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Cruxton Abbey

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With my usual level of focus, I am behind in writing a Cruxton Abbey story. That said, one of my distractions has been working up a couple of manip illustrations or vignettes, which might ultimately serve as illustrations. But why wait until I actually get around to writing again, when I can let you have a look at one of the old photos of the Cruxton Abbey of the 1920s?

Here we have a photo, only recently discovered in the back of an old book in the library, which definitely shows Lady Elspeth Wragg (one of the female Wragg forebears) inspecting the staff, and introducing a new girl. Certainly a rare glimpse of the past that shows the care and involvement of Lady Wragg in managing the estate.
NewSlaveGirl-1b.jpg
 
Jollyrei said:
With my usual level of focus, I am behind in writing a Cruxton Abbey story. That said, one of my distractions has been working up a couple of manip illustrations or vignettes, which might ultimately serve as illustrations. But why wait until I actually get around to writing again, when I can let you have a look at one of the old photos of the Cruxton Abbey of the 1920s?

Here we have a photo, only recently discovered in the back of an old book in the library, which definitely shows Lady Elspeth Wragg (one of the female Wragg forebears) inspecting the staff, and introducing a new girl. Certainly a rare glimpse of the past that shows the care and involvement of Lady Wragg in managing the estate.
View attachment 1431933
Click to expand...
Lord Wragg cares, and is deeply involved with the girls as well... ;)
 
Jollyrei said:
With my usual level of focus, I am behind in writing a Cruxton Abbey story. That said, one of my distractions has been working up a couple of manip illustrations or vignettes, which might ultimately serve as illustrations. But why wait until I actually get around to writing again, when I can let you have a look at one of the old photos of the Cruxton Abbey of the 1920s?

Here we have a photo, only recently discovered in the back of an old book in the library, which definitely shows Lady Elspeth Wragg (one of the female Wragg forebears) inspecting the staff, and introducing a new girl. Certainly a rare glimpse of the past that shows the care and involvement of Lady Wragg in managing the estate.
View attachment 1431933
Click to expand...

If only the British Upper Classes had all been of the calibre of Lady Elspeth! As it was, instead of environmentally-friendly naked slavegirls, they started using house-exploding, suicide-aiding, atmosphere-polluting, global-warming fossil fuels! :rolleyes: :mad:

1707923878448.png
 
Eulalia said:
If only the British Upper Classes had all been of the calibre of Lady Elspeth! As it was, instead of environmentally-friendly naked slavegirls, they started using house-exploding, suicide-aiding, atmosphere-polluting, global-warming fossil fuels! :rolleyes: :mad:

View attachment 1432105
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However, the advertising makes sense!:deal:
As you can see :

Wragg said:
Lord Wragg cares, and is deeply involved with the girls as well... ;)
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Using gas for cooking and heating in the kitchens of Cruxton Abbey, made the female staff more available to have taken care of by Lord Wragg. This involvement resulted into a higher job satisfaction, making the female staff members more eager to stay in the service of His Lordship!:roto2nuse:
 
Jollyrei said:
Here we have a photo, only recently discovered in the back of an old book in the library, which definitely shows Lady Elspeth Wragg (one of the female Wragg forebears) inspecting the staff, and introducing a new girl. Certainly a rare glimpse of the past that shows the care and involvement of Lady Wragg in managing the estate.
NewSlaveGirl-1b.jpg
Click to expand...
The old photographs of Cruxton reveal so much about life at the Abbey, one hundred years ago. Whilst some things have changed, the naked slave girls would be a familiar sight to visitors as recently as last year, the present Lady Wragg having insisted on the introduction of uniforms for the maids only since last November.

More striking is the contrast provided by Lady Elspeth's attire.The Flapper fashion was considered thoroughly modern in the 1920s, and distinctly racy in comparison to her modern counterpart's penchant for Edwardian gowns. Of course, there is much about Cruxton which is timeless, and it would not be surprising if her Ladyship's wardrobe contains a cloche hat and a risque frock for flashing her ankles!

Jolly is now an established authority on Cruxton archive material, having presented a number of historic photographs in this thread. His attention to detail ensures consistent lighting and texture, as well as some authentic signs of overexposure at the edges of the print. The use of film grain is restrained and the character interaction between the shackled new girl and the maids on parade is most effective.

