0:00:02 > 0:00:06'Just what do you have to do when a queen decides she's going to pop in to see you.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10'And not just any old queen. Victoria!'
0:00:10 > 0:00:13'Like a pair of obsessed Victoria groupies,
0:00:13 > 0:00:17'we're pursuing her around the country to the posh pads she visited.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:23'We'll be delving into first-hand accounts to reveal what happened behind closed doors.'
0:00:23 > 0:00:28She was only 13 when she arrived here at Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33'As someone who's spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques,
0:00:33 > 0:00:38'I'll be upstairs finding out how clever tricks might have fooled the future monarch.'
0:00:38 > 0:00:44Not so much smoke and mirrors, more like ceiling and pillars.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47'And, as a chef who loves all sorts of food,
0:00:47 > 0:00:54'I'll be downstairs where I'll be rediscovering a 19th century recipe that was served to Victoria.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:58- Do you use one of these?- No, I want one. Can I take that home with me?
0:00:58 > 0:01:01No way! It took me two years to find one!
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'And seeing if Tim is game enough to try it.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I say, they did live well, you know?
0:01:18 > 0:01:23We're continuing our journey in the footsteps of the young Victoria
0:01:23 > 0:01:26as she, as a slip of a girl,
0:01:26 > 0:01:31had a tour of the nation with her mother, the Duchess of Kent,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34so that the people could see their future monarch.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39'The young Princess Victoria had travelled from the much grander
0:01:39 > 0:01:44'and much larger Chatsworth House further north following a successful visit.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47'Her hosts at Shugborough were Lord and Lady Lichfield,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50'a wealthy and well-connected family.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:55This was a much more modest home than many that Victoria had visited,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59but I'm still keen as mustard to take a bird's-eye upstairs.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Which is exactly what I'm going to do downstairs.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05MUSIC: "British National Anthem"
0:02:05 > 0:02:09'The local paper records that, on her arrival at the hall,
0:02:09 > 0:02:14'a band played God Save The King and a royal salute of guns was fired.'
0:02:14 > 0:02:17According to her recently-begun diary,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Victoria and the royal party arrived in the late afternoon
0:02:21 > 0:02:24when she records, "At about half-past five,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28"we arrived at Shugborough, the place of Lord Lichfield."
0:02:28 > 0:02:33'Lord and Lady Lichfield helped the Duchess of Kent and the princess from their carriage,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37'the Derby Mercury describing the 13-year-old Victoria,
0:02:37 > 0:02:42'seen here with her mother, as an interesting and intelligent-looking child.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49'By the time of Victoria's visit, Shugborough had reached its peak as a modern estate
0:02:49 > 0:02:51'and a fashionable country seat.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54'The family had worked hard in the previous 100 years
0:02:54 > 0:02:59'at transforming what was once a plainer, medium-sized house
0:02:59 > 0:03:03'into something that would enhance their name and general standing.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08'And the architectural trickery they used starts at the entrance,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11'which looks very grand, as long as you don't knock up against it.'
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Because there is something sham about this facade.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21If you tap the column, it's not solid stone.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24It's actually made of wood!
0:03:24 > 0:03:29And the walls of the house itself were covered in slate
0:03:29 > 0:03:32to make them look like solid blocks of stone.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37'It was no doubt good enough to fool a 13-year-old.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42'And inside, the clever tricks to impress continued.'
0:03:42 > 0:03:45The first earl's father and his architect
0:03:45 > 0:03:48did their utmost to confuse the eye
0:03:48 > 0:03:53to cover up the fact that this house was once a bog-standard country house
0:03:53 > 0:03:57but it's simply become a bit grander.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01And the way they did that was by installing this oval ceiling
0:04:01 > 0:04:04and all these pillars.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07So, to deceive the eye, then,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09not so much smoke and mirrors,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11more like ceiling and pillars.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22'Today, Shugborough is still run as a working and historic estate,
0:04:22 > 0:04:27'with the staff still doing all the jobs that would've been done when Victoria was here.
0:04:27 > 0:04:33'And at that time, like any respectable country pile, it had an army of servants.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38'In fact, four years before the visit in 1832,
0:04:38 > 0:04:44'it was recorded that 109 full-time salaried staff were working on the estate.'
0:04:44 > 0:04:48This is where the unmarried staff would've slept, in this stable yard.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53The men would go that side and the women would sleep that side.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57So there was no horsing around here, thank you very much!
