Arts & Culture

 
"Ah. Just the ticket. Nanny always said sweet tea was just the thing for frayed nerves." – Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by Dame Maggie Smith

I admit that I have gulped down the sweet tea that is the television series Downton Abbey, and I find it hard to believe that the teapot is almost empty and the time has come to say, "Farewell." Downton Abbey's sixth and final season will premiere in North America on January 3, 2016. The show has now been seen by over 120 million people worldwide, and  has appeared in more than 200 countries or regions.  Amongst its fans is a very famous one, a real royal duchess, who was delighted to visit, earlier this year, its downstairs Ealing Studios set.

In preparation for watching the final season, I enjoyed looking at Downton Abbey: A Celebration. It is a sumptuous overview of Downton Abbey, or Highclere Castle in real life, with its characters from upstairs, downstairs and beyond. I am especially looking forward to the upcoming nuptials of two of my favourite characters, the housekeeper Mrs. Hughes and the butler Carson. Actor Jim Carter's butler character has become so popular, he has generated a worldwide demand for butlers! Alastair Bruce, the historical advisor to Downton Abbey, is featured in the film, The Manners of Downton Abbey, a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the etiquette of the nobility, with interviews with leading cast members. Mirroring the upstairs, the downstairs household staff also had their own rules, but theirs were needed in order to discharge their duties correctly and with efficiency, thus ensuring the smooth running of the household.

Over the holiday season, while you are waiting for the start of season six of Downton Abbey, you could visit Spadina Museum, Toronto's very own Downton Abbey!  Spadina Museum is decorated until January 3, 2016 for "A Roaring Twenties Christmas."  After this special seasonal event ends, you can visit Spadina Museum for free, with a Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass. For a taste of England in the 1920s, the era in which season six is set, you might enjoy the memoirs of a 1920s kitchen maid, photos of London in the 1920s, as well as the fashions of the time.

Inevitably, season six will come to an end, and sweet tea and treats might be just the thing to allay any resulting frayed nerves!  Best-selling Victorian cookery writer Mrs. Beeton wrote a book of household management, which was an important guide for Downton Abbey's food stylist Lisa Heathcote. It might be fun to try some updated versions of Mrs. Beeton's recipes, as well as those used for the royal tea table, and at the London Ritz, and serve them on lovely china.

When the sixth season of Downton Abbey concludes, its creator Julian Fellowes is planning a prequel, The Gilded Age, about the courtship of Lord and Lady Grantham. Until that next cup of sweet tea, you might enjoy trying these: