Upstairs & Downstairs

My Life In Service as a Lady's Maid

By: Hilda Newman, Tim Tate

Narrated by: Helen Lloyd

The year was 1935: the twilight of the English aristocracy. It was a time of wealth and glamour; of lavish balls and evening gowns; of tiaras and a coronation. As personal maid to Lady Coventry, Hilda Newman had a unique insight into the leisured life of one of Britain's most noble families. In her fascinating memoir of life upstairs and down, Hilda takes us back to this period between the wars; a gilded era which would soon be dramatically changed by the Second World War.

Transplanted from a tiny house with no bath or hot water to an 18th-century Neo-Palladian mansion, Hilda's life changed beyond recognition. But in a time when the very foundations of British society were being shaken to their core, the luxurious life of the country nobility couldn't last. The Second World War brought more turbulence with it, and Croome Court, where Hilda had lived and worked, became a haven for the Dutch Royal Family fleeing Nazi occupation, whilst also home to a top-secret RAF base. The lavish banquets and decadent parties had become a thing of the past.

Hilda's story takes us back to a bygone era, showing us what life was really like in England's classic country manors of old - and uncovers the real lives of the people who occupied them, from wealthy lord to lowly servant.

©2019 Martyn Newman obo Hilda Newman (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Lovely & informative

This book was a bliss to listen to.
The only thing I could say was a minus is that it was far too short.
I am sure this lady's lifes story had SO much more that could have been put in.
But I'm happy she wrote it.
What a lovely and impotant piece of history!

An appreciative listener.

This audio book was well told and hilarious to boot! The British has a sense of humor that leaves me in stitches.

Enjoyable vacation listen

This was a read book to listen to while in a short vacation. Historical aspects are interesting.

interesting but judgy

It is interesting to read and you really feel compassion for the young girl who becomes a lady's maid.

One of the themes seems to be how the aristocracy holds themselves above their moral betters, the working class from which she emerged.

The other theme of the book seems to be how much better than modern youngsters the young people of the narrator's generation were.

And the third seems to be a bit of self-pity for what she experienced.

Interesting to hear; but it does seem the narrator seems more snobby than the aristocracy she serves.

A wonderful listen.

This book is just wonderful. The author describes things so well, and has such a lovely spirit. I loved listening to her story, and especially on her reflections at the end. Great narrator too!