In 1900 nearly a third of British girls and women between 15 and 20 were in service. Domestic servants were the largest class of workers in the country and a large majority were female. It was said that if you weren't a servant, you had a servant, and this was certainly true of the middle classes.

 

The glass display panel is in a wooden frame call panel measuring 33cm x 28.3cm and would usually have been located in a kitchen. The panel is painted black, and red swinging stars on a white background indicate which room is calling for assistance. Call buttons would have been installed in the relevant areas, in this case to the front door, dining room, drawing room, nursery, bedroom one and bedroom two.

 

The panel dates from the late 19th century to the early 20th and was supplied by John Aldrich and Co of Diss. This company was a prominent ironmonger in the town until a disastrous fire destroyed the building in 1938.  John Aldrich was a member of the family that started and ran the brush factory in Diss.