Life Below Stairs: True Lives of Edwardian Servants

By Alison Maloney

In Life Below Stairs, bestselling author Alison Maloney goes behind the scenes to reveal a detailed picture of what really went on 'downstairs', describing the true-life trials and tribulations of Edwardian servants in a gripping non-fiction account. Thoroughly researched and reliably informed, it also contains first-hand stories from the staff of the time. A must-read for anyone interested in the lifestyle and conduct of a bygone era.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael O'Mara
• Release date: Sep 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781843177814

Alison Maloney

Alison Maloney is a journalist and author whose books include The Grannies' Book, Things to Do With Mum and Strictly Come Dancing: The Official Annual 2008. As well as a long stint on The Sunday Post newspaper, she worked as a children's book editor for two years. Alison lives in Kent with her husband and two children.

Reviews for Life Below Stairs

[clanoneves · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A delightful brief on the lives of the men and women in the Service during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras in England, “Life Below Stairs” satiates those still hungry for a taste of Downton Abbey while still leaving room for a dessert course. Filled by the true accounts of maids and cooks, footmen and butlers, this book leads the reader through arguably the toughest respectable career a person could enter into. The grueling hours spanning from before sunrise until well after sunset combined with meager pay, subpar living conditions, rigid manners and etiquette make me glad to be living in this era, despite its many shortcomings. The perfect book for an afternoon at the beach or a long commute, I implore you to pick up a copy of “Life Below Stairs.” Though for readers looking for further information, I would recommend searching the bibliography for the primary and secondary sources to gain a more in-depth knowledge on the subject.

[turrean_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good overview of a servant's life in Edwardian England. I shall sum up: sucked. Many servants were people desperate to escape terrible poverty; they were subjected to frightful working conditions, smugly condescending employers, and astonishingly few hours of sleep. I'd last less than a day.

[uberbutter · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Life Below Stairs: True Lives of Edwardian Servants by Alison Maloney
192 pages

★★

This sounded like such a fascinating book to me when I checked it out at the library, at least for a history geek like myself. But I was highly disappointed. It reads so much like a text book, a poorly formatted one at that. Everything is put into subcategories such as “How a butler dresses”, “How a house maid dresses” “Hiring of servants”, etc…some being only a paragraph or so and it just ended up feeling repetitive. There is some good information within but the writing lacked any personality and came off as quite dry. Some good pictures as well but not enough to save this book. She uses long quotes and paraphrasing from other history and memoir books (where is seems she mostly copied her info from) that seemed way more interesting so I may give one of those a try. An okay book for quick information but there are definitely better reads with better information in them.

[fliss88_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not bad, but a fairly light read on the topic.

[cookierooks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Below Stairs was better, although this did have some interesting historical details about wages and whatnot.

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a thin little book that, if a servant class still existed, would be a great manual for how to hire, house, train, pay and discipline one's servants. A great companion for people addicted to BBC TV shows like Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey.

[trwhittier-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent, informative read for those history buffs among us :)

[macdad-236140 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is an enjoyable primer into the lives of English domestic servants in the early 20th century. In it, Alison Maloney covers the basics of their existence, from the experience of hiring and the background of the servants through their daily routines to the aspects of their lives outside of their work. As one might expect Downton Abbey is a clear inspiration behind the book, which is reflected in the occasional quotes about domestic service during that era from various people involved with the show. Yet Maloney’s book stands on its own as a short overview to the people “downstairs,” and is an excellent book for anyone seeking an introduction to the world in which they lived.

[london_stj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Alison Maloney's Life Below Stairs has one goal: to capitalize on the popularity of "Downton Abbey." Not only does Highclere Castle grace the cover of the book, but she frequently cites the show as a source. For anyone who has neither seen the show nor read anything related to Victorian and Edwardian servitude, this book may hold some new insight. However, the book is neither "full" nor "complete" as the back cover suggests, and one would likely find greater research from a tertiary encyclopedia. Not recommended.

[wonderperson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An historically informative account that refers to the popular 'Downtown Abbey', a shocking expose of what life was truly like 'downstairs'. How the Upper Classes did not view their underlings as being like unto themselves.
Off the cuff review.

[michigantrumpet_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very engaging, easy to read book, sure to please fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs. I was particularly struck by the timeline outlining a typical day from the crack of dawn to late at night, outlining the duties of the staff. There are recipes for various housecleaning solvents, a comparison of wages for each position in today’s money, and discussion of the effect WWI had on both the Employers and those in service. Although they were given ‘room and board’ and had very little time of in which to enjoy anything they earned, the wages paid to the servants was shockingly low. Add in the fact they had to provide much of their own outfits, and could be ‘docked’ for the slightest transgression. Maloney includes plenty of pictures and quotes from many firsthand accounts. One also finds an excellent bibliography and index. This was a library book, but I ended up buying a copy for my mother, knowing she would enjoy it as well.

[adonisguilfoyle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A quick reference history of domestic servants in nineteenth/early twentieth century Britain, jumping on the Downton Abbey bandwagon. Maloney combines chapters on household structure, pay and conditions, daily schedules, fine dining and 'the servant problem' with excerpts from published memoirs by servants. Informative, clearly written and appealing to both fans of the television series and history buffs alike, Maloney's guide is a great introduction to learning about the hard work and restricted social lives of those 'below stairs'. I'm also tempted to read some of the firsthand accounts referenced in this book, like Margaret Powell's Life Below Stairs, footman Eric Horne's What the Butler Winked At, and Frank Victor Dawes' Not In Front of the Servants.