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This work is a kitchen-maid's through-the-key hole memoir of life in the great houses of England. At fifteen, she arrived at the servants' entrance to begin her life as a kitchen maid in 1920s England. The lowest of the low, her world was one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses
… More »This work is a kitchen-maid's through-the-key hole memoir of life in the great houses of England. At fifteen, she arrived at the servants' entrance to begin her life as a kitchen maid in 1920s England. The lowest of the low, her world was one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and even bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5:30 am and went on until after dark. In this memoir, the author tells her tales of service with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye. From the gentleman with a penchant for stroking 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, this book evokes the long vanished world of masters and servants portrayed in Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs. This is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman, who, though her position was lowly, never stopped aiming high.
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Add a CommentThis is an easy read book of Margaret Langley's life. Coming from a poverty stricken home in Hove, England, she took the only type of job she could get having completed school to the 8th grade and hating sewing. Her descriptions as scullery maid, and on-the-job learning and insights make for interesting reading. The historical how-tos are interesting too (sand and soap to scrub the floor, etc).
This is a straight-talking, hard-working woman who reminisces about her life in service to a wide variety of families in Britain before WWII. I laughed aloud several times at her descriptions of employers and herself. She was a smart woman, whose upbringing meant her opportunities in life were very limited, but she obviously made the best of things and worked her way into an extremely rewarding career in her later years, as a writer and television show consultant.
Easy to read and super interesting!
Memoir that inspired Downton Abbey & Upstairs, Downstairs - a woman enters domestic service at 14 as a kitchen maid, later a cook.
A life "in service" told in her own voice, it's a great read. Very frank and forthright, a great contribution to the writings of women about work and its value in society.
A very readable memoir. I was struck with the contrast of life between teens today and Powell's teen years. Although as kitchen help she had to toe the line and claims she suffered from an inferiority complex, Powell's demand for more wages, time off, and frequent job changes as she matured shows us that she maintained a sense of self-worth. She is very proud of reaching her 0 levels late in life which was probably unique for someone with her background. I liked the glimpses into the life of her employers and how they each treated their servants differently from Christmas gift giving to decorating the servants hall and bedrooms.
Kind of pedestrian to me, or maybe that's because I got most of the gist of it from excerpts from The World of Downton Abbey.