What we do & why we do it
Live Interpretation at Audley End House
An overview of the project, which ran from 2008 – 2024, written by food historian Annie Gray.
Background
The live project started in 2008 following a multi-million pound restoration of the service wing. It was set-dressed to show the various working spaces in 1881 as in that year there was a fire in the kitchens and much (although not all) of what is seen today was new from that year. Originally the live interpretation included servants in the kitchens, laundry and dairy, plus some grounds staff (gardeners and gamekeepers). All the characters were drawn from people listed in the census of 1881. Past Pleasures Ltd were contracted to provide live costumed interpretation in the service wing with the following Learning Objectives:
- To portray life ‘below stairs’ at Audley End House
- To convey the generality of servants’ lives within and outside the context of the country house
- To show the interdependent nature of the Victorian service wing
- To demonstrate through practical tasks the nature of work as a servant in the C19th
The live interpretation was immediately popular, and yielded unexpected results when the cook at the time Avis Crocombe’s, distant relative donated the manuscript cookery book kept by Crocombe from ca. 1870-1905. This was used as a fundamental document to inform the interpretation, which, it became clear, needed to be focused on the kitchens and cooking as the primary draw.
The project was led initially by Annie Gray. Kathy Hipperson came on as her assistant in late 2008, and took over leadership of the project following Annie’s departure in 2013. In 2020, Time Will Tell Theatre formally took over the contract and continued to provide live consumed interpretation.
Over the years the project ran, the characters portrayed and working areas covered by them changed in line with investment into the house and gardens and changing interpretive objectives overall. This included the nursery, stables and the historic gardens.
YouTube and Cookbook
From 2015 the implementation of a fuller social media strategy as part of the new charitable remit of English Heritage led to a series of YouTube videos featuring, firstly Mrs Crocombe, the head cook in 1881, and, later, other characters from the live project.
The videos have driven visitors to the site, while also gaining traction in their own right. In 2024 the channel will hit 100 million views. In 2019 the team behind them was awarded the overall best in show (!) gold award at the YouTube Works Awards (beating a lot of big advertising names). 75% of viewers are in the 18-34 year old demographic – historically very difficult to reach for EH. Additionally, in 2019, mainly due to demand from the YouTube audience, a glossy coffee table tie-in book was published, authored by Annie Gray and Andrew Hann (EH historian Properties Historian). Ostensibly a cookbook, it also contained essays on the house and estate, the live project, the servants and their lives, and Victorian food. Amazon gives it 90% five star reviews and it was rapidly translated into Japanese. Sales to June 2023 of the English additional are 12,321.
Ethos
All of the various strands of the project were intrinsically linked. They shared the same learning objectives, the same personnel, and the same overall approach. Recipes made for the videos were used in the live project and vice versa – until 2023 all drawn from (or put into) the cookbook. Historical accuracy was key, along with respect for the characters involved, who were real people, and many of whose families are still living. Visitors to Audley End House and Gardens had the chance to ‘meet’ the servants, who shared with them details of their lives and work, in interactions which range from the highly intimate to larger, set-pieces. Those who watch the videos will experience a similar approach.
Wider Context
The live project at Audley End was unique in Britain. There are other sites with professional costumed interpretation, and other sites interpreting history through food, but not together, and not in such a long-term and serious way. The level of background research and the presence of the manuscript cookbook mean that the project was supported with a very comprehensive and site specific research pack. It also benefited from the continued support of one of Britain’s leading food historians, Annie Gray. Many country houses (and other sites of consumption) aim to achieve similar things, but are reliant on volunteers in (often highly) inaccurate clothing, who are the wrong age, are not fully trained in live interpretation and fall back on the cliche of the griddle scone. The only vaguely comparable project is at Hampton Court, where the team is also costumed, but not in character.
Annie Gray and Andrew Hann have both given well-received academic and public papers on the project, using it as an example of best practice for broadening engagement and for interpreting the public country house.
The live project was widely covered by the national press at its launch, and both it and the videos have continued to garner widespread interest since. Highlights include 2018 when a Victorian Way video (on ice cream) had more viewers than a similarly themed short from Jamie Oliver. In 2020, Mrs Crocombe was the answer to a question on Have I Got News For You.
The YouTube channel can be found here
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx2QMoA1Th9deXXbo7htq21CUPqEPPGuc&si=78CoXnHN9joMCNgf
and the book, here
https://www.english-heritageshop.org.uk/how-to-cook-the-victorian-way-with-mrs-crocombe
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