Life Below Stairs: in the Victorian and Edwardian Country House (National Trust History & Heritage)
£14.80£19.00 (-22%)
From the cook, butler and housekeeper to the footman, lady’s maid and nanny, this is a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of some of Britain’s grandest houses.
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.
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Additional information
| Publisher | National Trust Books (15 Sept. 2011) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 192 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 9781907892110 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1907892110 |
| Dimensions | 20.32 x 2.79 x 25.4 cm |
by Kristiina Hallava
I ordered it only after reading some real biographies from servants and there is a lot of differencies. For this book portrays servants as always doing their best, waiting for promotions and being a bit too polished for reality. It might be because this book is about big country houses so maybe there where better working places and therefore could attract better servants but still some parts of this book are a bit unrealistic like for example when the writer tells us how the lowest scullery maid tried to work very hard because she knew with working hard she would be promoted up in the service ladder. When in the other books it became clear that while it was possible to get promoted it was also very likely that you couldn’t get very far as you where stuck in the position you got to begin with. I also would have liked to have a bit more substance in the book. It is a very beautiful book but I’m sure there would have been even more information to give.
by Sarah
Very good quality for the price
by Sophia
Bought this as I am making a dolls house and I wanted to get the servants quarters right and not leave out any details. Very enjoyable book which gives a great insight to the victorian era
by Laura S
A really interesting book focussing on the roles of different members of household staff and little snippets about various families/stately homes. A bit repetitive at times as though written by several different authors although only one is listed. Probably one you’d read once and then pass on to someone else.
by Amazon Customer
This is a fantastic hardback book originally priced at £20 and is in a superb condition. The content is packed full of information, and is so well set out in small paragraphs which are easy to read. It is written in such a way that you cannot put it down and I am having a job to get on with anything else!There are plenty of lovely illustrations to enjoy. It covers just about every aspect on life in a Victorian and Edwardian Country House. It would make a superb present to give to someone interested in this subject, not that I am giving this copy away, it’s mine!! Customer service from this seller is superb.
by Vanilla204
An interesting read.
by Pa
A thorough and fascinating book about this particular social genre. Thank you to the author. What a strange world it was!
by Elsa Rodrigues
I’ve bought this book recently and I am reading it since then. It is an excellent and fascinating book. You read it as novel but you can choose the chapters you want to read and its order. It has a lot of information about the way of living, about etiquette and education. It has a lot of pictures from country houses that are open to the public. It is also well documented and grounded with statements. I strongly recommend this book for those who want to enlarge their knowledge about the nineteenth century.