0:04:57 > 0:05:02'The staff wore different coloured uniforms because it made it easier
0:05:02 > 0:05:04'to spot if they were in their rightful place.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09'Red was worn by the kitchen maids, blue by the laundry maids,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13'green by the still room staff and purple by the housemaids.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17'The housekeeper and the cooks had no official uniform.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19'This itself was a form of status.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23'Men at Shugborough also had colour-coding to their uniforms,
0:05:23 > 0:05:28'but unlike the women, they had expensive specialist uniforms from livery makers in London.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31'And the staff would've dined here.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34'The servants' hall was the hub of downstairs life.'
0:05:34 > 0:05:36CHATTER AND LAUGHTER
0:05:36 > 0:05:42'With the young princess upstairs, this place would've been a buzz with tension and gossip.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47'With a royal visit to cater for,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50'the household stocked up for lavish dining.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54'And Ivan Day, our food historian, has got his hands on a wonderful document,
0:05:54 > 0:05:59'a list of the food and drink consumed during Victoria's three-day visit.'
0:05:59 > 0:06:0176 pheasants,
0:06:01 > 0:06:0538 partridges, ten hares, 54 fowls.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10In fact, it says at the bottom here, 195 head of game and poultry.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- So I thought we'd do something with pheasants.- Fantastic!
0:06:14 > 0:06:18'Today's royal delicacy is a dish invented by
0:06:18 > 0:06:23'a famous French chef called Marie-Antoinin Careme who dominated this period.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26'It's called fillets of pheasant a la chartreuse,
0:06:26 > 0:06:31'and like so much Victorian cooking, it's very complex and time-consuming.'
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Chartreuse was a very elaborate vegetable dish
0:06:34 > 0:06:40where you used little discs or squares of cut-out vegetables, so you've got wonderful colours,
0:06:40 > 0:06:45- and you arrange them like a mosaic. - It's beautiful! It's so ornate!
0:06:45 > 0:06:49'The mould has been lined with paper that is smeared with butter
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'and stuck to the butter are the vegetables cut into shapes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56'The next stage is to fill the mould with pureed potato.'
0:06:56 > 0:06:59We've got to put a couple of egg yolks into there.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03- This'll help to stiffen it up, won't it?- Yeah. - When it's cooked, it'll set.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07And it's nicely seasoned with pepper and salt
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and it should be quite thick.
0:07:13 > 0:07:19- There we go.- Right. Now, this is the difficult bit, because you have to get all of that puree in there
0:07:19 > 0:07:24- without disturbing them. - Slip it down. Slip it down.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28The best way is to slide a little bit in at a time.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32'This dish was a hot entree served after three or four courses
0:07:32 > 0:07:36'of what was frequently a nine-course menu.'
0:07:36 > 0:07:40These were the fanciest savoury dishes that the chef could muster up.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45They'd eaten a lot of food already and these were just to whet your appetite, really.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- You saw all these beautiful patterns and colours and you felt hungry again.- Mm-hm.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57- Right, Rosemary, I think that's ready. I'm going to put this on to poach for about 40 minutes.- OK.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07'Back upstairs, local dignitaries would've gathered here in the most impressive room in the house
0:08:07 > 0:08:10'to meet the 13-year-old princess.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12'It's the red drawing room.'
0:08:12 > 0:08:18And this is whole Victoria was calling upon, Lady Lichfield,
0:08:18 > 0:08:24together with her boy, Thomas, and the most adorable-looking little child there in the foreground,
0:08:24 > 0:08:30who's Harriett, whom Victoria actually played with during her visit here.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Now, you could say that some artists tend to flatter their subjects,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40but this artist, George Hayter, I don't think did.
0:08:40 > 0:08:46Because Louisa was always thought to be a bit of a cracker and, indeed,
0:08:46 > 0:08:52even Queen Victoria noted that Louisa was alluring
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and invariably incredibly kind.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00'The Earl and Lady Louisa were on friendly terms with Victoria's mother.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05'The Lichfield family had been attached to the royal court since the days of William IV
0:09:05 > 0:09:10'and relished the idea of the duchess and her precious daughter coming to stay.'
0:09:10 > 0:09:14This was a bit of a hastily-arranged visit by the duchess.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18'It started with an exchange of letters two months earlier
0:09:18 > 0:09:23'and brilliantly for us, we have copies of those very letters.'
0:09:23 > 0:09:29And, indeed, the duchess, a couple of months before the visit, was writing,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33"As yet, I have no fixed time for leaving this part of the country,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37"but if it be in our power, and you should be at Shugborough,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41"we shall be happy to visit you."
