Cobwebs and Cream Teas

Felbrigg Hall #1

by Mary MacKie

A warm and funny account of what it is like to live in and run a National Trust Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk.

When Mary Mackie's husband became Houseman at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk she suddenly found herself running one of the most elegant 17th-century houses in East Anglia. During their first year living in the National Trust house she was endlessly running up and down corridors, making visitors welcome, keeping unwelcome visitors at bay, arranging concerts, dinners and vast cleaning programmes. But leavening all the hard work were the exciting discoveries - hidden staircases, treasures in the attic and an ice house in the woods. COBWEBS AND CREAM TEAS reveals the tribulations and excitement that occur in any house open to the public, and it assures us that living in a National Trust house provides only the certainty that life will never be dull, or idle, again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, British Literature, Autobiography

175 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 1991

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mackie’s husband was Houseman and then Administrator at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk in the 1980s – live-in roles that demanded a wide range of skills and much more commitment than the usual 9 to 5 (when he borrowed a pedometer he learned that he walked 15 miles in the average day, without leaving the house!). Her memoir of their first year at Felbrigg proceeds chronologically, from the intense cleaning and renovations of the winter closed season through to the following Christmas’ festivities, and takes in along the way plenty of mishaps and visitor oddities. It will delight anyone who’d like a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a historic home. (I was especially pleased with this one given that I plucked it at random from the unsorted shelves at Bookbarn.)

[Jeanne Adamek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The descriptions of the house were perfect for a person that adores old houses as much as I do! The book was charming, but I think that I would have enjoyed it even more if there had been more interactions with the people that the author and her husband had to deal with...

[Austen to Zafón · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think she forgot a third C in the title; it should have been Cobwebs, Cream Teas, and Complaints. I found some of the historical tidbits about the house and descriptions of the property interesting, but most of the book was complaining about how much work it was, how many different jobs her husband had to do, and how disrespectful many of the visitors were (and some definitely were [pooping in the hallway!?], but some of her complaints seemed kind of silly, like a woman breastfeeding her baby in public instead of hiding this natural process in a bathroom stall...times have hopefully changed and most people no longer find baby-feeding to be the equivalent of stripping and doing a pole dance in a crowd of strangers.)

While she ends the book saying that there are some positives to the work, there wasn't much joy in the litany negatives and I can only say that for anyone reading the book who might have thought of working for the National Trust, it's a cautionary tale against it. They clearly don't hire enough people and don't treat the people they do hire with much respect, expecting them to forgo time off, sleep, and privacy so that they can get away with relying mostly on unpaid volunteers.

I see this is the first in a trilogy, although I wouldn't have thought there'd be enough to say two fill two more books. Even if those were a little more positive, I wouldn't be pursuing them; her writing's a little dry and dusty for my taste.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite entertaining, an account of the first year of a couple who took on the role of houseman at the NT's Felbrigg (I say couple but the role is really the job of the husband, with a lot of expectations of the unpaid wife). Loved the glimpses behind the scenes and the account of how it all works - on a shoestring, it seems! The period is the late 1980s, I think, so some things may have changed since. It is quite timely now in view of all the pressure being put on people to volunteer - a reminder of how you can't generally depend on volunteers for *all* support (they have lives of their own, can't always commit regularly, go on holiday, fall ill) and that rather a lot can be expected of paid staff within a context where there is a lot of volunteering going on. I once had a live-in job too (not NT) and it's true that guests sometimes have unrealistic expectations about the availability of staff to do things for them. I wonder what the NT thought about this book at the time?

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a National Trust volunteer room guide, I was interested to read this. Mary Mackie, a novelist, moved into Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk after her husband was appointed Houseman back in the late 1980s. I really got a feeling for the Hall itself and it made me eager to visit. The huge task list would appear daunting to most people, but Chris and Mary seemed to tackle each obstacle with stoicism and humour. This book shows just how much The National Trust has moved on in the thirty years since Cobwebs and Cream Teas was written. It's a much slicker operation these days!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary's husband decided to pursue life as a resident assistant or director of a National Trust House - Felbrigg House, in Norfolk, England. This book wasn't full of action or big events, but it was a very enjoyable read. Laid back with light humor and little events in the daily running of a big house. It was easy to pick up and put down at odd moments and not feel lost. I tend to read lots of books at once, so this suited me perfectly. She has written two others, continuing their story and I plan to read those too.

