0:00:02 > 0:00:07Just what do you have to do when a Queen decides she's going to pop in to see you?
0:00:07 > 0:00:10And not just any old Queen... Victoria.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Like a pair of obsessed Victoria groupies,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15we're pursuing her around the country
0:00:15 > 0:00:17to the posh pads she visited.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20We'll be delving into her personal diaries
0:00:20 > 0:00:23to reveal what happened behind closed doors.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27We start off here at the magnificent Chatsworth House,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30deep in the Derbyshire countryside.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34And as someone who's spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38I'll be upstairs exploring just what would have excited Victoria
0:00:38 > 0:00:40on her visit here.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41This was the setting
0:00:41 > 0:00:45for Princess Victoria's first grown-up dinner party.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And as a chef who loves great food,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50I'll be rediscovering
0:00:50 > 0:00:53an amazing 19th century approach to ice cream-making,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57perfect for serving the young Princess Victoria.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Look at that!
0:00:59 > 0:01:02And tantalising Tim's taste buds.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06That is just an explosion in your mouth.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Cor, look at this, Rosemary. Chatsworth House.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Now, this is what I call a pukka country house.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And it is, of course, what Princess Victoria would have seen
0:01:19 > 0:01:23in October 1832 on her arrival.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Princess Victoria, seen here as a child
0:01:27 > 0:01:30next to her ma, the Duchess of Kent,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33was only 13 years old when she came to Chatsworth,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37just a year after finding out that she was to inherit the crown.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41This four-day visit hosted by the 6th Duke of Devonshire
0:01:41 > 0:01:45was part of a PR exercise by Victoria's mum,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48who was keen to introduce her to her future subjects.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53The royal party travelled to Chatsworth from Eaton near Bakewell
0:01:53 > 0:01:54by horse and carriage.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59They must have hit traffic because they turned up a bit later than planned,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02at 6.30 in the evening.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04No satnav, I guess. Huh.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07We've come here right at the beginning of our journey,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11tracing Victoria's progress across Britain.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16But what I'm really interested in is discovering exactly how she got on
0:02:16 > 0:02:20in this early royal visit in the upstairs domain.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23While I'm going to the engine room of the house,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25downstairs to the servants' domain,
0:02:25 > 0:02:30to find out about the cooks, the maids, the footmen and the stewards,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32just to see how they kept the show on the road.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35The 6th Duke of Devonshire was loaded,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37and was known as a bit of a charmer.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39This was his big chance
0:02:39 > 0:02:43to show the Princess just what a hotshot he was.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Victoria kept a journal, so we have an idea of her daily life.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50She started her writing
0:02:50 > 0:02:54at the time that she started these journeys around the country.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59But at this stage, they're simply the jottings of a 13-year-old.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03When she arrived at Chatsworth, she described it as "beautiful",
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and in this extract from her diary, she wrote,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09"It's built in the shape of a square,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13joined by an arch, under which one must drive."
0:03:13 > 0:03:17And that is the arch that we've just walked through.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21She would have swept up the drive with her mother,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and admired, probably, the north wing.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Now, the 6th Duke was remodelling the house,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and he was very keen that everything should be ready
0:03:31 > 0:03:33for the Princess's visit.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The Duke managed to get the builders out,
0:03:36 > 0:03:41and the new north wing was knocked up just in time for Princess Victoria's arrival,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44doubling the size of the house.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52But believe it or not, this wasn't the Duke's main house.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54That was down in London,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56and was run by about 30 staff.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01This massive Chatsworth estate was run by half that number.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- Well, it- was- only his second home.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07To make sure he wasn't caught short during Victoria's visit,
0:04:07 > 0:04:11he brought up additional troops from his London pad to help out.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14I'm heading downstairs to explore their world.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19Here we are in the engine rooms of the modern Chatsworth.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21These corridors are still used by staff today
0:04:21 > 0:04:25to get from one end to the other when this place is full of people.
