White-gloved hands offering a pocket watch in its box

The Footman — Programme VII

The Footman Keepsake

Three hours of memory, held in the hand.

Queen's Butler — Definition

About The Footman Keepsake

The keepsake is one item, such as a pocket watch, presented by the butler at the close of The Footman — Apprentice Butler Experience. It is included in the rate, and serves as a token by which to recall the deportment, the formal dress and the hours spent in the Manor. Receiving it with both hands and exchanging a bow form the closing moment of the experience.

The memory of the experience is bound into one object you can holdA keepsake of service

Meaning

Why is a keepsake presented at the close of the experience?

The keepsake is an object that, even after you have left the Manor, returns you to the time you spent as an apprentice butler. The weight of the morning coat, the care taken in touching silver with white gloves, the quiet pause left after a bow: so that each may come back to you whenever you take it in hand, the butler presents it at the close of the experience.

One item, such as a pocket watch, is prepared for you. The keepsake is included in the rate, and its presentation by the butler is part of the day's flow. Please accept the object that remains in your hand as a token by which to recall the posture, the bow, the serving and the commemorative photograph.

The moment of presentation is itself part of the experience. The butler steadies the item, turns it towards you with both hands, bows and offers it. If you, too, do not reach out hastily with one hand but watch the other's hands and receive it with both, the scene remains composed to the very end.

See the flow of the day

In the Dining Room, five apprentices of all ages in morning coats practise bowing after the butler

Keepsake facts

About the keepsake

Number presented	One item, such as a pocket watch.
Relation to the rate	Included in the three-hour Footman experience at ¥49,800 (tax included) per person.
Who presents it	The butler accompanying your experience presents it at the close.
How to receive it	Watching the item and the other's hands, receive it quietly with both hands.
Its place	A token by which to recall the deportment, the formal dress and the hours in the Manor.
The item	One item, such as a pocket watch, is presented.

Memories

Which scenes might one object bring back?

A butler adjusting the collar of a morning coat

Deportment

The first moment of a straightened back

The scene, after the outfit was settled, in which the butler checked you from feet to gaze. Holding the keepsake, you may recall the sense of standing quietly without strain.

In the Dining Room, a woman apprentice in her sixties pours tea from a silver pot with the butler's hand guiding hers

Bow

The pause left after the bow

A bow is not only the lowering of the head: it is complete only when you rise and look at the other. The presentation of the keepsake holds the same pause, and the deportment you have learnt carries into the final scene.

Silver

The care of handling in white gloves

The weight, the placing and the attention to sound learnt in holding silver apply to any object. In receiving the keepsake, too, bringing both hands and the gaze together produces composure.

In the Fireplace Room, a male apprentice in his seventies carries tea on a silver tray while a young woman apprentice sits in the role of the lady of the house

Farewell

The last bow exchanged at the door

The butler accompanies you until, changed and carrying the keepsake, you walk to the door. A bow exchanged while recalling the day's deportment quietly closes your experience in the Manor.

Handing flow

How is the keepsake received?

In the Dining Room, a family of grandmother, father, mother and daughter pose in morning coats for a commemorative photograph

Wait for the butler's guidance

Following the course of the experience, the butler guides you to the moment of presentation. Please do not move hastily; wait for a word on where to stand.

Settle posture and hands

Bring the feet together, relax the shoulders and free both hands. The butler quietly checks the white gloves and the fit of the outfit.

Watch as the item is offered

The butler steadies the item and offers it with both hands. Watch not only the item but the other's movement, and match the moment of receiving.

Receive with both hands

Do not draw it in with one hand; support it with both and feel its weight. Once received, do not hurriedly turn it, but steady it for a moment at the chest.

Reply with a bow

Once received, return your gaze to the other and reply with the bow you have learnt. Not hurrying words and bow together, but doing each in turn, gives a graceful finish.

Gift

What should I tell you when giving the experience as a gift?

Applying as a gift means giving to someone dear not the keepsake alone, but the three hours themselves of wearing butler's livery and learning its deportment. As the outfit is prepared in advance, the first point is whether you can confirm the recipient's height, build and shoe size.

Please tell us your preferred date and time, the number of people and the recipient's size details when you enquire. As outfit sizes and styles are limited, things go more smoothly if you give priority to preparations that let the recipient wear the outfit with confidence, rather than withholding details for the sake of surprise.

The keepsake — one item, such as a pocket watch — is presented at the close of the experience. When applied for as a gift, too, we take care over the moment in which the butler offers it with both hands and exchanges a bow with the recipient. Please see the dedicated guide for how to apply and how the day proceeds.

See how to give The Footman as a gift

A gift scene, an item passed with both hands

In the Study, the butler shows a woman apprentice in her fifties the posture for writing a letter with a fountain pen

After the experience

What might you recall once you have received it?

The outfit	The scene of putting on the morning coat in order: the front button, the waistcoat, the tie and the white gloves.
Posture	A stance in which the feet, shoulders and gaze were settled in turn, rather than the back alone held stiff.
The bow	The sequence of looking at the other, lowering the head, leaving a pause and returning the gaze.
Making tea	The scene of handling the teapot and the three-tier stand, with attention to the hands and to the other.
Silverware and serving	The scene of handling silver, tray and glasses in white gloves, and offering them without a sound.
The photograph	The time in which your formal dress and the deportment you had learnt were kept in a photograph, together with a scene of the Manor.

QWhat keepsake will I receive?

One item, such as a pocket watch. Please accept it from the butler as a token by which to recall the deportment and formal dress you experienced.

QIs the keepsake included in the rate?

Yes. It is included in the three-hour rate of ¥49,800 (tax included) per person, and is presented by the butler at the close of the experience. There is no separate charge for the keepsake.

QHow many keepsakes will I receive?

The basic three-hour plan for one person includes one item, such as a pocket watch, presented by the butler at the close of the experience.

QWhen do I receive the keepsake?

The butler presents it at the close of the experience. After receiving it with both hands and exchanging a bow, you proceed, with the butler's guidance, to change and depart.

QCan I apply for it as a gift?

We are happy to discuss giving The Footman itself as a gift. Please tell us the recipient's height, build and shoe size, together with your preferred date and time and the number of people. As the outfit must be confirmed, it is reassuring to have the recipient's size details ready first.

QIs there any difficult etiquette in receiving it?

There are no difficult rules to learn. The butler guides you through watching the item offered, receiving it with both hands, returning your gaze to the other and bowing. Take each movement without haste, following the butler's word.