0:09:41 > 0:09:43The Lichfields were delighted.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48In fact, they pushed their luck a bit and asked the royal party to stay for an additional day,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51to which the duchess agreed.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Now, that is something of a coup.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59'It was in this very room that Victoria and her mother
0:09:59 > 0:10:02'received the great and the good of the area.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07'Seven carriage-loads turned up to meet them, including the mayor and the clergy,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10'and the whole thing was covered by the local press.'
0:10:10 > 0:10:15The Staffordshire Advertiser proudly reported the scene,
0:10:15 > 0:10:21quoting Victoria's mother's gracious response to the mayor's address.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23It was rather telling.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28"The princess will derive the greatest benefit from these journeys.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32"They bring her in contact with all classes.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38"They are the means of allowing her to know all the varied interests of this great and free country."
0:10:38 > 0:10:45The Advertiser's man on the spot gave his own observations of the princess. He wrote,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47"The princess is a most interesting young person
0:10:47 > 0:10:51"and her simple dress, simple almost to plainness,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54"accords well with the prepossessing features
0:10:54 > 0:10:58"of any amiable, mild and intelligent caste."
0:10:59 > 0:11:02'Given the limited access the public had to their future queen,
0:11:02 > 0:11:07'such titbits about Victoria would've been of huge interest to ordinary folk.'
0:11:09 > 0:11:12'Downstairs, I'm cooking a dish with Ivan
0:11:12 > 0:11:18'that would've very likely graced the table during Victoria's visit - fillets of pheasant a la chartreuse.
0:11:18 > 0:11:25'And the next stage is to puree some cooked chestnuts in a very Victorian fashion.'
0:11:25 > 0:11:28The first thing we use is something called a potato beetle.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33- Right. I've never seen one of those. - Which we just pound the chestnuts with.- Yes.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- Have a go at it.- Yes.- You're going to turn those into a pulp.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39And while you're doing that, I've already got some here
0:11:39 > 0:11:43and I rub it through the sieve with this gizmo here.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- What a wonderful thing!- So it pushes it right through the mesh.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51I have to tell you, I put my potato through one of these drum sieves.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- Absolutely.- It's beautiful. - Do you use one of these?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- No, I want one. Can I take that home with me?- No way!
0:11:57 > 0:11:59It took me two years to find one!
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Right, that's great. Would you like to pour some of that into there?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- Yes.- That's great. And I'll start pushing that through.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- I tell you what, let's change over. You have a go at this.- I'd love to!
0:12:11 > 0:12:15And I will try and get this into shape.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18And these jobs really were great for two kitchen maids.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- Oh, yes!- They could have a natter while they did it,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23discuss the local gossip.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28'But no gossiping during the next stage of our fashionable 1830s dish.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33'My reputation for wielding a filleting knife has earned me the task of dealing with the pheasant.'
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Yes, you are good with a knife.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- That's right. So take off the legs. - I'm just going to remove the wishbone,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43because that'll allow me to get the whole breast off.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47I'm just very interested to see how the modern technique
0:12:47 > 0:12:52- is actually identical to the way in which a Victorian... - Really?- Absolutely.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'This is very specialised.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57'We even have to trim them in a particular way.'
0:12:57 > 0:13:02That's great. At an angle. Towards the meat, that's it. That's perfect.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08These little bits that are left over, I'll probably use them for something else later. They won't get wasted.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11'So, while the chartreuse poaches away,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15'the pheasant is fried off, ready for the next stage of our dish.'
0:13:17 > 0:13:21'Since becoming heir to the throne at the tender age of 11,
0:13:21 > 0:13:26'the princess was kept under 24-hour surveillance by her mother, the Duchess of Kent,
0:13:26 > 0:13:32'such was her paranoia that something untoward might happen to her.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37'The sleeping arrangements while at Shugborough backed this up. Victoria slept in this bedroom
0:13:37 > 0:13:40'with her mother, most likely in the same bed,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43'just like she did back at Kensington Palace.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48'On the second day of Victoria's visit to Shugborough,
0:13:48 > 0:13:53'the party went from Lichfield the home to Lichfield the place,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56'where more of the people could see their future queen.
0:13:56 > 0:14:04'Victoria records in her diary, "At ten, we set out for Lichfield, the whole party going, children and all.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08"Lord and Lady Lichfield went in our open carriage.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11"We proceeded to the cathedral, which is quite beautiful.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14"The figures worked in stone on the outside
0:14:14 > 0:14:18"and the three beautiful spires are worthy of great admiration.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22"We went into the interior of the cathedral into a pew.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26"And the choristers sung an anthem."
