Servants-The True Story of Life Below Stairs

[rosyposy]

What a fantastic series this is going to be if the first episode is anything to go by.Made as an antidote to period dramas like Downton it tells of the lives of servants from about the 1830's up to the first world war, when of course there was more employment to be had.Sad in parts, 17hour days was the norm,but very watchable. It is shown on Friday night and was repeated (this week anyway) on Saturday. From Downton to Downtrodden to quote the D.Mail. Do watch the first episode on catch-up if you can.- rosy

[237SJ]

If you haven`t already read it, you might enjoy a book that I had from the library recently. It`s called Below Stairs by Margaret Powell and tells her story of being a parlourmaid (the lowest of the low apparently).

[rosyposy]

Thank you 237SJ, I will try to get it out of our library.The boot boy in the first episode could qualify too I think, he had to trim candles and the wicks of the oil lamps etc every morning, up to 300 of them, then after that he had to clean 60 - 70 pairs of boots and shoes belonging to the staff, altho' the maids did have to empty all the chamber pots in the 'sluice' room, carrying them a great distance too - rosy

[smurfchops]

What a life, especially the chamber pots, something we don't realise would have happened, in today's world. How lucky we are.

[dotty.]

margaret powell's book came out decades ago and has been reissued, margaret herself was quite tv celeb back in the 70s and was always on the box,