The intention of this book is to explain the workings of the domestic quarters of houses using the National Trust properties as examples. It serves as a quest for establishing how English ancestors succeeded in keeping themselves clean, warm and well-fed. The author has visited over 100 houses, mostly owned by the National Trust, ranging from stately mansions to humble farmhouses. Her descriptions include unusual lore about the operation of mangles, the management of dovecoats and the workings of water closets, obtained from housecraft manuals, National Trust archives, contemporary diaries and novels and the reminiscences of those with first-hand experience of life "below stairs".