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大英帝國一日上流史：走進第一次世界大戰前的貴族莊園，體驗日不落帝國最後的輝煌日常
繁華落盡前的末世奢華，重返百年前英國上流社會的一天生活
一窺金氏世界紀錄最受歡迎影集《唐頓莊園》的真實世界
樓上貴族揮霍享樂，講究的餐桌禮節、宴會規範、待客守則、時尚風潮和高級娛樂
樓下傭人沒日沒夜，勞碌的服侍指南、清潔秘訣、佳餚烹調、專業涵養和階級偏見
黃金年代的莊園生活，透過一幅幅的插圖和照片重現，帶你重回當年的繁華與榮盛
賴床是特權，人生就是打扮漂亮+盡情享樂！
小孩直接交給保姆帶，一天只要見面一次就好？
人人都有專屬造型師，從燙頭髮到服裝搭配通通難不倒？
吃一餐就要換一套衣服，下午茶也有專屬dress code要遵守？
除了宴會、野餐和狩獵，貴族們的休閒娛樂，竟還暗藏旖旎春色？
從早忙到晚，一切全都是為了滿足主人需要！
任何東西都要用托盤傳遞，好僕人還必須避免大聲呼吸？
早餐前要把房子先打掃乾淨，壁爐裡的火永遠都不能熄？
廚師團隊一天至少煮五餐，豪華晚宴甚至要供應十二道菜？
莊園事務百百款，整個大屋子裡究竟有多少不同職務的傭人？
愛德華時代的莊園文化，是上流社會奢侈生活的最高展現，
樓上的家族成員天天騎馬狩獵、遊湖午茶、舉辦晚宴，
樓下的家僕階級則揮汗工作，從清晨勞動到半夜，
包括掌管一切的管家、料理美食的家廚、負責打掃或洗衣的女傭，
到體面優雅的貼身男僕、四處奔波的門僮，屋外的園丁和司機……
本書網羅了各種珍貴的老照片與精美歷史插圖，
加上時代資料及第一手日記，藉由上流莊園的一日紀事，
帶你深入英國黃金年代的真實生活和秘密歷史。
【特別附錄：那些名人與他們的非同溫層友誼】
彼得兔作者碧雅翠絲‧波特
小說家P.G.伍德豪斯
女權運動者潘克斯特夫人
劇作家蕭伯納
作家吳爾芙
英國首相邱吉爾
怪奇藝術家西特韋爾三姊弟
一窺金氏世界紀錄最受歡迎影集《唐頓莊園》的真實世界
樓上貴族揮霍享樂，講究的餐桌禮節、宴會規範、待客守則、時尚風潮和高級娛樂
樓下傭人沒日沒夜，勞碌的服侍指南、清潔秘訣、佳餚烹調、專業涵養和階級偏見
黃金年代的莊園生活，透過一幅幅的插圖和照片重現，帶你重回當年的繁華與榮盛
賴床是特權，人生就是打扮漂亮+盡情享樂！
小孩直接交給保姆帶，一天只要見面一次就好？
人人都有專屬造型師，從燙頭髮到服裝搭配通通難不倒？
吃一餐就要換一套衣服，下午茶也有專屬dress code要遵守？
除了宴會、野餐和狩獵，貴族們的休閒娛樂，竟還暗藏旖旎春色？
從早忙到晚，一切全都是為了滿足主人需要！
任何東西都要用托盤傳遞，好僕人還必須避免大聲呼吸？
早餐前要把房子先打掃乾淨，壁爐裡的火永遠都不能熄？
廚師團隊一天至少煮五餐，豪華晚宴甚至要供應十二道菜？
莊園事務百百款，整個大屋子裡究竟有多少不同職務的傭人？
愛德華時代的莊園文化，是上流社會奢侈生活的最高展現，
樓上的家族成員天天騎馬狩獵、遊湖午茶、舉辦晚宴，
樓下的家僕階級則揮汗工作，從清晨勞動到半夜，
包括掌管一切的管家、料理美食的家廚、負責打掃或洗衣的女傭，
到體面優雅的貼身男僕、四處奔波的門僮，屋外的園丁和司機……
本書網羅了各種珍貴的老照片與精美歷史插圖，
加上時代資料及第一手日記，藉由上流莊園的一日紀事，
帶你深入英國黃金年代的真實生活和秘密歷史。
【特別附錄：那些名人與他們的非同溫層友誼】
彼得兔作者碧雅翠絲‧波特
小說家P.G.伍德豪斯
女權運動者潘克斯特夫人
劇作家蕭伯納
作家吳爾芙
英國首相邱吉爾
怪奇藝術家西特韋爾三姊弟
176 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
5 people are currently reading
602 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
January 22, 2015
Really enjoyed this, filled with details in the life of a servant during The Edwardian period. I thought this was detailed with a bit more info. then what I knew about life as a servant in "The big house." It also gives us a look into the lives of the Gentry which many Downton Abbey fans are familiar with. I guess for myself I can never get enough of knowing all the details of this era. Pictures and illustrations throughout the book which always helps me have a better insight into the experience.
