House Rules
A few understandings that keep the house for years to come
About House Rules
The studio house rules are the shared understandings that protect the house and its antique furnishings when Queen's Butler The Studio is used for filming, meetings, as a green room or for recording. A butler is always in the house; it is never let unattended.
The nine understandings to check before booking, at a glance
| Item | Rule | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance | A Queen's Butler butler is always in the house; unattended use is not possible | To protect the house and furnishings and support your use |
| Time | Entry, load-in, preparation, filming, clearing up and load-out all within the booked time | Preparation for the next guest and consideration for shared areas |
| Numbers | A maximum of six, including photographers and assistants | To keep safe movement within the house |
| Food and drink | You may bring your own. Meals are not provided | Placement confirmed in advance according to what you bring |
| Sound | Loud playback and voices restricted. Instruments and readings on consultation | Shared building |
| Furnishings | The butler confirms before anything is moved. Do not stand on the bed or tables. Open flame on prior consultation | Preservation of the antiques |
| Filming and publication | Content, scope of publication, commercial use and use of the butler's face or voice confirmed in advance | Likeness rights and the house's design |
| Costume | Hire available. Outings in costume with a butler and by permission | The dignity of the costume and the house |
| Smoking | Smoking arrangements confirmed before booking | Preservation of the house and furnishings |
| Keys | No keys are handed over. Guarding the door is also the butler's duty | The same applies to overnight stays |
We never leave the house unattended, for the sake of its standing.
Most hire spaces hand over a key and are used unattended. Ours is not. The butler receives you, brings tea, explains the handling of the furnishings and guards the door. In return, you may carry yourself as the lady of the house.
Where a butler's presence would be out of place, in a meeting or a recording, the butler waits outside the door. Ring the bell to call them.
Attended use does not mean the butler joining every conversation or piece of work, but being at a distance from which the handling of the house can be judged when needed. During filming the butler stays out of frame and out of earshot; while you change, they withdraw to a position that preserves your privacy; in meetings they wait outside the door for the moment to serve. The house is never left with only guests inside.
The butler's support
Before booking, tell us what you will film, what you will bring and what sound you will make
Content and scope of publication
We ask what you will film, whether people, products, video or a stream, and where it will be published. Where the butler's face or voice, or the design of the house, will be used commercially, the scope of consent is made clear before filming.
Read more
Equipment, costumes and food
Tell us what you will bring into the house: lighting, costume cases, documents, food and drink. Even if sizes and quantities are unclear, the butler works out what needs checking from the purpose and type.
Read more
Voice, music and speech
We ask the kind of sound and the scenes involved: interviews, streams, readings, instruments. Loud sounds and repeated speech are discussed in advance, and a way of proceeding that does not carry beyond the house is confirmed.
Read moreFrom arrival to the condition check, in what order are the rules confirmed?
Numbers and belongings checked at the door
The butler welcomes you and confirms that no more than six are entering the house and that what you bring matches what was agreed.
You are shown the spaces you will use
Where filming or the meeting will take place, where belongings go, and which furnishings may be touched and which may not be moved.
Sound and filming scope agreed
The scope of publication, scenes in which the butler appears, and scenes of speech or music are confirmed. During recording the butler withdraws out of earshot.
Food and drink placed separately
Meals are not provided. What you bring is set away from equipment, documents and the antique furnishings.
Scene changes made with the butler
Please ask before turning a chair or moving small items. Fixed furnishings are not moved; alternative compositions are suggested instead.
