Life Below Stairs

Life Below Stairs PDF Author: Alison Maloney
Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books
ISBN: 1843177811
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
Looking at the lives of servants from the scullery maid to the butler, bestselling author Alison Maloney presents a vibrant account of a way of life from a bygone era.

Life Below Stairs

Life Below Stairs PDF Author: Alison Maloney
Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books
ISBN: 1843177811
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
Looking at the lives of servants from the scullery maid to the butler, bestselling author Alison Maloney presents a vibrant account of a way of life from a bygone era.

The Victorian Country House

The Victorian Country House PDF Author: Mark Girouard
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780300034721
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 467

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Book Description
A study of Britain's great nineteenth-century houses examines their architects, and the social, technological, and economic conditions that made the massive structures possible

Life Below Stairs (2015 edition)

Life Below Stairs (2015 edition) PDF Author: Siân Evans
Publisher: National Trust
ISBN: 9781909881648
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The largely untold stories of innumerable, rather humble, lives spent 'in service' are lying just below the surface of many great houses; the physical evidence can be seen in surviving servants' quarters, the material of their everyday life, even their uniforms and possessions. This account provides a fascinating glimpse at who's who behind the scenes, from the cook, butler and housekeeper to the footmen, lady's maids, governesses and tutors, nannies and nursemaids. Giving a fascinating insight into the heirarchy within the servant's quarters – from the power-wielding cook to the ever-discreet butler – this guide describes how relationships were forged and changed as the gap between upstairs and downstairs was bridged. Describing their typical working day as well as the holidays, entertainments and pastimes enjoyed on a rare day off, not to mention the whirl of the social season, this previously 'unwritten history' recalls vividly the nature of their lives below stairs.

Below Stairs

Below Stairs PDF Author: Margaret Powell
Publisher: Pan
ISBN: 1743038801
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
A compelling and colourful memoir that takes the reader inside the forgotten world of domestic service. 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. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, 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.

Life in the Victorian Country House

Life in the Victorian Country House PDF Author: Pamela Horn
Publisher: Shire Publications
ISBN: 9780747807506
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Country houses formed a distinct community and power base within the broader Victorian countryside. This book shows how landed families' day-to-day existence depended on the skills of the indoor servants who provided their meals and ministered to their general comfort, and the outdoor staff who contributed to their leisure and sporting pursuits. It considers the relationship - and the divisions - between those living 'above stairs' and and the carefully considered hierarchy of domestics who met their needs 'below stairs'. Also considered are the wider social activities of the two groups who, while living under the same roof, experienced a very different daily round. That applied to preparations for the holding of house parties and the running of sporting events, as well as the important social influence exerted by the London 'Season'.

Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern Times

Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern Times PDF Author: Lucy Lethbridge
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393241092
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
"A compassionate and discerning exploration of the complex relationship between the server, the served, and the world they lived in, Servants opens a window onto British society from the Edwardian period to the present."--www.Amazon.com.

Servants' Stories

Servants' Stories PDF Author: Michelle Higgs
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
ISBN: 9781473822245
Category : Household employees
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Step into the world of domestic service and discover what life was really like for these unsung heroines (and heroes) of society. Between 1800 and 1950, the role of servants changed dramatically but they remained the people without whom the upper and middle classes could not function. Through oral histories, diaries, newspaper reports and never before seen testimonies, domestic servants tell their stories, warts and all - Downton it isn't! * Revenge on a mistress with a box of beetles * The despair and loneliness of a 14 year old maid * The adventure of moving to London to go into service * An escape from an unhappy home life Find out about the 'servant problem' and how servants found work; how National Insurance began to improve their lot; the impact WW1 had on domestic service; and what was done to try to make the occupation appealing to a new generation. Praise for Michelle Higgs 'A delightful layman's guide for tourists from 2014, where you'll glean plenty of juicy detail to paint a more accurate picture of your ancestors' lives.' Family Tree (for A Visitor's Guide to Victorian England) 'An enjoyable and well-written social history, helpfully revealing more about what life would have been like 'below stairs'. Who Do You Think You Are? (for Tracing Your Servant Ancestors) 'Daily life is recounted with both historical detail and sympathy, aided by numerous first-person accounts.' Your Family Tree (for Life in the Victorian and Edwardian Workhouse) 'A lively text which should do much to open up the world of the Victorian prison to the general reader.' Who Do You Think You Are? (for Prison Life in Victorian England)

The English Country House Party

The English Country House Party PDF Author: Phyllida Barstow
Publisher: Sutton Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
During the golden age of English country house entertaining, from the death of Prince Albert in 1861 to the outbreak of World War I, invitations passed back and forth among members of the aristocracy. Barstow brings to life the personalities and lifestyles of a vanished age in this carefully researched and illustrated study. International royalty and the political figures of the day also feature, none more memorably than the Shah of Persia, who offered to buy the Marchioness of Londonderry and advised the Prince of Wales to execute the Duke of Sutherland when he became king. The text reveals the social and political importance of the house party and also describes the role of the country house in its local and national setting. The decline of country house living after World War I and the beginnings of the National Trust and other efforts to save for the nation these former playgrounds of the elite form the concluding chapters.

The Victorian Domestic Servant

The Victorian Domestic Servant PDF Author: Trevor May
Publisher: Shire Publications
ISBN: 9780747803683
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
In 1851 there were over one million servants in Britain, making domestic service the second-largest source of emplyment after agriculture. The range of people who kept servants was vast, from aristocrats to the lower middle class families who employed a single 'maid of all work'. Trevor May explains teh great range of jobs available in domestic service-from the humble maids who were expected to clean their employers' rooms without being seen, to the formal, liveried footmen, who were very well paid, especially if they were tall. Many branches of domestic service in the nineteenth century are outlined, and descriptions of the working conditions of the servants give an insight into the strict social hierarchy, which was a strong 'below stairs' as it was above.

Comfort, Pleasure and Prestige

Comfort, Pleasure and Prestige PDF Author: Alan Wilson
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1785892517
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Comfort, Pleasure and Prestige describes the ways in which the Welsh gentry used domestic technology to ensure that their country-house lifestyle was as comfortable as possible. While the focus of the book is unashamedly about the technology of country houses, in order to explain why some technologies were adopted while others were not, domestic technology is placed squarely in its social and historical context. Although the Welsh gentry’s fortunes fluctuated wildly between 1750 and 1930, throughout that period they continued to pursue a quite hedonistic lifestyle in the relative opulence of their country houses. To a large extent, they did so, due to their willingness to install new forms of technology such as flush toilets, electric lighting and central heating. In exploring the relationship between technology, domestic service and the gentry’s social aspirations, Comfort, Pleasure and Prestigedraws on examples of country houses from across west Wales. This book is essential reading for those wanting to know more about the technologies that enabled country houses to run smoothly. It is also essential reading for those who wish to understand more fully how the gentry actually lived, and the social, technical and economic factors that lay behind the introduction of new technology in Welsh country houses.