August 10, 2015
Some of the pictures are lovely, but the text is bad. Completely ignoring the long and violent struggle for rights sort of bad. By the end of the second world war, the author would have you believe, Britain's 1% just felt it was unfair to deprive the other 99% of everything. This is not history, nor social science, it's not even good anecdotes.
Library copy
Library copy
November 12, 2012
Where I got the book: my local library.
A somewhat entertaining Day in the Life of an Edwardian Household, which appears to have been put together in haste to cash in on the Downton Abbey craze. This is the kind of book where the photographs matter as much as the text, and while some of the images were enlightening, some were just so way off base as to be ridiculous - I particularly remember one of a butler serving a woman in bed, all too obviously culled from a 1930s Hollywood movie. She's wearing makeup, and he's a butler in a lady's bedroom. GET A CLUE.
The one spread I really enjoyed was the enumeration of the different ranks of servant. Otherwise, this is not one I'd buy.
A somewhat entertaining Day in the Life of an Edwardian Household, which appears to have been put together in haste to cash in on the Downton Abbey craze. This is the kind of book where the photographs matter as much as the text, and while some of the images were enlightening, some were just so way off base as to be ridiculous - I particularly remember one of a butler serving a woman in bed, all too obviously culled from a 1930s Hollywood movie. She's wearing makeup, and he's a butler in a lady's bedroom. GET A CLUE.
The one spread I really enjoyed was the enumeration of the different ranks of servant. Otherwise, this is not one I'd buy.
May 28, 2022
繼續消滅閱讀器藏書
沒想到這本內容很淺顯
一下子就看完了
看完對唐頓狗血莊園的劇情會有更多認識
對於完全沒概念的人來說
不失為一本優良入門書
沒想到這本內容很淺顯
一下子就看完了
看完對唐頓狗血莊園的劇情會有更多認識
對於完全沒概念的人來說
不失為一本優良入門書
February 17, 2020
This books is a beautifully illustrated account of what really goes on between the "upstairs people" and the "downstairs people" in a typical day at the homes of the Edwardian era "upper crust".
Filled with photographs of both servants and those they served, it highlights the endless hours needed to keep the household running. Days began well before the rich would even open their eyes. They could not wake to anything less than an absolutely perfect home with fires lit, lavish meals being prepared, and not a hint of the effort it took to do this.
The magnitude of the labors of these people, especially those at the lower end of the pecking order, is tremendous. Emptying chamber pots, mending, laundering and pressing to perfection all the clothing of the elite, raising their children, and having very little time to themselves was a demanding situation to say the least.
Filled with photographs of both servants and those they served, it highlights the endless hours needed to keep the household running. Days began well before the rich would even open their eyes. They could not wake to anything less than an absolutely perfect home with fires lit, lavish meals being prepared, and not a hint of the effort it took to do this.
The magnitude of the labors of these people, especially those at the lower end of the pecking order, is tremendous. Emptying chamber pots, mending, laundering and pressing to perfection all the clothing of the elite, raising their children, and having very little time to themselves was a demanding situation to say the least.
