Letter from Countess Walburga Ehrengarde Helena Paget to Alice Southwell Pettigrew, 29th August 1929

[Address from envelope]

Mrs Pettigrew
St Fagans Gardens
Cardiff

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Unlawater 29-8-29-

Mrs Pettigrew

I hope to go to St Fagans as soon as Ld. & Lady Plymouth go there but I want to ask you if I could get a good garden boy or young man from somewhere in your neighbourhood. I have a man (a splendid worker) but I must let him go as he does not understand flowers, which to me is all important! My head gardener is too busy with fruit vegetables & the rest to be always looking after him. I want to find him a place where he can learn

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more & I can recommend him as the best & most quick worker I have ever had - but he is not interested in flowers. The man I have now lives in a room next to the garages - he has his food in the house & pays for it £1 a week to the Cook. He has £2 a week & I give him & all my servants tickets for whatever amusements are going. Balls, concerts, races, whist drives, etc. etc. Also they get nice Xmas presents. Their food is excellent. Holiday [is] as usual & free from 1st Saturday to Sunday night. - I give these details in case there

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was somebody to suit.

I have been so busy all this summer that I never could ask Agnes [Agnes Allan Pettigrew?] to come over & all this month I have had the painters in the house. Theodoric is as darling as ever and dear --------- also, but he is getting rather old & heavy, however he is very happy with my little Clio, ----'s sister, they love each other. All the children have been over from ----- this summer they are getting so big. I hope you are all flourishing.

Best wishes

W Paget

(Doc Ref: 2008.039)