True Stories of Life Below Stairs – serie
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3 produkter
3 produkter
Häftad, Engelska, 2011
126 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
The must-read memoir from Rose Plummer, a maid in interwar London. A proper piece of English history: perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs'I felt like I was getting somewhere that evening. Sitting by the window sipping my tea and eating lovely iced buns, I felt I'd come such a long way from Hoxton. I had some money . . . As I sat there I realised I didn't want to go back to my gloomy room at the top of that old house. I wanted more of a life of my own and not to be reminded every day that I wasn't as good as other people.' An inspirational true story loved by readers:'A wonderful trip down memory lane. I found the odd tear roll down my cheek . . . and there are moments of laughter throughout the book too, smiles and sighs, and even the odd grunt of disgust!' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'What a vital record of social history this is. It is so important that witness accounts like this are recorded for posterity before those who lived them pass away and their memories are lost.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'I thought this was a wonderful book. It really gave an insight into what life was really like below stairs . . . not only a very good read but also a great piece of history, told by a feisty woman who lived through it.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW-----Born in 1910, Rose Plummer grew up in an East End slum, where she and fought an unending battle with hunger and squalor.At the age of fifteen, Rose started work as a live-in maid, and despite the poverty of her childhood, nothing could have prepared her for the long hours, the backbreaking work and the harshness of a world in which servants were treated as if they were less than human.But however difficult life became, Rose found something to laugh about, and her remarkable spirit and gift for friendship shines through in her memories of a now-vanished world.
Häftad, Engelska, 2012
126 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
The must-read memoir from Bob Sharpe, a butler in interwar London. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs'I remember my first day in the big house. It wasn't a great aristocratic mansion such as Chatsworth or anything like it, but I reckon there were twenty bedrooms, two or three book rooms and endless billiard rooms, drawing rooms and sitting rooms - not to mention all the servants' rooms . . .'An inspirational true story loved by readers:'A love story as well as a look through a servant's eyes at the true meaning of being a scivvy. Loved it and was so pleased when things went right for this young man who wrote from the heart.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'A very lively account of the ups and downs of life as a servant!' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'One of the best books I have ever read. Such an important and really interesting account of social history. You feel as if Bob is speaking to you directly from the past.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW-----During more than thirty years in a variety of houses, Bob Sharpe managed to rise from garden boy to valet and butler. As a boy he had to kill pheasant chicks, boil rabbits for the estate dogs, carry the wood up and down stairs every day for thirty fires and sleep on the floor outside his master's room. He cleaned shoes, ironed underwear and socks and once had to stand all night in the hall waiting for a late visitor to arrive. But as a butler he was the best paid servant in the house, waited on, feared and respected by the other servants. Bob Sharpe knew the real world of upstairs downstairs and the secrets of the landed gentry - even to the point of incest and attempted murder!
Häftad, Engelska, 2013
148 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
The must-read memoir from Kathleen Clifford, a housekeeper who worked in the Spencer family home in the interwar years. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs'My favourite gossips were William and Jimmy. I only got the chance to talk to them now and then as I spent most of my time hurtling round the kitchen trying not to upset the cook who was my immediate and terrifying boss. I lost a lot of weight in my time in Spencer House because I was so determined never to get told off or get things wrong - and that meant you had to concentrate all the time.'An inspirational true story loved by readers:'This is a wonderful, although quite sad, read. But it is nice to know these ladies had a life to live and got on with it regardless. Highly recommended.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'I've always had a fascination with 'upstairs & downstairs' life and this book didn't disappoint. It was really well written and I loved every person mentioned. Such a joy to just sit and read and learn from the stories. ' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'Having read many of the 'below stairs' type of book, this one is up there with the best I have read.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW-----Kathleen Clifford was born in 1909. Her family lived in a tiny flat near Paddington Station and her earliest memories were of the smell of horses and the shrill whistle of steam trains. For a girl from the slums there was only really one option once school was over - a life in service. She started work on 1925 as a lowly kitchen maid in the London home of Lady Diana Spencer's family. Here she heard tales of the Earl's propensity for setting fire to himself, as well as enjoying the servants' gossip about who was sleeping with whom. The Spencers were just the first in a line of eccentric families for whom she worked during a career that lasted more than thirty years and took her from a London palace to remote medieval estates. But despite long hours, amorous butlers and mad employers, Kathleen always kept her sense of humour and knew how to have fun. On one occasion she was almost caught in bed with her boyfriend who had to jump out of the window and run down the drive in his underwear to escape the local bobby!This is the story of a life below stairs - a life of a now vanished era.