0:14:34 > 0:14:39'Back at the house, the poor maids had no time for sightseeing.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44'With the royal party in residence, there would've been even more work to do than usual.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48'At the laundry, the work was back-breaking.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51'The maids would fill a laundry copper, which heated the water.
0:14:51 > 0:14:57'This meant carrying hundreds of back-breaking buckets in from the yard.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00'Shugborough House still boasts a 19th century laundry
0:15:00 > 0:15:05'and it's now used to demonstrate how the work was done back then.'
0:15:05 > 0:15:09So, how much extra work would there have been because of the royal visit?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12It would've been double or treble. We'd have needed extra help
0:15:12 > 0:15:17from the village because of all the bed linen, extra table cloths, napkins.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- An awful lot of washing. - What sort of hours did they work?
0:15:20 > 0:15:26They worked 12-hour days, starting at 5am in the morning, working six and a half days a week.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30- Only a half a day off? - On Sunday, to go to church. And one day off a month.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- That is not much, is it? - It's not a lot.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Was there a weekly routine here for the maids?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The main washing would be from Monday till Tuesday
0:15:38 > 0:15:43and then from Wednesday till Friday, it would be the ironing, the folding and the airing.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48Then Saturday and Sunday was sorting all the dirty washing then start all over again.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53'The 12-hour day was pretty demanding for servants
0:15:53 > 0:15:57'and the work would've been more daunting had Shugborough not invested in
0:15:57 > 0:16:02'some of the latest gizmos and gadgets to help ease the laundry maid's pain.'
0:16:03 > 0:16:06When Victoria was here, this was the latest piece of equipment.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11It's called a dolly peg and it's just twist and turn, like this. Backwards and forwards.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13We say 100 turns for each load of washing.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- 100 turns.- 100 turns.
0:16:16 > 0:16:22'But the dolly peg was luxury on legs compared to the old washboard, as I'm about to find out.'
0:16:22 > 0:16:28- You need to rub the cloth up and down on the wooden slats using your knuckles.- Knuckles?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Imagine doing this all day long! - SHE LAUGHS
0:16:33 > 0:16:38- I think you'll make an excellent maid.- Oh, it's coming off, too! It's working!
0:16:39 > 0:16:42'Just as I'd mastered Victorian washing,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44'there's still the ironing to do.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49'And, believe it or not, this is what they would've used for all the extra laundry.'
0:16:49 > 0:16:53What is this contraption? It looks like something out of a torture chamber!
0:16:53 > 0:16:57I know it does. It's called a box mangle and it's an ironing machine.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01We use it to iron all the large, flat items, like sheets and tablecloths,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03that would take a very long time with a hot iron.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07'The many tablecloths required for Victoria's visit
0:17:07 > 0:17:12'would've been wound around these two rollers, which were placed under the weighted box.'
0:17:12 > 0:17:17The other way. So, how many people would've manned this?
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Ideally, you need three people. The handyman to operate the machine
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and two maids putting the cloth on and off the rollers.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26- I think you can stop now, Rosemary. - Ohh!
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Thank goodness for modern irons!
0:17:32 > 0:17:37'When Victoria visited, Shugborough was practically a self-sufficient estate.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42'It had a farm and a flour mill. And it had something else,
0:17:42 > 0:17:47'something appreciated by the toffs and the servants alike, its very own brew house,
0:17:47 > 0:17:53'built in 1780 and restored to full working glory in the 1990s.'
0:17:53 > 0:17:57What a great space this is! The original brew house!
0:17:57 > 0:18:00'Nick Burton and Keith Bott are in charge today.
0:18:00 > 0:18:06'At the time of Victoria's visit, the brewers produced up to 40,000 gallons of beer a year.'
0:18:06 > 0:18:10320,000 pints a year.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15- Who was drinking all this beer?- The servants, at the time of Victoria's visit, had eight pints a day.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20- Some would have one over the eight. - Is that where the expression comes from?- Yes.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24- This isn't strong stuff, is it? - No. It's called small beer. One or two percent proof.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28It's a combination of an alcopop and an energy drink of the day.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33'There was another good reason to drink beer during the time of Victoria's visit.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37'Cholera was spreading across Britain, killing thousands,
0:18:37 > 0:18:42'and thus the fermented and purified bevvy was a safer option than water.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46'So, did his Lordship also go for the safer option
0:18:46 > 0:18:48'and down a pint with his supper?'