April 11, 2021
這本書以大眾為面向，所以很簡淺易懂，若對於英國歷史有些微的了解，內容很多大概屬於常識。若想在很硬的歷史書中稍微喘息，這類的書或許頗適合的。但整體而言個人覺得有點瑣碎，架構沒有編排得很好。
May 5, 2016
A very interesting look into life in an English country house during the Edwardian period. The book provides some fascinating details, but at only 125 pages, most of which are at least partially occupied by photos and illustrations, it is by no means an in-depth treatise on the subject. A lot of the information was familiar to me, and probably would be even moreso to a person with a serious interest in the time period, but for my amateur's interest level it provided enough new information to keep me hooked (though I would gladly have read more had it been provided!). The numerous visual elements and quotes from period sources were excellent touches, though I could take or leave the inserts about specific famous people.
Though I don't think it detracted at all from the book, it's worth noting that "Downton Abbey" is not mentioned or referenced at all anywhere in the book apart from the cover; it appears to be simply a marketing gimmick to draw in fans of the show. I didn't mind, but I could understand some people feeling misled. I was somewhat bothered by the consistent typos and editing mistakes in the text; it otherwise looks and feels like a good quality book, but errors like that always put me in mind of amateur, self-published schlock, and end up distracting me from the actual text. Overall though, it was a quick, informative, and very enjoyable read.
Though I don't think it detracted at all from the book, it's worth noting that "Downton Abbey" is not mentioned or referenced at all anywhere in the book apart from the cover; it appears to be simply a marketing gimmick to draw in fans of the show. I didn't mind, but I could understand some people feeling misled. I was somewhat bothered by the consistent typos and editing mistakes in the text; it otherwise looks and feels like a good quality book, but errors like that always put me in mind of amateur, self-published schlock, and end up distracting me from the actual text. Overall though, it was a quick, informative, and very enjoyable read.
November 30, 2012
Yet another piblisher cashing in on the popularity of Downton Abbey. This is a coffee table book which would lead you to believe that the pictures matteed but au contraire. While there is some good reading here and interesting sidebars about some Eminent Edwardians such as Emmeline Pankhurst and George Bernard Shaw and their relationshipss to servants, the picture editor took the easy way out. Most pictures are not identified other than descriptively nor are they dated and they range in period from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1930's. If you were thinking of using this for research, find another book. "To Marry an English Lord" for instance.
January 7, 2022
3.5/5 stars. Other people have mentioned feeling this book was rushed out during the Downton Abbey craze, and that could very well be true. I spotted several typos while reading. I don't know enough about the master/servant dynamic at the time to be able to comment on the historical accuracy as others have. I enjoyed the book for the most part, although there were a lot more post-WWI photos than I expected (the version I got from the library said nothing about Victorian Era to WWII in the title - all it mentioned was the world of Downton Abbey). I was very intrigued by the page showing electrical items like frying pans plugged into light sockets (never knew that was a thing). It's a decent coffee table book.
November 4, 2014
The subtitle of this exercise in book marketing is “The Illustrated Guide to the Real World of Downton Abbey” -- but you can ignore that because there’s nothing whatever about the television program or its fictional world in this book. The Introduction says the subject is the Edwardian country house, “a place of extreme luxury and abject drudgery, . . . a society that was more unequal than at any time before or since.” (Really? Peasants in the early 13th century of the Norman monarchy might disagree, and so might field hands in South Carolina in 1830.) In any case, there’s almost nothing about the world of servants outside of London, either.
What you will find here is 125 pages of mostly pictures, divided into chapters devoted more or less to the phases of the day -- “Before Dawn,” “Lunchtime,” “Fine Dining,” and so on. While many of these photos are interesting in themselves, not all of them are germane to the stated topic, ranging as they do from the 1840s to the 1930s, far outside the Edwardian era in both directions.
Warwick’s credentials as an author are left unstated but the rather thin text often reads as if it were cribbed from other secondary sources. (There are numerous sidebar quotes from servants’ memoirs and such, but no bibliography to allow the reader to follow them up.) There are also photo essays on Beatrix Potter, the Sitwell family, P.G. Wodehouse, Virginia Woolf, and several other leading figures of the first half of the 20th century; again, none of these have anything to do with the subject of the serving class -- except that, of course, they all had servants, just like everyone else with money and status. At least the essay on Winston Churchill focuses attention on his nanny, whose portrait he kept on his bedside table all his life. (Winston’s famous father, Lord Randolph Churchill, however, is described ingenuously as “also a politician.”)
