Behind the Scenes Tour: Secrets of the Service Wing

As a chef, I know what it takes to put together a beautiful meal. It’s a lot of work, even with my six burner gas stove and oven, and my food processor and electric mixer. I can’t imagine how much work it took back in the days that the Phipps lived here! It’s our own local “Downton Abby”

Tickets for this tour include access to Westbury House and the gardens. All tickets are non-refundable. Ticket holders may arrive prior to their scheduled tour and stroll the gardens if they like.

For many years visitors to Westbury House asked what was beyond the first-floor corridor. Now they can go beyond the door and discover “secrets of the service wing.”

In this 60-minute guided tour you’ll be introduced to the intensive labor required to create the lifestyle experienced by the Phipps and their guests. You’ll tour the many rooms that were “behind the scenes” to create the formal dining experiences of the social peers of the Phippses in the early 20th century. You’ll go along the corridors to the butler’s pantry and silver cleaning room then descend the 17 steps to the kitchen, scullery, and wine storage rooms located on the ground floor.

This tour lasts a little over one hour and because of its physical demands, it is not recommended for individuals with limited mobility or children under 8 years of age. This tour requires descending a narrow staircase of 17 steps down to the ground floor/basement, so no person (including children and infants) may be lifted or carried throughout the tour.

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