The must-read memoir from Bob Sharpe, a butler in interwar London. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs
‘I remember my first day in the big house. It wasn’t a great aristocratic mansion such as Chatsworth or anything like it, but I reckon there were twenty bedrooms, two or three book rooms and endless billiard rooms, drawing rooms and sitting rooms – not to mention all the servants’ rooms . . .’
An inspirational true story loved by readers:
‘A love story as well as a look through a servant’s eyes at the true meaning of being a scivvy. Loved it and was so pleased when things went right for this young man who wrote from the heart.’ – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
‘A very lively account of the ups and downs of life as a servant!’ – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
‘One of the best books I have ever read. Such an important and really interesting account of social history. You feel as if Bob is speaking to you directly from the past.’ – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
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During more than thirty years in a variety of houses, Bob Sharpe managed to rise from garden boy to valet and butler. As a boy he had to kill pheasant chicks, boil rabbits for the estate dogs, carry the wood up and down stairs every day for thirty fires and sleep on the floor outside his master’s room. He cleaned shoes, ironed underwear and socks and once had to stand all night in the hall waiting for a late visitor to arrive.
But as a butler he was the best paid servant in the house, waited on, feared and respected by the other servants. Bob Sharpe knew the real world of upstairs downstairs and the secrets of the landed gentry – even to the point of incest and attempted murder!
‘I remember my first day in the big house. It wasn’t a great aristocratic mansion such as Chatsworth or anything like it, but I reckon there were twenty bedrooms, two or three book rooms and endless billiard rooms, drawing rooms and sitting rooms – not to mention all the servants’ rooms . . .’
An inspirational true story loved by readers:
‘A love story as well as a look through a servant’s eyes at the true meaning of being a scivvy. Loved it and was so pleased when things went right for this young man who wrote from the heart.’ – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
‘A very lively account of the ups and downs of life as a servant!’ – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
‘One of the best books I have ever read. Such an important and really interesting account of social history. You feel as if Bob is speaking to you directly from the past.’ – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
—–
During more than thirty years in a variety of houses, Bob Sharpe managed to rise from garden boy to valet and butler. As a boy he had to kill pheasant chicks, boil rabbits for the estate dogs, carry the wood up and down stairs every day for thirty fires and sleep on the floor outside his master’s room. He cleaned shoes, ironed underwear and socks and once had to stand all night in the hall waiting for a late visitor to arrive.
But as a butler he was the best paid servant in the house, waited on, feared and respected by the other servants. Bob Sharpe knew the real world of upstairs downstairs and the secrets of the landed gentry – even to the point of incest and attempted murder!
Reviews
'Reading this fascinating book is likely to unleash almost anyone's Inner Bolshevik...'