Brief Guide To... Timed to coincide with the release of the third and final series of the award-winning Downton Abbey, which has attracted audiences of more than 10 million viewers. This Brief Guidecelebrates the Victorian and Edwardian eras that marked the golden age of the English countryhouse: a time when opulence and formality attained a level that would never be matched again. Author Michael Paterson skillfully and entertainingly explores the myths and realities of thisvanished world, both upstairs and down.