0:18:48 > 0:18:54Was it normal for aristocratic families to consume beer like this or was it peculiar to Shugborough?
0:18:54 > 0:18:59Oh, absolutely. In a lot of the houses. But, yes, the water wasn't good for them necessarily,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04so, yes, people did have beer. His Lordship can, of course, afford wine and has wine with the meals,
0:19:04 > 0:19:09but he also, as a general drink, and for his hunting parties, yes, he has beer.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Yeah. What do we know about beer consumption during Victoria's visit?
0:19:13 > 0:19:19We know from the records that around 450 gallons of beer was consumed over her three-day visit,
0:19:19 > 0:19:24but if you remember that there was 109 members of staff at Shugborough at that time
0:19:24 > 0:19:27who were all having a gallon a day,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31then the actual amount consumed by the visitors was somewhat less.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33But still around 150 gallons of beer.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38150 gallons? I mean, they were only here for a few days. That's 1,200 pints!
0:19:40 > 0:19:45'They certainly enjoyed their beer, then. Funny to picture the Duchess of Kent downing a pint,
0:19:45 > 0:19:50'but if she did, it would've been a lighter ladies' beer, because it was brewed in different strengths,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54'the strongest for the Lords, less strong for the Ladies.'
0:19:54 > 0:19:56- Cheers!- BOTH: Cheers.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59'And they still brew it today.'
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Oh, it's a fair drop, that, isn't it?- Beautiful.- Not bad at all.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10'Back in the kitchen, our pheasant has been fried
0:20:10 > 0:20:16'and it's time to see if our chartreuse, which has been poaching for 40 minutes, has worked.'
0:20:16 > 0:20:22The big moment has arrived, because we've actually got to de-mould this monster here.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Now, the way we're going to do that is with a great deal of care.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Then I do a Tommy Cooper job.
0:20:31 > 0:20:37- And then we pray.- OK. - Cos this is very, very difficult.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Easy does it.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Just look at that.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49And it's the butter in the mould
0:20:49 > 0:20:53that enables us to get that off.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56That is beautiful!
0:20:56 > 0:21:02- Steam coming off it.- It's named after the Carthusian monks
0:21:02 > 0:21:06whose monasteries are known as charterhouses in France at Chartreuse
0:21:06 > 0:21:10and they were meant to be vegetarians but they often weren't.
0:21:10 > 0:21:16And usually, a chartreuse is a shell, a beautiful mosaic of vegetables on the outside,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19but often hidden inside are pigeons and sausages and things
0:21:19 > 0:21:24and it's a satire, really, on the fact that these monks broke their vegetarian vows,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26because the meat's all hidden inside.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30I never knew that. Fascinating!
0:21:30 > 0:21:33'Time to delve into our chestnut puree.'
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Taste that now. It should be delicious.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41- It's nicely seasoned. It's been cooked in the pheasant stock. - Absolutely delicious.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- Yeah. I'm now going to fill the centre.- Yes.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48And I'm going to very carefully build it up
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- into the shape of a turban.- Oh!
0:21:52 > 0:21:56It was a very, very common and popular form of presenting an entree.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03'Lovely though this recipe is, to our modern eyes,
0:22:03 > 0:22:09'I think it looks rather peculiar. But much like today, the food reflects society.
0:22:09 > 0:22:16'The Victorians were, after all, engineers and builders and their food was heavily engineered, too.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21'There's just one more thing left to do before we serve it to Lord Wonnacott upstairs.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29'Thanks. Victoria's host, Lord Lichfield, was a very jolly fellow by all accounts,
0:22:29 > 0:22:34'but he was also described by contemporaries as an extravagant and imprudent man.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37'A bit of a waster, then.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40'Hosting the princess and her mother cost a fair bit,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43'but a gambling habit cost him far more.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'In fact, ten years after Victoria's visit,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49'it cost him almost the entire estate.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54'And he created his very own gaming room for his addiction.'
0:22:55 > 0:23:00Ooh, hello. I bet the very young Victoria saw this building,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04but I bet nobody told her what went on in here!