0:04:25 > 0:04:32This would have been a hive of activity when the Princess and her mother came here for their visit.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36This maze of corridors in the basement
0:04:36 > 0:04:38houses the central heating pipes today.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42But in 1832, it would have been crammed with servants
0:04:42 > 0:04:44getting ready for Victoria's visit.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46There are 61 rooms down here.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Most are empty now, but back then they would have been larders,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52pantries and pastry rooms.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57This is the old kitchen.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59It's a dusty, woodworking room now,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02but this is how Victoria would have found it
0:05:02 > 0:05:04on a guided tour during her stay,
0:05:04 > 0:05:05and she was quite impressed.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07In her journal, she writes,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10"It was superb for its size and cleanliness."
0:05:10 > 0:05:15And it was the perfect place to cook for the visiting Princess.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Now, it's my guess that when Victoria arrived here,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23she was absolutely shattered and needed to rest after the journey.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24She was only 13, after all.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27But the Duke was having none of it.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30He wasn't going to let the Princess to her room
0:05:30 > 0:05:33before showing off the Cavendish family album.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37And appropriately, at this half landing,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41surrounded by a clutch of other portraits of the Cavendish family,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44is the 1st Duke.
0:05:44 > 0:05:45HORSE WHINNYING
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Can you see him astride his charger?
0:05:49 > 0:05:54But our hero is the 6th Duke that you see up there, top left,
0:05:54 > 0:05:59in a portrait painted by Sir George Hayter in 1816.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05So that's a cool 16 years before Victoria's visit.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09But I reckon that that's probably more or less what he looked like
0:06:09 > 0:06:12when he ushered her up this very staircase.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16While Victoria was checking out the family album upstairs,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18the servants were preparing dinner.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Food was very important in all of Victoria's visits,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23and throughout this series,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I'll be joined by food historian and chef Ivan Day.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32We'll be working in some of the finest Victorian kitchens across the country,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36recreating some amazing dishes that were served to Victoria.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42- The juices of the meat drip down. - How delicious! That is beautiful.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44The Chatsworth kitchens no longer exist,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46so I've been to Ivan's own kitchen
0:06:46 > 0:06:49to create a dish that's perfect for Victoria.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52A few years ago I was working at Chatsworth,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54and I discovered in the cellars
0:06:54 > 0:06:57this incredible hoard of pewter ice cream moulds.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01We have to make ice cream. It was almost certainly served to the young Princess.
0:07:01 > 0:07:07At Chatsworth, the gardener grew fabulous pineapples.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So we have to make pineapple ice cream.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- Right.- Here, on the ice and salt to keep it really cold,
0:07:14 > 0:07:19I've actually got a pewter ice cream mould of a pineapple.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23That is beautiful. And look at the detail.
0:07:23 > 0:07:24To make the ice cream,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28a wonderful container called a sorbetier is in a pail of ice.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Into that, we've put some pineapple flesh
0:07:31 > 0:07:33that's been boiled in water and pureed,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37then sweetened with sugar, and a half pint of cream added.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Then the sorbetier has been spun to make the mixture freeze.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44This is called an ice spaddle.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46We want to make this really light.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51- This is for a Princess, so it's got to be absolutely like baby's breath. - Yes, yes.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53That means we've got to get air into it.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56And the way you aerate it is by spinning it.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00So what I'm going to do, I'm going to spin it round like this.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- Oh, right.- Have a go yourself. Just spin it round.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- Oh.- That's perfect. Keep it going.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Lift it up and down as you do it,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and that will bring the air into the mixture.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13That will make it much lighter.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15You can already see, actually.
0:08:15 > 0:08:21Now we have to add the colour to the basic ice cream, to match the real pineapple.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25What you have to do is to make an orange for the pineapple body.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30And for that, we have to use this material here.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Don't eat it, whatever you do.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36These are little cochineal beetles that grow on prickly pear cactus.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39That makes a very interesting red.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43And if we mix that with a little bit of yellow made with some saffron,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45we'll get a pineapply colour.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Green for the leaves is extracted from spinach.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50So these are natural dyes.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- And the colours used in the period. - Right, fantastic.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Once the colours have been added to the ice cream,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00we have to freeze it before we can fill the mould.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06It's amazing to think that at the time Victoria visited Chatsworth,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10the gardeners were able to produce exotic fruit like pineapples.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Joseph Paxton was the man who was responsible
0:09:13 > 0:09:17for everything horticultural here back in Victoria's time.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20His crowning achievement was the great conservatory.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23This was no off-the-shelf greenhouse.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27At the time, it was the biggest glass building in the world.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32In her journal, the 13-year-old Victoria described it as,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36"out and out, the finest thing imaginable of its kind."