[Amy Karr · Rating 2 out of 5]

One year memoir of living in a National Trust property. More of a rant on how hard it was and how amazing the author's husband is than an interesting account of the year.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

"My husband is great. Cleaning was done. My husband is ingenious. Some more cleaning was done. My husband is so brilliant, he can do anything. Even more cleaning was done. My husband doesn't need any sleep, which is just as well because the NT expects him to be a jack of all trades, rather than pay qualified professionals. Yet more cleaning was done. Even though my husband can run every NT property single-handed because he's that wonderful, I, with no relevant qualifications or experience whatsoever, often helped out. Lots. Even more cleaning was done. I'm now going to complain about grumpy NT visitors and trespassers, officials being unavoidably late, insects, and rodents. Oh, and guess what? Yes. More. Cleaning."

Ad infinitum.

And that was only the first 60-odd pages.

My mother-in-law (an ex-NT room warden) recommended this to me, and loaned me her copy, positively gushing about how wonderfully-written it is (it's not), how funny it is (it really isn't), and how it's an accurate account of what it's like to work for the National Trust (not that she'd actually know, of course, having only been an occasional volunteer).

Between the utter tedium of Mackie's account of her and her husband's first few months spent living and working in an NT property in Norfolk, and the book being riddled with grammatical and spelling errors (in as much as I could bear to read), I felt it was time to swiftly put an end to my foray into this singularly uninteresting endeavour, and do something more interesting instead. Such as sit and watch paint dry.

I suspect that I am very much not the target audience. ;-)

[Sally]

This is the type of book you wind up with when you stop by your favourite used book store and they are moving to a new location, so it is "buy one get two free", but what remains of the stock is stacked higglety-pigglety all over the floor, and you only have 8 minutes to select your three books before the store closes.

That being said, I did come to a new appreciation of what is required to care for a historic home. Really you only need to read the first chapter, the rest is more of the same (a list of tasks, many of which are not interesting to hear about. Like Mary, we don't need a description of every single thing the ticket-seller does on a day-to-day basis. We've all had service jobs.) What really blows my mind is that this is the first of a trilogy!!!! Also, mine is the fourth edition!

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sure it’s a perfectly fine book, but I found it a little...well, tedious, rather like the boredom of housework, which this book describes albeit on a larger scale. I guess if I were a person who visited Nat Trust properties for fun I might find it more interesting. I suspect I shouldn’t have read this book if it wasn’t really a topic which interested me, so my lacklustre response is my own fault, not the author’s.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this "behind the scenes" book about the care, planning, and organizing of the life of a National Trust property. I enjoy this sort of documentary on YouTube, BritBox, etc. and will now be keeping my eyes open for more books like this.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting account of behind the scenes in a National Trust property. Its definitely of its time and you would hope that many of their trials and tribulations wouldn't be so prevalent these days. I'm hoping the National Trust is a much slicker machine in the 21st Century!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting behind the scenes view of what happens, or did in the '80s, to keep a stately home running. I would love to visit Felbrigg Hall and see what it's like now. Very easy to read.

[Grace Trotter]

DNF at page 35.

[Lisa of Hopewell]

I learned of this book via this review: https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpres...

[Jill Bowman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though there were some interesting or amusing stories I found most of this book a chore - reading about all of her chores.
I won’t be moving on to the sequels.

[Tabatha Salmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely insight into the running of Felbrigg Hall, a National Trust property, in Norfolk.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't help thinking the writers husband is over worked and underpaid but somehow he is a silent character in his own story

[Kirsty Keddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun companion to a visit to the attics and cellars of Felbrigg Hall.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me want to go to England and visit all the homes that are in the National Trust.

[Pat Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

We plan to visit Felbrigg Hall and gardens in September.

[Betty Benesi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Lovely Cozy Read

This is book is best read in Fall or Winter close to a cozy fire. I was amazed at the work and effort to run a trust house.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK I will now have to visit Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk as this is the second book about Felbrigg that I have ended up reading. The author's husband became houseman at Felbrigg Hall and this book is about their first year at the Hall. Talk about having to be a jack of all trades and it sounds like hard work with very little time off but never a dull moment.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a current National Trust House Steward this was a wonderful read. It's amazing to think how much has changed- and how some things really haven't! Mary Mackie perfectly captures the hard work along with the incredible rewards of working in such beautiful places. I think this is must read for all NT staff.

[Barbara Swartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: I would not recommend this book to many. It is a pleasant, dry account of a woman living in a National Trust House and the minutiae of the plethora of problems that crop up. However, if you're an old-soul or someone who's lived a long quiet life, you just might enjoy it.

[Samantha Panther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting account of a year in the life of the houseman at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this memoir of a couple serving as houseman and wife at a National Trust house in England.

[Ann Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful and wry look at the joys and challenges of running a stately home for the National Trust. I loved it.

[Seelenstaub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of entertaining, but really slow paced. Feels at times more like a list of chores than an actual book.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insight into what goes on behind the scenes of a N T place. Want to visit now.