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Leisure
A Butler's lot
"One day
I'm going to work there," eight-year-old Paul Burrell told
his family as they peered through the railings at Buckingham Palace.
The son of a lorry driver and cleaner from the tiny mining village
of Derbyshire, Burrell did indeed grow up to work for the royal
household, first as a footman to the Queen, and then as the trusted
butler to Diana, the Princess of Wales. By 1861, when
Mrs Beeton published her Book of Household Management, butlers and
servants had been a feature of even middle-class households for
several centuries. Indeed, in the 1660s the diarist Samuel Pepys
often noted his dismay over "Luce, our cookmayde". Extra
help in the home was then seen as the norm, although the quantity
and quality of the servants did depend on the status and wealth
of the family - even more so after 1777 when a tax on manservants
had been introduced. By Mrs Beeton's
day, families of noble birth could expect to employ up to 11 female
and 13 manservants, who divided personal and domestic chores between
them. At the top of the hierarchy - at least among the men - was
the butler, who was responsible for all the male staff, directing
operations in the dining room, supervising the cellar and kitchen,
employing the servants, and paying the domestic accounts. He could
expect to receive a salary of between 45 and 80 pounds a year, supplemented
by tips or "vails", as they were known, left by any visitor
who dined or stayed in the house, and bonuses from tradesmen keen
to maintain orders or contracts. It was not
an easy job. The butler was responsible for the smooth running of
the house yet he was subject to all the personal whims and prejudices
of his employers. "You must
rise airly in the morning which will make your whole business and
houshold accounts easie," Lady Grisell Baillie wrote in a starchy
memorandum to her butler in 1743. "Two bells are to be rung
for every meal... See that the back doors of the Porch be shut as
soon as the last bell rings for diner and super; that all the servants
that are to wate at table be ready in the room before we come." As a social
inferior, the butler did not dare criticize his master or mistress.
All suggestions had to be made as delicately as possible. Diplomacy
and discretion, patience and stamina were essential. At the other
end of the domestic hierarchy was the footman. He assisted the butler
in many of his duties and took on tasks considered too lowly for
the butler. "I want
a footman to work in the garden, lay the Cloath, wait at Table,
and go to car with Thomas when hee is ordered," wrote Mrs Purefoy
to her son in the 18th century, "or do any other business hee
is ordered to do, and not too large sized a man that hee may not
be too great a load for an horse when hee rides." Paul Burrell
arrived at Buckingham Palace as a junior footman in 1976, aged 19.
His job involved running errands and laying tables using a ruler
to ensure the knives and forks were set at the correct distance.
Within a year, he had become the Queen's personal footman, travelling
with her on royal visits and helping her with her pet dogs - a position
of great trust. "When
I helped the Queen feed her corgis, we'd be alone," he recalls.
"You could talk about anything." After Prince
Charles's wedding to Lady Diana Spencer, Burrell joined their household
at Highgrove as the Prince's butler. Like Lady Baillie's butler,
Paul Burrell's days were hard, starting at 7 a.m. when he was expected
to be on duty at the butler's pantry ready to be summoned, and ending
late into the evening when he could be found serving a nightcap
to Charles or videotaping a television programme for Diana. He soon
became indispensable, supporting his employers emotionally and occupying
that curious position of confidante while remaining socially inferior.
He witnessed the royal marriage disintegrate as Camilla Parker Bowles
would pull up in the driveway after Princess Diana had returned
to London with her sons. At other times, he greeted the Princess's
guests. Today, the International Guild of Professional Butlers estimates that there are about 100,000 butlers worldwide, managing palaces, private homes, ambassadors' residences, and the dining rooms of large corporations. Like his predecessor, the modern butler oversees and administers the household budget, prepares for guests, deals with contractors and other outside personnel, and plans special functions, such as dinner parties or receptions. Increasingly, like Paul Burrell, the 21st century butler also doubles as a trusted personal assistant, handling his or her (there are now female butlers) employer's correspondence, diary and travel arrangements. Hand-picked
silk sensations Once inside,
I soak in the calming landscape towards the right of the entrance.
An oldish pot with a slender bamboo structure resting across it,
surrounded by short tree stumps. The ground with sea sand, swept
neatly. The sight is a reminiscent of a picture, stolen from an
Asian landscapist's notebook. It's beautiful. Owner Thilani
Kandanearatchi recollects the five years prior to starting her clothes
shop. "It wasn't in my wildest dreams," she says. "But
I felt fashion was in me, I could always sew. When I had my baby
girl I used to sew all her clothes." "I wanted
to sell a mix of clothes, a mix of things. Children's clothes, ladies
clothes, handbags etc," Thilani explains as the reason for
the name. Mix-Up. On her way
to India, to buy fabric for her own designs sparked an idea of selling
sarees at Mix Up. "Since I have an eye for colour, I bought
a few sarees to see how they would sell." Today the collection
of clothes at Mix-Up has come a long way from the teenage collection
of Spice and Tomboy to concentrate mainly on her range of sarees,
for just about any occasion from weddings, to going aways and even
cocktails. The sarees are from all parts of India and Pakistan.
Flexibility in her range is evident as there is something here for
everybody and not just the elite. In recent times
Ms. Kandanearatchi has teamed up with Johann Pieris of Cutting Station,
and with his help she held her first sale last year in October at
Cutting Station. With places
that sell sarees dime a dozen, you have to wonder what is unique
about the choice here. I'm told that the collection comprises designer
sarees of high quality silks. Thilani personally sits through the
selection of each one, and with her frequent trips, four times a
year to be exact you can be sure your choice is among the latest
in fashion. Also the chance of another person possessing a duplicate
of your favourite is very small. "I'd like
to add a collection of shalwars in the future," said Thilani.
There's also Johann's hopes of opening a bridal boutique that caters
to both eastern and western. "I don't know if it will happen,"
she laughs. But wasn't this the same person who made a beginning
from just a spare room? When asked
to whom she attributes her success, she smiles, "God, my supportive
staff, my close friends who have been behind me and," with
a twinkle in her eye, "my daughter!" The best and
latest silk georgettes and mirror-worked sensations will be on show
when Mix-Up together with Johann Peiris holds a sale today and tomorrow,
Dec. 1 and 2 at Cutting Station, 49/1, Jawatta Road, Colombo 5 from
10.30 a.m. A fine selection of bead work, embroidery and kundan work on pure crepes, traditional pure silk and valkalams, the latest tie and dye sarees, shalwars and jewellery will be on sale. A new range of shalwars brought down for the Ramazan season will also be available.
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