Book description
Arriving at the great houses of 1920s London, fifteen-year-old
Margaret’s life in service was about to begin...
As a kitchen maid - the lowest of the low - she entered an entirely new
world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed,
mistresses to be appeased, and even bootlaces to be ironed. Work started
at 5. 30am and went on until after dark. It was a far cry from her
childhood on the beaches of Hove, where money and food were scarce, but
warmth and laughter never were.
Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids’
curlers, to raucous tea-dances with errand boys, to the heartbreaking
story of Agnes the pregnant under-parlourmaid, fired for being seduced
by her mistress’s nephew, Margaret’s tales of her time in service are
told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her
situation. Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and
servants, Below Stairs
is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman, who, though her
position was lowly, never stopped aiming high.
'Enormous gusto, salty humour, wisdom' Evening Standard
'Shrewd, unabashed, wickedly funny, a unique front-line report of her
life's experiences' Jack De Manio, BBC Margaret Powell was born in
1907 in Hove. Aged fifteen, she went into service as a kitchen maid,
eventually progressing to the position of cook. In 1968 the first volume
of her memoirs, Below Stairs
, was published to instant success. She died in 1984.