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Sadly, it's no longer here and there are no pineapples today,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43but there are plenty of other Victorian glasshouses,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and one other special fruit
0:09:45 > 0:09:49that was here when Victoria visited the Cavendish family in 1832.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53The current head gardener is Steve Porter.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56I do feel as if I'm in a real jungle here.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Now, I've been told you grow a very special fruit here.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04We do, and we're standing under it. This is Musa Cavendish Dwarf, Cavendish dwarf banana.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06It came here in 1829.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Joseph Paxton head gardener for the 6th Duke
0:10:09 > 0:10:12obtained the plant and grew it in a glasshouse here
0:10:12 > 0:10:16where it flourished, fruited and produced these wonderful bananas.
0:10:16 > 0:10:22From here, they were taken to Samoa and elsewhere, becoming a commercial crop that's still grown there.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24It wasn't only exotic fruit.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28There's another amazing plant imported from the Amazon,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31that Paxton's green fingers managed to get to flower.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35And it has a close connection with Victoria later in her life.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37This is the Victoria Lily.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40This was grown here, also by Paxton and the 6th Duke.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44But it was later that it flourished and flowered here in 1849,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48and Joseph Paxton actually took a leaf and a flower
0:10:48 > 0:10:51down to Windsor Castle, and presented it to Queen Victoria,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53who then named it the Victoria Lily.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57She must have been absolutely thrilled with that.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01By the time Victoria got to her room,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04she must have been ready to just chill out.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05But no such luck.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09The Duke had laid on a dinner party starting at seven o'clock.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12He even had a dress rehearsal the night before
0:11:12 > 0:11:15because this particular dinner was so important.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19This wonderful dining room was the setting
0:11:19 > 0:11:24for Princess Victoria's first grown-up dinner party.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28But after all the build-up, it didn't go quite to plan.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30She didn't turn up.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Victoria, in her journal, writes,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37"I dined by myself in my room, with Lehzen."
0:11:37 > 0:11:40That's Baroness Lehzen, her governess.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43And you can hardly blame her.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45She'd only arrived at Chatsworth
0:11:45 > 0:11:48half an hour before dinner was to be served.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52But the Duke must have been cheesed off, after all that effort he put in.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Downstairs, the staff were busy preparing the evening meal,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57and we're making ice cream,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00just as it would have been served to Victoria.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03The green and orange pineapple-flavoured ice creams
0:12:03 > 0:12:06are frozen and ready to put into the pineapple mould.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08The one we need first is the green.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12If you take the napkins off and just put them aside,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- I'll show you how to do it, and then you can try it out yourself.- OK.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19So this is actually a nice consistency.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- You want about a half spoonful each time.- Right.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26And you're going to put it onto the leaf.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27I'll do this one, actually.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Now, put it on very gently,
0:12:30 > 0:12:31and then with one spoon,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36paddle it in, pushing it in quite hard like that,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38so that you get the impression.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- Mm-hm.- Now, you've got to work very quickly.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52That's perfect.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Leaves done. Now for the body.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59- And a bit more.- Yep.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05The secret with this is being very slow and gentle.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Everything is so intricate!
0:13:07 > 0:13:10- And time-consuming. - And time-consuming.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12And remember, cooks didn't do this at all.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16At Chatsworth, this was done by the Duke's confectioner.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Now, we have to leave it like that, standing up.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- Steady it with just one finger. - Oh, sorry.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23The mould is now filled
0:13:23 > 0:13:26with the rest of the orange-coloured ice cream.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29This was not done in the kitchen at all.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32It was done in a completely separate room with a cold area,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34which was the confectionery.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36It was a long way from the kitchen.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38It couldn't have fires in there.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41He must have had quite a bit of help, labour.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Oh yes, there would have been a kitchen maid called in.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49Possibly a male, as confectionery tended to be done by men at this period.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50- Really?- Yeah.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55Then finally, more green ice cream to form the base.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Imagine doing this for a princess.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03It must have been, I would say, event of their lives, almost.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Now, if this pineapple is going to sit on the table and stay firm,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10we've got to freeze it much harder than that.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14And bizarrely, for that, we need some lard.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17We're going to rub it into the seams
0:14:17 > 0:14:20because we're putting this into a mixture of ice and salt,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24and the salt could get into the ice cream and spoil the flavour,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26so we have to seal it.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28How very clever!
