Life Below Stairs

Upstairs, an Edwardian home was a picture of elegance, sophistication and serenity, filled with social engagements and lavish dinner parties. Downstairs was another story; a hive of domestic activity, as servants strove to ensure that life ran as smoothly as possible for their employers. Life Below Stairs paints a detailed picture of what really went on downstairs, revealing the true-life trials and tribulations of the servants in a typical Edwardian household. Thoroughly researched and containing first-hand stories from staff of the time, this book looks at the daily life of the servants, the household structure and hierarchy, pay and working conditions, hiring and firing, and the backgrounds of the people working in these houses. 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.