Servants’ quarters

**Historical Evolution of Servants’ Quarters**
– Before the late 17th century, servants lived communally with their employers.
– Roger Pratt pioneered purpose-built servants’ areas.
– Baroque and Palladian architectural styles influenced servant accommodations.
– Servants’ quarters evolved from communal living to designated areas.
– New houses had grand corps de logis flanked by wings for staff.
– Servants’ areas strategically placed for privacy and separation.

**Servants’ Hierarchy and Social Standing**
– Servants in the late 17th century had higher social standing.
– The number of household staff decreased over time.
– Servants given designated areas for privacy.
– Reduction in staff numbers led to less ceremonial formality.
– Strict hierarchy among servants developed.
– Orders of precedence and deference became sacrosanct.

**Architectural Trends and Layout Changes**
– Ground floors dedicated to servants.
– Neoclassical houses lacked first-floor piano nobile.
– Desire for direct access from main rooms to landscape.
– Servants quarters often buried underground.
– Servants’ quarters designed with windows facing away from main areas.
– Servants’ quarters connected to main house via discreet small staircases.

**Disguising and Keeping Servants Invisible**
– Service wings hidden behind trees, shrubs, and banks.
– Minimal access between main house and servants’ wings.
– Efforts to keep servants invisible through tunnels and hidden passages.
– Servants confined to semi-basement or underground areas.
– Servants’ quarters designed to run efficiently and out of sight.

**20th Century Changes in Servants’ Quarters**
– Major decline in staff accommodation after World War I.
– Owners demolishing service wings in large mansions.
– Repurposing former servants’ domains in public houses.
– Retained staff living in purpose-built apartments.
– Decline in domestic use of staff accommodations.

Servants' quarters (Wikipedia)

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Servants' quarters are those parts of a building, traditionally in a private house, which contain the domestic offices and staff accommodation. From the late 17th century until the early 20th century, they were a common feature in many large houses. Sometimes they are an integral part of a smaller house—in the basements and attics, especially in a town house, while in larger houses they are often a purpose-built adjacent wing or block. In architectural descriptions and guidebooks of stately homes, the servants' quarters are frequently overlooked, yet they form an important piece of social history, often as interesting as the principal part of the house itself.