0:14:33 > 0:14:35With the seams sealed with lard,
0:14:35 > 0:14:36the mould's wrapped in paper
0:14:36 > 0:14:39so that when it's plunged into the bucket of ice,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41the ice doesn't stick to the pewter.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43The final thing we need to do,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47if you put salt onto ice, it acts as a refrigerant,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51and you get a temperature of about minus 13,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55which will rapidly freeze anything that you put in one of these pots.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59It'll take another three hours for it to freeze solid.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Upstairs on the first morning of her stay,
0:15:04 > 0:15:10Princess Victoria awoke to enjoy her first glimpse of Paxton's gardens.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13In her journal, she writes, "I breakfasted soon after nine,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17in a room overlooking the cascade."
0:15:17 > 0:15:20She may have been keen to see more of the gardens,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23but the Duke, of course, had the day all set out.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27And it began inside, with a guided tour starting in the library.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30The 6th Duke was a bit of a globetrotter,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34and it was on his travels that he built up his massive collection
0:15:34 > 0:15:36of 50,000 books.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Victoria, well-read herself, was clearly impressed,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42describing the library as "beautiful".
0:15:42 > 0:15:45The next event on the Duke's itinerary
0:15:45 > 0:15:47was something completely different.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Anyone for cricket?
0:15:50 > 0:15:53On the afternoon of her first day,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56the Chatsworth doors were thrown open to the public,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and over 300 people flooded in to watch a special match,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02that was laid on in Victoria's honour.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06There was even a band who played God Save The Queen,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08to rapturous applause.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12As the current Chatsworth cricket team put their best bats forward,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16cricket historian Keith Hayhurst tells me more.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19The teams were made up of gentlemen and workers?
0:16:19 > 0:16:23That's correct. Most of them would have been the workers.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28There would have been two or three gentlemen who wouldn't work so hard.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32They would direct the fielders to catch the ball and find the ball.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- What, the gentlemen wouldn't really do the fielding?- Not a lot of it.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38They wouldn't do much of the bowling, either.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42You'd get the strong workers for the estate to do the bowling,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47and maybe some of them were employed, just as good cricketers.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Cricket during Victoria's time was hugely popular,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52both with the gentry and their staff,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55but you might be surprised that, like today,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57the fans liked to have a flutter.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59There was a lot of gambling,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02especially in the cricket of the 1750s to 1850.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04And huge amounts.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Something like 1,000 guineas a match were put on these games.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12You would get people coming from Manchester, from Chesterfield,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14from all around the district,
0:17:14 > 0:17:15to watch that game.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17And that would bring the money in?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20- That would bring the money in. - Yes, quite.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24Owzat!
0:17:24 > 0:17:27With the royal visitors wandering around,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31the gardeners would have had the grounds looking immaculate.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34And there was one particular treat
0:17:34 > 0:17:38that the 13-year-old Princess Victoria took a real shine to.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43So this is the most unusual feature in Chatsworth garden.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46It was built for the 1st Duke.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48The design was based on a willow tree,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52and it's been restored a couple of times during its life.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55The Princess Victoria called it "the squirting tree".
0:17:55 > 0:17:58She must have had such a lot of fun here.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I think it's rather quirky.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05When later asked what she liked best about her stay at Chatsworth,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Victoria answered, "The squirting tree".