All in all, it’s pretty clear that this is really just an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Downton Abbey and the revived Upstairs, Downstairs, but it’s not a very successful one.
What you will find here is 125 pages of mostly pictures, divided into chapters devoted more or less to the phases of the day -- “Before Dawn,” “Lunchtime,” “Fine Dining,” and so on. While many of these photos are interesting in themselves, not all of them are germane to the stated topic, ranging as they do from the 1840s to the 1930s, far outside the Edwardian era in both directions.
Warwick’s credentials as an author are left unstated but the rather thin text often reads as if it were cribbed from other secondary sources. (There are numerous sidebar quotes from servants’ memoirs and such, but no bibliography to allow the reader to follow them up.) There are also photo essays on Beatrix Potter, the Sitwell family, P.G. Wodehouse, Virginia Woolf, and several other leading figures of the first half of the 20th century; again, none of these have anything to do with the subject of the serving class -- except that, of course, they all had servants, just like everyone else with money and status. At least the essay on Winston Churchill focuses attention on his nanny, whose portrait he kept on his bedside table all his life. (Winston’s famous father, Lord Randolph Churchill, however, is described ingenuously as “also a politician.”)
All in all, it’s pretty clear that this is really just an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Downton Abbey and the revived Upstairs, Downstairs, but it’s not a very successful one.
February 7, 2015
Another good collection of information about the life of masters and servants in an Edwardian household. Very little information that I hadn't read before, but still some new bits that I found interesting. I liked the way the information was arranged and presented, and there are wonderful pictures and photographs throughout the book. Unfortunately, the author allows her opinion to enter the narrative several times, especially toward the last chapter. It seems there wasn't enough information regarding "end of the day" activities, so most of that chapter is spent discussing the doomed fate of this way of life. There were also several grammatical and spelling errors, increasing towards the end of the book. I didn't care for the snapshot features of the lives of famous historical figures of the time. I can see how many people would find these fascinating, but for me they interrupted the flow of the rest of the book, in which I was more engaged. Again, loved the pictures.
September 13, 2015
Loved this book! Great for fans of Upstairs, Downstairs; great for fans of Downton Abbey. Also, if you liked the movie Gosford Park, you'll like this book. And if you like history, and if you like to hear what life was like, the details, in different periods of time. If you like this kind of thing, also read Not In Front Of The Servants.
Great combination of information, and great pictures to go with it all. Might be a good book to give as a gift? Might be something worth adding to your own collection too.
Great combination of information, and great pictures to go with it all. Might be a good book to give as a gift? Might be something worth adding to your own collection too.
January 25, 2013
I borrowed this from my local library. It is an ok coffee table book. Not sure if it something I would purchase.
November 14, 2021
Very informative and beautifully illustrated. I loved this book. It gave you detailed information of what would happen on a daily basis in the homes of the wealthy homes of an Edwardian British Estate - both upstairs and downstairs. It was really a wonderful book! I read it in bits - to thoroughly enjoy every morsel provided.
March 8, 2020
A quick read that I got from the library. I would definitely not buy this book. It mixes up the timeline so badly that it is not the least bit credible. The photos are interesting but mainly from post WWI so not relevant to "Edwardian" upstairs/downstairs, which this purports to be about.
April 8, 2021
The illustrated approach works well here with lots of photos and illustrations from the time to explain concepts. Worth a read for fans of Downton Abbey or readers who want to learn about this time period.
October 10, 2018
Excellent reference on life serving the aristocracy. Incredible that any of the servants survived the long hours and vast amounts of work needed to be done in those palatial estates!
January 26, 2019
A short but interesting look into the workings of an Edwardian country house.
May 20, 2019
Great overview with fantastic photos and illustrations of the Edwardian Era
June 6, 2021
Nothing new, not even the terribly incorrect information about corsets and getting dressed.
June 14, 2022
The pictures are wonderful, but I would have liked a lot more detail.
September 10, 2023
Quick read with more pictures than info but it wasn’t a hard read. Nothing very deep though, but it was saved by me reading the most boring book ever directly before
August 14, 2014
The illustrations in this book are simply gorgeous. Drawings, paintings, and photographs spanning the mid-Victorian era to the first decades of the 20th century lend a very effective visual sense of what it was like to be middle- or upper-class in the Edwardian period, and what a vast (and largely unseen) amount of work it took to support the leisurely lifestyle.
