Great house facts for kids

Great house in Bristol.

A great house is a very large home, often with many rooms. These big houses usually had several people who lived there and worked to help run the house. They were called domestic workers. Over time, especially in the 1800s and 1900s, the number of great houses and the number of live-in domestic workers in many parts of the world, like Europe and America, became much smaller.

Great Houses: Big Homes with History

Great houses were once common in many countries. They were often owned by wealthy families or important people. These homes were not just big; they were also centers of social life and sometimes even local power.

What Made a House "Great"?

What made a house "great" was its size and the way it was run.

• Size: Great houses were much larger than typical homes. They often had many bedrooms, reception rooms, dining halls, and kitchens.
• Staff: A key feature was the number of domestic workers. These were people who helped with cooking, cleaning, gardening, and childcare. Many of these workers lived in the house too.
• Importance: These homes were often symbols of wealth and status. They were used for entertaining guests, holding parties, and managing large estates or businesses.

Life in a Great House

Life in a great house was very different for the owners compared to the staff.

• Owners: The families who owned great houses lived a life of comfort. They often had many servants to take care of their needs. Their days might involve social events, managing their lands, or pursuing hobbies.
• Domestic Workers: These workers had specific jobs. A cook prepared meals, housemaids cleaned, and gardeners looked after the grounds. They worked long hours and often lived in smaller rooms within the house, separate from the family's living areas.

Why Great Houses Changed

Over the 19th and 20th centuries (the 1800s and 1900s), many things changed, leading to fewer great houses and fewer domestic workers.

• Economic Shifts: It became much more expensive to maintain such large homes and pay many staff members. Taxes increased, and fortunes sometimes decreased.
• Social Changes: Society changed, and the idea of having many live-in servants became less common. More people found work in factories or offices, and fewer wanted to work in domestic service.
• Wars: World Wars in the 20th century also played a role. Many young men and women who might have worked in great houses went to fight or took on other jobs. After the wars, society was different, and the old ways of life in great houses often didn't return.

Today, many former great houses have been turned into museums, hotels, or schools. Some are still private homes, but they are often managed with much smaller staff than in the past. They stand as reminders of a different time in history.

Images for kids

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  Longleat House, Wiltshire, home of the Marquesses of Bath

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  Rose Hall Great House, Jamaica