Staff inspections have become less frequent, although a resurgence is anticipated in the form of uniform inspections. The 1920s domestics stand obediently in a tight little group. Their poses and physical features are quite similar, although the presence of the Indian girls draws attention to ethnic variety. The servants' entrance remains unchanged, as we can see from Jolly's calendar illustration of Sheri, from 2022. Nice work, Jolly! :)

CruxtonAbbey09b1 Jollyrei.jpg​
 
Civil Defense Training
Cruxton Abbey is no different than any other opulent manor house filled with naked serving girls in England - civil defense was an important part of ensuring home security and readiness in case of invasion, and Lord and Lady Wragg supported this effort. Indeed, Lady Elspeth took this responsibility personally to heart. Her Ladyship's management skills and forceful nature have previously been commented on, so it should be no surprise that she personally supervised the training of the serving girls in learning martial arts. Here we see her training two girls in the art of Japanese sword fighting (presumably in case of a Japanese invasion from Cockplay, Northumberland).

SwordTraining2.jpg

"Elspeth, darling, what are you doing?"
"I'm teaching the girls how to defend the Abbey in case of trouble. There is a war on, you know, Reginald."
"Ellie, I would never dream of opposing your management of the household defenses, but there is a whole expanse of grounds outdoors. You can see it through those windows. This is a library."
"It is indeed, Reggie dear. Perfect place for the girls to learn and better themselves."
"And the whip?"
"In case they don't better themselves fast enough, of course."

Clearly it was people like Lady Elspeth who so aptly demonstrated that plucky English fortitude in the face of adversity (if not exactly complete practicality).
 
Jollyrei said:
Civil Defense Training
Cruxton Abbey is no different than any other opulent manor house filled with naked serving girls in England - civil defense was an important part of ensuring home security and readiness in case of invasion, and Lord and Lady Wragg supported this effort. Indeed, Lady Elspeth took this responsibility personally to heart. Her Ladyship's management skills and forceful nature have previously been commented on, so it should be no surprise that she personally supervised the training of the serving girls in learning martial arts. Here we see her training two girls in the art of Japanese sword fighting (presumably in case of a Japanese invasion from Cockplay, Northumberland).

View attachment 1437492

"Elspeth, darling, what are you doing?"
"I'm teaching the girls how to defend the Abbey in case of trouble. There is a war on, you know, Reginald."
"Ellie, I would never dream of opposing your management of the household defenses, but there is a whole expanse of grounds outdoors. You can see it through those windows. This is a library."
"It is indeed, Reggie dear. Perfect place for the girls to learn and better themselves."
"And the whip?"
"In case they don't better themselves fast enough, of course."

Clearly it was people like Lady Elspeth who so aptly demonstrated that plucky English fortitude in the face of adversity (if not exactly complete practicality).
Click to expand...
The Earl takes a fair bit of flak, but, Gentle Reader, I swear that the female of the species is far deadlier than the male... :eek: :doh:
 
Jollyrei said:
Here we see her training two girls in the art of Japanese sword fighting (presumably in case of a Japanese invasion from Cockplay, Northumberland).
Click to expand...
It is tactically sound. Whoever invades Cruxton Abbey will not expect to face Japanese sword fighting! :bash:
The next lesson is Japanese bondage, I assume? :cool:
It is of course questionable whether a library is the appropriate place to teach sword fighting. Users of a library expect silence in the room!:nono:
 
Jollyrei said:
Civil Defense Training
Cruxton Abbey is no different than any other opulent manor house filled with naked serving girls in England - civil defense was an important part of ensuring home security and readiness in case of invasion, and Lord and Lady Wragg supported this effort. Indeed, Lady Elspeth took this responsibility personally to heart. Her Ladyship's management skills and forceful nature have previously been commented on, so it should be no surprise that she personally supervised the training of the serving girls in learning martial arts. Here we see her training two girls in the art of Japanese sword fighting (presumably in case of a Japanese invasion from Cockplay, Northumberland).

View attachment 1437492

"Elspeth, darling, what are you doing?"
"I'm teaching the girls how to defend the Abbey in case of trouble. There is a war on, you know, Reginald."
"Ellie, I would never dream of opposing your management of the household defenses, but there is a whole expanse of grounds outdoors. You can see it through those windows. This is a library."
"It is indeed, Reggie dear. Perfect place for the girls to learn and better themselves."
"And the whip?"
"In case they don't better themselves fast enough, of course."

Clearly it was people like Lady Elspeth who so aptly demonstrated that plucky English fortitude in the face of adversity (if not exactly complete practicality).
Click to expand...
And, had the Germans gone ahead with Operation Sealion and gotten as far as Cruxton (where exactly is Cruxton? Kent? Yorkshire? The Midlands? Northumbria? Barsetshire? ) they would have been confronted by naked serving girls armed with katanas. At least the girls would have had the element of surprise.
 
