{"title":"Below Stairs","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"below-stairs-book-margaret-powell-9781250005441","title":"Below Stairs","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants portrayed in \u003ci\u003eDownton Abbey\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eUpstairs, Downstairs\u003c\/i\u003e, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service, \u003ci\u003eBelow Stairs, \u003c\/i\u003e is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePowell first arrived at the servants' entrance of one of those great houses in the 1920s. As a kitchen maid - the lowest of the low - she entered an entirely new world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5:30am and went on until after dark. It was a far cry from her childhood on the beaches of Hove, where money and food were scarce, but warmth and laughter never were. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYet 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-parlormaid, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMargaret Powell's true story of a life spent in service is a fascinating downstairs portrait of the glittering, long-gone worlds behind the closed doors of Downton Abbey and 165 Eaton Place.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49540012474641,"sku":"GOR004277553","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49769100607761,"sku":"CIN1250005442G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50377239101713,"sku":"CIN1250005442A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51215160803601,"sku":"GOR008629880","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52105861955857,"sku":"CIN1250005442VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53226093248785,"sku":"GOR005973962","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1250005442.jpg?v=1750953101"},{"product_id":"servants-hall-book-margaret-powell-9781250043450","title":"Servants' Hall","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe sequel to \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller \u003ci\u003eBelow Stairs\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eServants' Hall \u003c\/i\u003etells a gripping real-life tale reminiscent of \u003ci\u003eDownton Abbey's\u003c\/i\u003e Lady Sybil and Tom Branson.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMargaret Powell's \u003ci\u003eBelow Stairs \u003c\/i\u003ebecame a sensation among readers reveling in the luxury and subtle class warfare of \u003ci\u003eMasterpiece Theatre\u003c\/i\u003e's hit television series \u003ci\u003eDownton Abbey\u003c\/i\u003e. Now in the sequel \u003ci\u003eServants' Hall\u003c\/i\u003e, Powell tells the true story of Rose, the under-parlourmaid to the Wardham Family at Redlands, who took a shocking step: She eloped with the family's only son, Mr. Gerald.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGoing from rags to riches, Rose finds herself caught up in a maelstrom of gossip, incredulity and envy among her fellow servants. The reaction from upstairs was no better: Mr. Wardham, the master of the house, disdained the match so completely that he refused ever to have contact with the young couple again. Gerald and Rose marry, leave Redlands and Powell looks on with envy, even as the marriage hits on bumpy times: To us in the servants' hall, it was just like a fairy tale . . . How I wished I was in her shoes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnce again bringing that lost world to life, Margaret Powell trains her pen and her gimlet eye on her betters in this next chapter from a life spent in service. \u003ci\u003eServants' Hall\u003c\/i\u003e is Margaret Powell at her best--a warm, funny and sometimes hilarious memoir of life at a time when wealthy families like ruled England.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49986867298577,"sku":"CIN125004345XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50265256755473,"sku":"CIN125004345XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51078479282449,"sku":"GOR008344884","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53251154411793,"sku":"GOR012466569","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/125004345X.jpg?v=1751402097"},{"product_id":"below-stairs-book-margaret-powell-9781250023216","title":"Below Stairs","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants portrayed in \u003ci\u003eDownton Abbey\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eUpstairs, Downstairs\u003c\/i\u003e, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service, \u003ci\u003eBelow Stairs,\u003c\/i\u003e is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Powell first arrived at the servants' entrance of one of those great houses in the 1920s. 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