It can appear as a 'golden age' - and one subject to much mythology

DR JOHN JACOB WOOLF ON THE LEGACY OF THE EDWARDIAN ERA

The Edwardian era evokes images of country houses, garden parties and croquet on the lawn; an era where the sun shone brightly as gentlemen and ladies in decorated picture hats sipped tea and nibbled on sandwiches. It is an era that has cascaded into our own through popular cultural productions such as My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins and Downton Abbey. It can appear as a 'golden age'; an age of warmth and cosiness and one subject to much mythology.