Join us for a talk exploring life behind the scenes on the Welbeck estate, presented by Social History Researcher Emilia Crawley.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an estate like Welbeck depended on a vast workforce – men and women employed in the Abbey, on the land, and everywhere in between. Their roles kept the estate running day to day. But what happened when disaster struck?
Many of these same workers served as Welbeck’s volunteer fire brigade, ready to put themselves in harm’s way to protect the place they lived and worked. On 5 October 1900, when fire tore through the Oxford Wing of Welbeck Abbey, they were called into action. Welbeck’s volunteer fire service stepped in to save the building, its valuables, and its inhabitants in a feat that could be classed as miraculous – were it not for the years of drills and practice that had gone before it.
Emilia Crawley
Emilia Crawley is a Sheffield native and an MA English Literature student at the University of Sheffield with a focus on 19th century gothic. She is currently on a work experience placement at Welbeck Abbey in the role of Social History Researcher on the Welbeck Names Database project.
