ENCOUNTERS

94 EXPLORE... Ancient House Museum, Thetford

WATCH

High society

The late 19th century was a time of huge change in the US, particularly in those areas of the country undergoing industrialisation. Output boomed and, for a few ambitious and lucky souls, there were fortunes to be made. It was also a time when, at least in the upper echelons of east-coast communities, established members of high society collided with those busy getting rich.

This era provides the backdrop for the nine-part drama The Gilded Age, from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and writer Sonja Warfield. The story begins in 1882, when young Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) moves from rural Pennsylvania to New York following the death of her father. She lives in the city with her old-money aunts Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon).

Marian gets caught up in a feud involving one of her aunts and her neighbours, robber-baron railroad tycoon George