Comments on: The new house

By: Frank Zweegers

Frank Zweegers — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:46:51 +0000

Totally agree with you josie, the furniture looks amazing

By: Emile de Bruijn

Emile de Bruijn — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:24:43 +0000

Josie, I am glad you found this post. According tho those who visited in Christopher and Betty Hussey’s time it was indeed a welcoming place. Have you seen my subsequent posts about Scotney? You can find them by clicking on ‘Scotney Castle’ under the ‘Categories’ on the main blog page.

By: josie

josie — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:41:14 +0000

This place really is amazing. such a great job has been done within the house to show life as it was. You can feel such happiness. I really get the sense of feeling that Betty is smiling down, so happy. You even found her wedding dress, which I am sure would have been their fondest memories. I very much look forward to returning again some day. The whole setting is so magical.

By: Emile de Bruijn

Emile de Bruijn — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:53:25 +0000

Chloe Tapping, the house manager at Scotney, has just sent me a few details about servant numbers there. Based on the census reports, there seem to have been twelve indoor servants in 1871, three outdoor servants and two gardeners. In 1891 the numbers were similar: ten servants indoors, four outdoors and three gardeners. The number of gardeners seems rather low for such a large garden, but perhaps there were more of them who lived nearby and so were not recorded as part of the Hussey household. More research still needs to be done on this aspect of Scotney’s history. In the 1980s Mrs Betty Hussey had a husband and wife handyman and housekeeper living in.

By: Emile de Bruijn

Emile de Bruijn — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:53:32 +0000

Yes the aim is to keep it as real as possible. Mrs Hussey was a cat person, and her issues of Your Cat magazine have also been left out on a table somewhere.

Tune in next week to see a charming watercolour by a friend of the kitchen and some of the other rooms!

By: Janet

Janet — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:36:41 +0000

I love the picturesque ruin! And the kitchen…I think it is fantastic that the NT has kept it like that.

By: Emile de Bruijn

Emile de Bruijn — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:41:27 +0000

Yes in the nineteenth century there must have been a number of servants, and gardeners as well obviously. I will find out from my colleagues how many there were then, and how Christopher and Betty Hussey managed to run the house and garden, more recently – I will report back.

By: columnist

columnist — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:03:45 +0000

The house has a wonderful perspective, and from the pictures you show, looks very liveable; but possibly there were acres and acres, (inside), requiring the army of staff that one can no longer afford, (or find!).