Loxuru said:
It is tactically sound. Whoever invades Cruxton Abbey will not expect to face Japanese sword fighting! :bash:
The next lesson is Japanese bondage, I assume? :cool:
It is of course questionable whether a library is the appropriate place to teach sword fighting. Users of a library expect silence in the room!:nono:
Click to expand...
I would suspect the bondage to be practiced with the help of the four posters in the private chambers or in the specialized chambers beneath?
 
Eulalia said:
it's near the end of Britain's long-promised High Speed Rail line - in the middle of nowhere.
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From Eul's viewpoint : "somewhere over Hadrian's wall"!:coti:

Naraku said:
And, had the Germans gone ahead with Operation Sealion and gotten as far as Cruxton (where exactly is Cruxton? Kent? Yorkshire? The Midlands? Northumbria? Barsetshire? ) they would have been confronted by naked serving girls armed with katanas. At least the girls would have had the element of surprise.
Click to expand...
Not to mention the ambushes with bottles of Riesling, turned into devastating molotov cocktails (better than letting fall the stock into the hands of the Wehrmacht). :confused:
 
Jollyrei said:
Civil Defense Training
Cruxton Abbey is no different than any other opulent manor house filled with naked serving girls in England - civil defense was an important part of ensuring home security and readiness in case of invasion, and Lord and Lady Wragg supported this effort. Indeed, Lady Elspeth took this responsibility personally to heart. Her Ladyship's management skills and forceful nature have previously been commented on, so it should be no surprise that she personally supervised the training of the serving girls in learning martial arts. Here we see her training two girls in the art of Japanese sword fighting (presumably in case of a Japanese invasion from Cockplay, Northumberland).

SwordTraining2.jpg

"Elspeth, darling, what are you doing?"
"I'm teaching the girls how to defend the Abbey in case of trouble. There is a war on, you know, Reginald."
"Ellie, I would never dream of opposing your management of the household defenses, but there is a whole expanse of grounds outdoors. You can see it through those windows. This is a library."
"It is indeed, Reggie dear. Perfect place for the girls to learn and better themselves."
"And the whip?"
"In case they don't better themselves fast enough, of course."

Clearly it was people like Lady Elspeth who so aptly demonstrated that plucky English fortitude in the face of adversity (if not exactly complete practicality).
Click to expand...
This dramatic composition succeeds through careful consideration being given to figure scale, lighting and character interaction. Lady Wragg's shadow has been carefully applied to the carpet with the same density and direction as the existing shadows. She is effectively framed by the swords in a dynamic guard of honour whilst Lord Wragg gesticulates in vain behind her. Nice work, Jolly!

The theme is also consistent with a previous post in this thread about the Home Guard platoon stationed at the Abbey, during the 1940s. But the main difference here is in the art of swordsmanship, which is perhaps not so much Civil Defence as polite fencing. Lady Wragg is instructing the girls to be more aggressive, but the precedent for training with Samurai swords at Cruxton was set (outdoors) in the closing scene of Jollyrei's story, 'The Old Firm'. :)

 
bobinder said:
but the precedent for training with Samurai swords at Cruxton was set (outdoors) in the closing scene of Jollyrei's story, 'The Old Firm'.
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Hah! I'd forgotten about that (and I wrote the thing). :oops::doh::D
Well remembered, Bob, and definitely worth revisiting your own image of you (as Sir Robert) training Courtney (or so Bob tells me) in the snow.
 
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bobinder said:
This dramatic composition succeeds through careful consideration being given to figure scale, lighting and character interaction. Lady Wragg's shadow has been carefully applied to the carpet with the same density and direction as the existing shadows. She is effectively framed by the swords in a dynamic guard of honour whilst Lord Wragg gesticulates in vain behind her. Nice work, Jolly!

The theme is also consistent with a previous post in this thread about the Home Guard platoon stationed at the Abbey, during the 1940s. But the main difference here is in the art of swordsmanship, which is perhaps not so much Civil Defence as polite fencing. Lady Wragg is instructing the girls to be more aggressive, but the precedent for training with Samurai swords at Cruxton was set (outdoors) in the closing scene of Jollyrei's story, 'The Old Firm'. :)

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Jollyrei said:
We all know it's somewhere in England, but you can only actually arrive there if you're wanted there. ;) That's why Barb, Eul and Messa can generally get there any time they want (and sometimes when they don't). ;) It's one of those places.
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Which is why Lord Wragg wanders aimlessly around England.

Any time he gets to Cruxton Abbey he's seen off by samurai wielding gels trained by her Ladyship :(
 
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