A Country House Weekend...

Above: The Legendary Bloomsbury Group at a Country House Party

This weekend we are having some house guests, who are tres au fait with how to be civilised, and it is our pleasure to return their most generous hospitality. But it did put me in mind of an article I read recently in a book I was given - Debrett's Guide for the Modern Gentleman. It was about some of the grave solecisms that urban guests could commit on their going down to the country for the weekend...

As Reggie Darling reminds us, guests have a certain obligation to sing for their supper too. And a bad house guest who puts a damper on the weekend's party is most unlikely to invited back. Here are some crimes to commit should you wish never to be allowed under your host's roof again...

It does seem a shame that many people lack a rudimentary grasp of social etiquette, grace, politeness and, well, just generally being 'a sound chap'. One must remember that One's manners should not be dictated by One's mood. "Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage" - Theodore Roosevelt.

Above 3 images from Debrett's Guide for the Modern Gentleman