0:18:09 > 0:18:11The gardeners must have been thrilled.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19I'm keen to find out more about the men and women who laboured so hard
0:18:19 > 0:18:22in the gardens and downstairs at Chatsworth.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Luckily, the house has some amazing documents from the period,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28that house collector Matthew Hurst tells me
0:18:28 > 0:18:31offer an intriguing insight into that world.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Well, Matthew, I believe you've got some information for me.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38We're looking at 1832, when Victoria came here,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41and I'm really interested to find out more about it.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43So can you show me?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Absolutely. What we've got here
0:18:45 > 0:18:49are the household accounts covering 1829 to 1833,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53- so it fits absolutely the period you're interested in.- Fantastic.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55And if we open it up here,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- we can see the wages. - Oh, look at this.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Absolutely, let's have a look.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05We have got a Thomas Howard and Charles Coote.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09They both were on £150.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11That's a lot of money.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15It is. It is. And they would have been the senior male servants.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17So they would have been the butler,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20or sometimes called the steward of the household,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24who was essentially the man in charge of the whole household.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Interestingly, when you look at the women of the household,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31the highest-paid woman has a salary of £40 a year.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33She would have been the housekeeper,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36so she was the most senior female servant.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40And you can see that their salaries drop as you go down the list.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Well, I think the least we've got
0:19:42 > 0:19:44is for a Harriett Sheffith?
0:19:44 > 0:19:46- Sherriff, I think.- Sherriff.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Six pounds, two shillings and sixpence,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- so that...she must have been the scullery maid.- Absolutely.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54What is so fascinating with this,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56there's a huge hierarchy situation.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00It must have been like an upstairs downstairs in this little domain.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03The scullery maid would probably have been
0:20:03 > 0:20:06a girl of between 14 and 16 years old, when they started,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09so very young as well,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12in contrast to somebody like the housekeeper.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15What's interesting is that the scullery maid would have been
0:20:15 > 0:20:18near the same age as Victoria when she came.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Pretty much, yes. We don't know her exact age,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23but she would have been around the same age,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26and it's extraordinary to think, the contrast.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30The contrast of lives. Unbelievable!
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Victoria may have escaped dinner once,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36but on the following night, she wasn't so lucky.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40There was another attempt to hold her first grown-up dinner.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Walking through the house to the dining room,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46she couldn't have failed to notice the semi-naked figures.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Of the Duke's statues, that is.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52He was a great collector, and luckily for him,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55the young Victoria clearly enjoyed the exposure.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58To the sculptures, that is,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01writing in her diary that, "There are some beautiful statues."
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Oi! Fish face! What are you staring at?
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Eventually, in the dining room, the big moment arrived.
0:21:15 > 0:21:21She sat down to dinner with 35 fellow guests at this stunning dining table.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26However daunting it must have been,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30we know that she admired the gilded surtout de table
0:21:30 > 0:21:34that is still here today, describing it as "magnificent".
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Quite something for a 13-year-old to notice, don't you think?
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Absolutely.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43While the guests tucked into dinner upstairs,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46downstairs, the cooks would have been preparing the dessert.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48In our preparations,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52the pineapple-flavoured and shaped ice cream has been in ice for three hours.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Now, the moment of truth. Will it come out in one piece?
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Look at that!
0:22:00 > 0:22:01How's that?
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Oh, that is beautiful!
0:22:05 > 0:22:09I'm going to try and just lever that out with the knife, like so.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11And then put it onto there,
0:22:11 > 0:22:12right into the middle,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14and hey presto!
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- Oh, that is...stunning! - How about that?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21I love it!
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Amazing as this pineapple-flavoured, coloured and shaped ice cream is,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27it would not have been enough
0:22:27 > 0:22:30to serve to the 13-year-old Princess Victoria.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33There are more water ices and ice creams,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36starting with a delicate asparagus spear.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Beautiful.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I've got to get the knife in between.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43And still they keep coming.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Sometimes this fails, but...
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Oh!
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- There we are, look at that. - Look at that!
0:22:50 > 0:22:55A fig, a pomegranate, and a melon and some grapes.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Fingers crossed.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Wow! It's like magic.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- This is what we call a pillar mould. - Right.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11- See the fluted columns?- Yes, yes.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16- And this has made a strawberry ice cream.- These moulds are incredible.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21It's quite tricky. It's going now, I think. Yeah, here we go.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Come on. Just drop out nicely.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Way! How about that?
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Fantastic!
0:23:28 > 0:23:29Beautiful.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Oh, look at that.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Lever it. That's it.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38- Yes.- That's my boy, there we are. That's my boy.- That's my boy.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39This is a basket mould.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Lovely.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44Gently lever it out.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47- Is it coming?- Whoopsy.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Right, get it up like that, OK?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Oh, that's beautiful.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52Ah, but we've got more.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54That's just part of it.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Some strawberries. Yeah, OK, they should just drop out.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03OK, now, that isn't all because...
