Below Stairs

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 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.

About the Author

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.