At Home with the Georgians

In this three part series, historian Amanda Vickery explores how the great British obsession with our homes began 300 years ago. Using the intimate diaries and letters of Georgian men and women, previously lost to history, she explores how the desire for a home revolutionised relationships between men and women.

Storyline

First Aired

2010-12-02
Last Aired

2010-12-16
Creator
Genre

Documentary
Seasons

1
Episodes

3
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

BBC Two

Keywords:

miniseries reenactment georgian 18th century

Stream and watch At Home with the Georgians

Season 1

1. A Man's Place

Amanda Vickery uncovers some surprising truths about the lives of spinsters and bachelors, about how t...More

Amanda Vickery uncovers some surprising truths about the lives of spinsters and bachelors, about how the home became crucial to the success or otherwise of a marriage, and perhaps the biggest surprise of all - that setting up home in the 18th century was not driven by women as you might expect, but by men. .Less

60mins 2010-12-02

2. A Woman's Touch

The British obsession with beautifying our homes is not a new phenomenon - it began with a vengeance i...More

The British obsession with beautifying our homes is not a new phenomenon - it began with a vengeance in the Georgian era. In this second programme of the series historian Amanda Vickery - on a journey from stately home to pauper's attic - reveals how 'taste' became the buzzword of the age 300 years ago and gave women a new outlet for their creativity, raising their status in the home as a consequence. But with it came new anxieties about getting it right.Less

60mins 2010-12-09

3. Safe as Houses

In this third part of the series about how the British obsession with our homes began 300 years ago, h...More

In this third part of the series about how the British obsession with our homes began 300 years ago, historian Amanda Vickery uses sources, from intimate diaries to Old Bailey records, to reveal how the 18th century home was constantly under threat from theft, fire, divorce, poverty, illness, old age and death. Georgian houses may seem like sanctuaries of calm elegance to us today, but at the time they were noisy chaotic places bursting with extended families, servants and lodgers and threatened by the lawlessness of Georgian streets. How did the Georgians make their houses havens of safety and security? How did the Englishman fight to make his home his castle?Less