While the book is ostensibly framed around the day of the landed wealthy in their country home (it is obviously aimed at the Downton Abbey viewership, after all), its real sympathies--and no doubt the sympathies of the larger portion of its readership--lie with the minutiae of life downstairs. Balancing the full-page spreads of the well-dressed rich lounging around at shooting parties, picnics, and indoor meals are pictures of primly-dressed servants preparing meals, blacking boots, doing the laundry, and cleaning the floors. In the occasional group shot of assembled staff, prim and starched and fully in uniform, you can almost see the thought bubbles above their heads expressing relief at the moment's reprieve, and worry about the list of tasks waiting for them as soon as the photographer betakes himself away. The occasional callouts featuring famous people--Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Emma Parkhurst--focus on their relationship with and attitude toward their servants, again revealing that the romance, and the interest, are not just in the lavish displays of the upstairs world but the toil of the downstairs world that makes it possible.
There is also a sense of chronological movement in the narrative arc, as the text continually gestures toward the historical doom waiting in the future for this way of life. I find this patterned explanation very amusing, since that way of life has in no way vanished; its setting has merely changed. The very rich still have many servants, they still own and live in vast houses sprawled across the globe, and they still expend a great deal of time, effort, and money on appearance. Their source of income is somehow less romantic, I suppose: industrial wealth, technological success, or celebrity funds that lifestyles nowadays. And it's less attractive because it occupies our immediate moment, while Downton Abbey evokes an era long past.
This would be a five-star book if it had passed through a proofreader. There are typographical errors on every page, which is first distracting and then highly frustrating. Most of the text is a vague and highly generalized rehash of everything Downton Abbey viewers already know, put in very pretty form, though there is the occasional interesting detail. There is an index but no bibliography, although the pictures are duly credited. In all the book is a pleasant coffee-table exhibit, a beautifully-presented excursion into the customary nostalgia for those bygone times we like to think we wouldn't have minded living in, if only we could be sure to be rich.
While the book is ostensibly framed around the day of the landed wealthy in their country home (it is obviously aimed at the Downton Abbey viewership, after all), its real sympathies--and no doubt the sympathies of the larger portion of its readership--lie with the minutiae of life downstairs. Balancing the full-page spreads of the well-dressed rich lounging around at shooting parties, picnics, and indoor meals are pictures of primly-dressed servants preparing meals, blacking boots, doing the laundry, and cleaning the floors. In the occasional group shot of assembled staff, prim and starched and fully in uniform, you can almost see the thought bubbles above their heads expressing relief at the moment's reprieve, and worry about the list of tasks waiting for them as soon as the photographer betakes himself away. The occasional callouts featuring famous people--Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Emma Parkhurst--focus on their relationship with and attitude toward their servants, again revealing that the romance, and the interest, are not just in the lavish displays of the upstairs world but the toil of the downstairs world that makes it possible.
There is also a sense of chronological movement in the narrative arc, as the text continually gestures toward the historical doom waiting in the future for this way of life. I find this patterned explanation very amusing, since that way of life has in no way vanished; its setting has merely changed. The very rich still have many servants, they still own and live in vast houses sprawled across the globe, and they still expend a great deal of time, effort, and money on appearance. Their source of income is somehow less romantic, I suppose: industrial wealth, technological success, or celebrity funds that lifestyles nowadays. And it's less attractive because it occupies our immediate moment, while Downton Abbey evokes an era long past.
This would be a five-star book if it had passed through a proofreader. There are typographical errors on every page, which is first distracting and then highly frustrating. Most of the text is a vague and highly generalized rehash of everything Downton Abbey viewers already know, put in very pretty form, though there is the occasional interesting detail. There is an index but no bibliography, although the pictures are duly credited. In all the book is a pleasant coffee-table exhibit, a beautifully-presented excursion into the customary nostalgia for those bygone times we like to think we wouldn't have minded living in, if only we could be sure to be rich.
March 5, 2013
(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)
The backstory: My obsession with love of Downton Abbey has inspired me to learn more about the period and customs of British country homes at that time.
