Step beyond the polished rooms and into the hidden life of the great British household.

On Saturday 16 May, acclaimed author Lucy Lethbridge comes to The Sherborne to discuss her book Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain, a richly observed account of the people who sustained grand homes while often remaining almost invisible within them.

The setting could hardly be more fitting. Built in the eighteenth century for Henry Seymour Portman, The Sherborne carries within its walls the traces of a layered social world: the symmetry and refinement of the public rooms above, and the quieter rhythms of labour that once moved through corridors, kitchens, back stairs and servants’ spaces.

Drawing on diaries, household records and personal accounts, Lethbridge brings this “downstairs” world vividly to life, revealing the hierarchies, routines, intimacies and tensions of domestic service. Described as “sparkling with insight”, Servants explores a world where lives were closely entwined, yet divided by class, duty and expectation.

Join us for an illuminating evening of history, conversation and discovery. Lucy’s book will be available to purchase in The Sherborne Shop.

Lucy Lethbridge is a journalist and author specialising in popular history for adults and children. Her acclaimed book Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain explores domestic service through the lives of those who cooked, cleaned, carried, cared and kept great households running. Drawing on oral histories, diaries and written accounts, her work brings overlooked histories into sharp, human focus.

Tickets are £5.
Make a day of it and stay for lunch, or continue the conversation over dinner in The Restaurant at The Sherborne.