a large country seat, and
some recently compiled details Of the ST aft
employed in connection with an establish
ment Of what may be termed the second
size in Suffolk give very good idea of the
way in which the hands are usually en-
ployed in those places. The total wages
bill is $1,000 per annum, and the number of
servants 173, divided as follows: Home farm
and stables. together "a; gardeners. 40;
indoor servants, II; keepers and night men,
10; parks and lakes, 10; brick klns, 8; car
penters. Z; bricklayers. 4; warreners. 4:
lcdgekeepers. 3: painters, 3; engineers, 2;
blacksmits. 2; wheeIwrights, 2
The number OF men employed in the vari-
Gus departments naturally differs some
what in other parts of the country, depend
ing upon position, soil, climate and other
conditions. In thickly wooded districts of
course, the number of foresters would have
to be increased. while those employed in
farming operations might be lessened.
In third-sze places. of which there are
about $50, the number Of hands employed is
between 80 and 10O usually nearer the lat
ter figure. The annual wage bill averages
e., eco. The proportions are pretty we'll pre-
served in this class. but in the great mass
of little places where less than fifty persons
are employed, at an annual cost of fl 500
to e., 600, there Is usually smaller proper
ton of gardeners and more men employed
for estate work proper There is a charm
ing but somewhat curiously kept little place
on the borders of Surrey and Sussex.
where the whole STAFF of twenty or thirty
appears to be "handy men," and the one
who is today building stone wall or cart
ing wood for fuel may tomorrow concen-
trate hts powerful faculties upon the Gull
ture of fruit under glass.
OF other expenses besides wages connect
ed with England's great homes 1t Is impos-
sible to speak with any degree of accuracy.
Horses. cattle and other stock vary so
greatly In price and are kept under such
widely different conditions that compari-
sons cannot be made, while In the gardens
kf3resinn1ne dfYerE{fx ax1st4s 1pe the dafGer-