The basics: Upstairs & Downstairs: An Illustrated Guide to the Real World of Downton Abbey is part nonfiction, part coffee table book about typical life in an Edwardian country home.
My thoughts: Most of what I know about this time, I've learned from Downton Abbey. I was curious to learn more about the time, in part to better assess how true Downton is to history. Upstairs & Downstairs was an informative, engaging look into life at the time. Divided into sections based on a typical day. This structure allowed author Sarah Warwick to examine the roles of those upstairs and downstairs simultaneously.
There was much that was familiar from Downton, but I also learned many things that added more nuance to my understanding of the servant's roles on the show. What I enjoyed most about this book, however, were the pictures and illustrations. Visually, the book is both beautiful and fascinating. Through a combination of photographs from the time, drawings, and diagrams, I gained much appreciation for the visual elements on Downton. Ultimately, the visuals in this book are the most enjoyable pieces, but the extensive outline of the general roles, qualifications and pay for servants was quite illuminating.
The verdict: If you're already familiar with the historical detail of this period, there likely isn't much new here. If, however, you want to learn more about the period and its customs, Upstairs & Downstairs is a visually interesting, informative work.
The backstory: My obsession with love of Downton Abbey has inspired me to learn more about the period and customs of British country homes at that time.
The basics: Upstairs & Downstairs: An Illustrated Guide to the Real World of Downton Abbey is part nonfiction, part coffee table book about typical life in an Edwardian country home.
My thoughts: Most of what I know about this time, I've learned from Downton Abbey. I was curious to learn more about the time, in part to better assess how true Downton is to history. Upstairs & Downstairs was an informative, engaging look into life at the time. Divided into sections based on a typical day. This structure allowed author Sarah Warwick to examine the roles of those upstairs and downstairs simultaneously.
There was much that was familiar from Downton, but I also learned many things that added more nuance to my understanding of the servant's roles on the show. What I enjoyed most about this book, however, were the pictures and illustrations. Visually, the book is both beautiful and fascinating. Through a combination of photographs from the time, drawings, and diagrams, I gained much appreciation for the visual elements on Downton. Ultimately, the visuals in this book are the most enjoyable pieces, but the extensive outline of the general roles, qualifications and pay for servants was quite illuminating.
The verdict: If you're already familiar with the historical detail of this period, there likely isn't much new here. If, however, you want to learn more about the period and its customs, Upstairs & Downstairs is a visually interesting, informative work.
December 12, 2011
Upstairs & Downstairs
The illustrated guide to the real world of Downton Abbey
By Sarah Warwick
A vivid insight into the daily life of servants and their wealthy employers
This beautifully illustrated book takes you on a journey through a day-in-the-life of the workings of homes in both the town and the country, including those of famous Edwardians such as Beatrix Potter, suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, politician and statesman Winston Churchill and authors George Bernard Shaw and P G Wodehouse. Portraits of life above and below stairs are complemented by personal accounts of servants who describe – often poignantly – their own physical and emotional state. Upstairs and Downstairs reveals the secret histories of the people and their houses to show you what life was really like on both sides of the class divide.
In this book, you will discover fascinating facts about the average ages, wages, uniforms and duties of everyone involved in running a big house: from power-wielding butlers, housekeepers and cooks, and those with intimate access to the family’s confidences such as lady’s maids, valets and nannies, to smart-liveried footmen and demure parlour maids, right down the pecking order to lowly scullery maids and hall boys, who tended to be seen but not heard.
The author is available for interview:
Sarah Warwick is former editor of Family History Monthly and currently works as a freelance journalist. She has written for a variety of publications on the subject of social history, including the BBC's magazine Who Do You Think Are?, Family History Monthly and The Lady. She lives in London.
The illustrated guide to the real world of Downton Abbey
By Sarah Warwick
A vivid insight into the daily life of servants and their wealthy employers
This beautifully illustrated book takes you on a journey through a day-in-the-life of the workings of homes in both the town and the country, including those of famous Edwardians such as Beatrix Potter, suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, politician and statesman Winston Churchill and authors George Bernard Shaw and P G Wodehouse. Portraits of life above and below stairs are complemented by personal accounts of servants who describe – often poignantly – their own physical and emotional state. Upstairs and Downstairs reveals the secret histories of the people and their houses to show you what life was really like on both sides of the class divide.