0:24:03 > 0:24:04Whoo!
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I've got some strawberry leaves.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Oh, how wonderful!
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Which have been sitting in cold water, so they should freeze on.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16You may have to hold them on a little while.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18They'll freeze to the strawberry,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20so hold it for about four seconds.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Look, isn't that absolutely super?
0:24:23 > 0:24:24Look, that is the most...
0:24:26 > 0:24:28That is just beautiful.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I absolutely love it!
0:24:31 > 0:24:34These Victorian ices of all flavours and shapes
0:24:34 > 0:24:35are so elaborate.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40Now, we just need to serve them to my own gentleman of the house, Tim.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42That's nice, Rosemary, thanks.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45But I can't compete with our host, the Duke.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48By all accounts, he was renowned as a great entertainer,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53and showed exactly why with the after-dinner entertainment he laid on in the ballroom.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Young girls would need to be at least 15
0:24:56 > 0:25:00before they're allowed to attend a formal ball.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03And as Victoria was far too young,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06the Duke provided alternative entertainment
0:25:06 > 0:25:07in the form of charades,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10which were popular at the time.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13And we think that that is what took place here.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18In her diary, Victoria tells us that the titled guests,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22including Lady Blanche, the Duke's niece,
0:25:22 > 0:25:28performed scenes from Bluebeard and Tom Thumb.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Parlour games such as charades were extremely popular in Victorian times,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36especially for the wealthy upper classes.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Even Victoria joined in.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43And during the charades, there was another treat in store for her.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Head gardener Joseph Paxton
0:25:45 > 0:25:49had arranged a spectacular show of illuminations in the gardens
0:25:49 > 0:25:52using coloured flares.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Lady Cavendish, the Duke's niece,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56wrote in a letter after the visit,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00"The little Princess seemed to enjoy herself beyond anything,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and was extremely excited about the cascade."
0:26:03 > 0:26:08"It was like an enchanted castle. The water seemed turned into fire,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11rockets going up in every direction."
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Gosh. "Even the Duke himself
0:26:13 > 0:26:18had to admit he had never seen anything like it before."
0:26:18 > 0:26:21So, with the upstairs entertainment drawing to a close,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25it's time for me to serve up the ice cream and water ices.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29It's a feast fit for a princess,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33and just think, all these exquisite dishes are just the dessert.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Victoria would have had at least ten courses beforehand.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Tim may not be a queen, but he can be a bit fussy.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44I wonder what he'll make of these.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- Rosemary! What- have- you been up to?
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Well, I thought while the table was laid up for a dessert,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54I would give you a dessert.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Well, this is quite extraordinary, isn't it?
0:26:57 > 0:26:59These shapes, the design.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00How long did it take you?
0:27:00 > 0:27:02- About five hours.- Did it really?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05And I must say, it was fascinating.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08I have to say, this is the first time
0:27:08 > 0:27:13that I've ever addressed an ice in the form of a piece of asparagus.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15And it does look extraordinary.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18It is extraordinary. To actually see the process...
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I'm going to taste the first bit.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25- You taste the first bit and I'm going to take a little bit.- Mm.- Mm.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30That is just an explosion in your mouth. Isn't that just delicious?
0:27:30 > 0:27:35It's extraordinary, and it's so smooth. It's so delicious!
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Unbelievable.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41We're going to have a lot more Victorian food as we follow Victoria's journey.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I can't wait.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46For the 13-year-old Princess Victoria,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49life would never be the same after Chatsworth.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53She was firmly on the road to becoming Queen.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Next time on Royal Upstairs Downstairs,
0:27:56 > 0:28:01we're with the teenage Victoria at Shugborough in Staffordshire.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Where upstairs, I'll be discovering
0:28:04 > 0:28:07how her mother's national PR offensive continued.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09And downstairs, I'll be experiencing
0:28:09 > 0:28:13what life was like for the servants during a royal visit.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16- You'll make an excellent maid. - Oh, it's coming off, too!
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:40 > 0:28:43E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk