Upstairs & Downstairs

My Life In Service as a Lady's Maid

By: Hilda Newman, Tim Tate

Narrated by: Helen Lloyd

Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Short and sweet but very personal story.

This story is told by a 100 year old woman who lived through both the 1st and 2nd World War And who served for a short time as a lady's maid to one of the aristocracy of the time period. While not quite as dramatic as Downton Abbey or the series upstairs downstairs, It does serve to prove prove some of the things we have seen are in fact true. This is a Very sweet little story and I enjoyed listening to it.

It’s like gone with the wind except it’s gone with the war

This book was well written and well delivered and well researched I recommend it to other readers

Immersive historical biography

A well-performed memoir of a young working-class woman's years in service as a lady's maid.

Pleasant story

Really enjoyed this. Lots of interesting details to understand society and culture at the time. Storyline is simple, just a memoir with no complex plot, but I enjoyed every minute.

Wonderful remembrance!

I do love this type of story!
This one was a little slow at first, but well done when getting into it!
I can't pretend to be an author myself, so my opinion is only a reader's.
The narrator, Helen Lloyd is one of my very favorites! ❤️

With quiet charm

I enjoyed this book very much. It has some unobtrusive, quiet charm. I also liked the valves that governed narrator's life. I started listening because I'm a fan of Downton Abbey, but highly recommend it to everybody.
An excellent performance, too.