Aprons and Silver Spoons

The heartwarming memoirs of a 1930s scullery maid

'No one ever thinks of the poor scullery maid. The lowest of the low'

When Mollie Browne became a 'skivvy' in a stately London townhouse aged just 14, she quickly learned that a large amount of elbow grease and a sense of humour would be tantamount to surviving there. Through Mollie's eyes we are offered a fascinating glimpse into London's invisible 'downstairs', a world that has long-since vanished: cooking huge roast dinners, polishing doorknobs, scrubbing steps - and covering up her employers' scandals. Going to dances with her fellow servants and flirting with Harrods' errand boys, she had no idea that the oncoming war in 1939 would change her world, and that of those she served, forever...

About Mollie Moran

Born in 1916, Mollie Moran was ninety seven when she died in 2014 at her home in Dorset. Mollie grew up in Norfolk and was sent to London as a scullery maid at the age of just 14. Working 'downstairs' at stately homes such as Wood Hall and Wallington Hall during the 1930s, her teenage years were spent scrubbing floors and shovelling coal, but she always looked back on that time fondly. She even remained friends with Flo, the kitchen maid from the first household she worked in, throughout her life.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9780718197186
  • Length: 320 pages
  • Price: £0.99
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