What may be filmed, and what needs prior permission
| Scene | Confirmed before booking | On the day |
|---|---|---|
| Your own commemorative photographs | Numbers, costume, the spaces you wish to use | The butler advises on handling the furnishings and on movement |
| Product and creative shoots | The subject, its size, where it will be published, commercial use | The butler checks before anything is placed directly on the furnishings |
| Video, interviews and streams | Sound, equipment, the extent to which the butler appears | The butler waits out of frame and out of earshot |
| The butler's hands or back | Composition, medium, scope of publication | Only the actions agreed in advance are performed |
| The butler's face or voice | Where published, commercial use, period of use | Checked so that the agreed scope is not exceeded |
| Leaving the house in costume | Purpose, place, time, content of the shoot | With a butler accompanying and within the permitted scope |
What may be done in the house
- Filming, meetings, green-room use and recording for up to six people
- Bringing your own food and drink. Meals are not provided
- Adjusting the angle of chairs and small items with the butler present
- Photographing people, products and works within the scope confirmed in advance
- Use of the butler's hands, back, face or voice within the consented scope
What cannot be accepted, to protect the furnishings
- Use without a butler in the house, or the handing over of keys
- More than six people entering
- Standing on the bed or tables, or moving fixed furnishings
- Open flame, hazardous materials or effects that risk soiling the furnishings without permission
- Publishing the butler's face or voice without prior consent, or commercial use beyond what was agreed
Before you touch an antique, the butler shows you how it is handled
Handling the furnishings is not merely a rule of not touching, but an understanding that lets them play their part in a scene while keeping them as they are. Tell the butler the composition you have in mind: sitting in a chair, holding a piece of silver, standing before the desk. Where you may touch and how to support the piece is shown on the spot.
The butler confirms one by one whether each piece, including the Bradley table and the bed, may be moved. Compositions that involve standing on a table or the bed, or placing heavy objects directly on the furnishings, cannot be accepted. Instead we look together for a way that keeps the mood of the house, changing where you stand, the angle, the opening of a door or the way a small item is held.
Food, drink, cosmetics and wet rainwear are kept away from wooden and fabric furnishings. Should anything spill or fall, please do not wipe or move it yourself, but tell the butler at once. To keep the house for years to come, we deal with it appropriately according to the circumstances.
See the furnishings of the house
Time, sound and what you bring are arranged with neighbours and the next guest in mind
Preparation and clearing up within the booked time
The schedule includes changing on arrival, setting up equipment, arranging food and drink, and load-out. As the end approaches the butler lets you know, and checks with you for anything left behind.
Read more
Share the kind of sound and any repeated scenes
We ask in advance about voices for interviews and streams, music, readings and instruments. Where sound may carry beyond the house, we may ask you to change the method or the schedule.
Read more
Keep what you bring away from the furnishings
You are welcome to bring your own food and drink. Tell us what before booking, and the butler confirms what can be served in the house's glasses and plates, and a place away from equipment and documents.
Read moreFull refund
- Cancellation more than 30 days before the date: full refund (except once the butler in charge has been confirmed and preparations begun)
- Cancellation by the house or force majeure: full refund
The fee is charged
- Cancellation 30 days or fewer before the date: the full fee is charged
- Cancellation of only some of the party
- Reductions for a change of use on the day
Examples of preparations begun
- Preparing the shoot, readying costumes, arranging load-in
QMay I bring drinks or light refreshments?
Yes, you are welcome to bring your own food and drink. Meals are not provided. Tell us what before booking, and the butler confirms what can be served in the house's glasses and plates, and where it may be placed.
QCan I use the house without a butler present?
The house is never let unattended. A Queen's Butler butler is always in the house. Where you would rather they were not present, in a meeting or a recording, they withdraw outside the door.
QMay I post the photographs I take on social media?
Even for commemorative photographs of yourself, please tell us in advance where they will be published and what was filmed. Where the butler's face or voice, or commercial use, is involved, the scope of consent is confirmed before filming. Publication beyond the agreed scope cannot be accepted.
QCan I extend my time on the day?
An extension on the day cannot be assumed. Please complete preparation, filming, clearing up and load-out within the booked time. If you foresee a change, consult the butler as soon as you know.
QCan seven or more people enter?
Use is for a maximum of six. Please count not only those being photographed but photographers, those handling costumes and assistants. The butler arranges everyone's movement.
QCan I move furniture for a shot?
Always ask the butler before moving anything. Whether a piece may be moved, including the Bradley table and the bed, is confirmed on the spot. Where it cannot, the butler suggests a different position or angle.
About using The Studio
- The manor is never let unattended. A butler is present for every booking, and keys are not handed over
- You are welcome to bring your own food and drink. We do not provide meals
- Please use the antique furnishings under the butler's guidance. The armour, hall clock, porcelain and silver are handled by the butler
- Please consult us in advance about loud sound or the use of naked flames
- Prices shown include tax
About late-night stays
- We do not hand over keys. In this manor, guarding the door is also the butler's duty
You may also wish to read
If anything is unclear, ask the butler.
The butler explains how the rules apply to your intended use. Please feel free to get in touch.