BELOW STAIRS (PB)

This memoir, first published in 1968, inspired the classic TV series Upstairs Downstairs. Margaret Powell, born in 1907 in Hove, recounts her experiences from a life in service with shrewd humour and wisdom. Aged fifteen, she went into service as a kitchen maid in 1920's London, eventually progressing to the position of cook. From the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the 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, Margaret's tales of her time in service are told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her situation. Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, this is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman, who, though her position was lowly, never stopped aiming high.