In this book, you will discover fascinating facts about the average ages, wages, uniforms and duties of everyone involved in running a big house: from power-wielding butlers, housekeepers and cooks, and those with intimate access to the family’s confidences such as lady’s maids, valets and nannies, to smart-liveried footmen and demure parlour maids, right down the pecking order to lowly scullery maids and hall boys, who tended to be seen but not heard.
The author is available for interview:
Sarah Warwick is former editor of Family History Monthly and currently works as a freelance journalist. She has written for a variety of publications on the subject of social history, including the BBC's magazine Who Do You Think Are?, Family History Monthly and The Lady. She lives in London.
August 31, 2013
Ever since I first saw "Downton Abbey" I've been fascinated by the period in England before World War I and World War II. The beautiful clothes, homes and lifestyle of the upper classes weren't achieved without the help of an army of servants, however, who worked tirelessly for them behind the scenes. In Sarah Warwick's book "Upstairs and Downstairs: The Illustrated Guide to the Real Life of Masters and Their Servants from the Victorian Era to the Second World War" she shows what their lives were really like. Interspersed with black-and-white photos of servants and their employers, illustrations and color photos of famous houses like Beatrix Potter's "Hill Top" and Virginia Woolf's "Charleston Farm" the book is organized in a logical and fun manner.
I loved the way it took me through a large house's day and featured famous people whose servants influenced their lives. Besides Beatrix Potter Warwick also included P.G. Wodehouse, Emmeline Pankhurst, George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill and Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell Sitwell. Sadly this rarefied existence only lasted until World War I, when all able-bodied men were needed, so most of traces of its existence were lost too. But with the writing of this book those of us who appreciate and want to learn more about those eras can easily do so.
I loved the way it took me through a large house's day and featured famous people whose servants influenced their lives. Besides Beatrix Potter Warwick also included P.G. Wodehouse, Emmeline Pankhurst, George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill and Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell Sitwell. Sadly this rarefied existence only lasted until World War I, when all able-bodied men were needed, so most of traces of its existence were lost too. But with the writing of this book those of us who appreciate and want to learn more about those eras can easily do so.
January 26, 2020
Has some lovely art and illustrations. Is a quick and informative read, goes chapter by chapter through a typical day from; Before Dawn to The End of the Day. There appear to many different editions of this book. It is misleading to say that this book has anything to do with the TV program Downton Abbey or its stand-in Highclere Castle, which graces the front cover of this addition, but it does discuss the general time period. There is much discussion of the political & social changes of the era.
What I did find the most charming was the stories of famous Edwardians, especially the Sitwell siblings, who were shielded from their parents abuses by the servants. Edith, Osbert & Sacheverell Sitwell each wrote books honoring their servants, as their confidants & friends. Winston Churchill, had such a great love and relationship with his childhood nursemaid, that when he passed away he was clutching her photo.
What I did find the most charming was the stories of famous Edwardians, especially the Sitwell siblings, who were shielded from their parents abuses by the servants. Edith, Osbert & Sacheverell Sitwell each wrote books honoring their servants, as their confidants & friends. Winston Churchill, had such a great love and relationship with his childhood nursemaid, that when he passed away he was clutching her photo.
November 21, 2012
Another one that didn't really teach me anything new, although--maybe because of the straightforward style--it managed to impress on me the huge divide between "upstairs and downstairs" in a way that other books (or fiction) haven't. It's so hard to wrap my mind around that way of life. Maybe more so the upstairs, since while I've certainly not had the life of a servant, I've had jobs doing things like washing dishes. But the life of the Edwardian upper class is very far from my life experience! Which is also probably why I always want to hear more about it. This seemed slightly more geared toward the servant view of things.
But the pictures were nice! I'm not a visual person, so it's cool to see stuff. And, uh, watch out for some partial nudity, haha! I was innocently turning pages and came to one with back views of women taking baths!
But the pictures were nice! I'm not a visual person, so it's cool to see stuff. And, uh, watch out for some partial nudity, haha! I was innocently turning pages and came to one with back views of women taking baths!
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