0:23:04 > 0:23:08This is Shugborough's Tower Of The Winds.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13This pretty little tower was the earl's personal gambling den
0:23:13 > 0:23:17and he lost a large proportion of his fortune upstairs.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25Most of the gambling that went on here was cards.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29But it would've been the gee-gees that did the earl in.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33That and general over-expenditure and speculation.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36CHATTER
0:23:36 > 0:23:41But in 1841, the earl's lawyer, who was a bit of a bookie on the quiet,
0:23:41 > 0:23:49brought an action against him for £20,000, a stupendous amount of money,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53for the recovery of racing and gambling debts.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03'To pay off his debts, Lichfield had to sell the contents of Shugborough.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06'He hung onto the family silver and some portraits,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08'but everything else had to go.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11'He made almost a million pounds in today's money,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15'but the shame of it all sent him abroad.'
0:24:15 > 0:24:19So, just ten years after Victoria's visit,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23the place was mothballed and became silent.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29A small part of it was occupied by a gardener and his family
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and the earl headed off in his coach
0:24:33 > 0:24:38for a quieter and more economical life in France.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47'On the last night of her visit, the princess and the duchess enjoyed a dinner
0:24:47 > 0:24:50'and then a ball, where the young Victoria, dressed in pink satin,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53'danced under the watchful gaze of her mother.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58'She wrote in her diary, "At seven, we dined, and after dinner, we danced.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02"I danced three quadrille, first with Lord Anson,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06"then with Lord Paget and then with Lord Russell."
0:25:06 > 0:25:09'And we are to be served our fabulous pheasant dish
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'as she would've been in the very same dining room.'
0:25:12 > 0:25:16- Served?- We're going to be served. Gentlemen.- That's a turn up.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21- I fancy we've got the butler and the under-butler. - We certainly have.- Lovely!
0:25:21 > 0:25:23And what are they bringing us, Rosemary?
0:25:23 > 0:25:26This is fillets of pheasant a la chartreuse.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31- I'll tell you what really grabs me first off.- What? - The way these little baby vegetables
0:25:31 > 0:25:34have been so artistically arranged. Marvellous, isn't it?
0:25:34 > 0:25:38You have to have the patience of a saint.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- You need the patience of a saint and the income of a lord. - You certainly do.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47An awful lot of chat about this, Rosemary. I'd like to try a bit if I could.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53- This is going to be interesting, because there's definitely a process here.- Mm.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58The butler gives it to the under-butler. I'm learning something here.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Then the butler does the actual portion control.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06And His Lordship gets his two slabs.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11It does look jolly good, I have to say.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17- Everything's in season. Ooh, that... That...- Ohh!
0:26:18 > 0:26:21The chestnut in the juices!
0:26:21 > 0:26:23I say, they did live well, you know?
0:26:25 > 0:26:31As it's so incredibly romantic in this dining room, with the candle lit and everything,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- I've got a little treasure for you to have a look at.- What is this?- Ah!
0:26:35 > 0:26:40It's a little brooch for the youngest of the Lichfield children,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44that we've seen earlier in a portrait, so she'd have been about four,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48and Victoria was 13, and they played together.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53And when she left, Victoria presented Harriett with the emerald and diamond brooch.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57How lovely is that?
0:26:57 > 0:27:00- I've had quite a beery day. I've been off to the brew house. - How lovely!
0:27:00 > 0:27:06That's why we've got this. This is His Lordship's own, which is the strong ale
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- produced out of the Shugborough brewery.- Right.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14- And you've got a bit of m'lady's fancy there, which is not quite so strong.- Let's swap!
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- What?- Let's do a swap! I'll have the strong one!
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- To m'lords.- To m'lords and m'ladies.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23And just see how this goes down the hatch.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28- It's quite floral, isn't it?- It's very strong!- That's the strong one.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33Now, there's another beer connection in this room, because if you look up at that stucco on the ceiling,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37that 3-D effect in the 18th century was supposed to have come about
0:27:37 > 0:27:43partly because they used beer in the plaster mix so that it stuck better.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45- Really? - Not necessarily Shugborough beer.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Is that where they got the saying, "You're plastered"?
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- THEY LAUGH - It could be!
0:27:52 > 0:27:56HORSE SNORTS AND HOOVES CLATTER
0:27:56 > 0:27:59'Victoria and her mother left early the next morning
0:27:59 > 0:28:02'as her progress around the country continued.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06'This punishing schedule took its toll on the young princess,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11'but her mother was determined to keep her profile as high as possible.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18'Join us next time on Royal Upstairs Downstairs at Harewood House,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21'where three years later, she was still on the road,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25'being paraded around the country to meet the great and the good.'
0:28:27 > 0:28:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:31 > 0:28:35E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk
0:28:35 > 0:28:35.