Stella Margetson (6 March 1912 – 13 April 1992) was a British novelist and writer on historical subjects and social history, particularly specialising on books about the 19th century.

Biography

Stella Margetson was born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

in London in 1912, the youngest of three children of Laurence Margetson (1874–1928), a hosiery manufacturer, and the actress, singer and stage beauty

Florence Collingbourne Florence Eliza Collingbourne (January 1880 – 8 July 1946) was a British actress, singer and stage beauty known for her appearances in Edwardian musical comedies. One of George Edwardes' Gaiety Girls, she took over the title role in ''San To ...

(1880-1946). She was descended from the artist and illustrator

William Henry Margetson William Henry Margetson (December 18612 January 1940) was a British painter and illustrator, mainly known for his aesthetic portraits of women. Life and work Margetson was born at Camberwell, London. He studied at Dulwich College, and later ...

and the novelist and journalist

Joseph Hatton Joseph Paul Christopher Hatton (3 February 1837 – 31 July 1907) was an English novelist and journalist. He was editor of many English publications including ''The Sunday Times'' from 1874 to 1881 and then served as a correspondent for several ...

. Her plays for

BBC Radio Theatre The BBC Radio Theatre (originally named The Concert Hall) is a theatre situated within the BBC's Broadcasting House complex. It is used for live broadcast and audio recordings. History Originally named The Concert Hall, the theatre was desig ...

''Leading Lady'' (1954) starring

Rupert Davies Rupert Lisburn Gwynne Davies FRSA (22 May 191622 November 1976) was a British actor best remembered for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of ''Maigret'', based on Georges Simenon's novels. Life and career Milit ...

and ''Village in the Stars'' (1955) starring

Hubert Gregg Hubert Robert Harry Gregg (19 July 1914 – 29 March 2004) was a British broadcaster, writer and actor. In his later years, he was known for the BBC Radio 2 "oldies" shows ''A Square Deal'' and ''Thanks for the Memory''. He was also a novelist, t ...

were broadcast by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Light Service. For some years she shared a house at 15 Hamilton Terrace in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, London, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Historically the northern part of the Civil Parish#An ...

in London with her older sister Colleen Margetson.The Hattons and the Margetsons - St John's Wood Memories
/ref> Apart from her novels and books on historical and social topics Margetson was a prolific author of articles on the latter subjects for such periodicals as ''

History Today ''History Today'' is a history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and publishes articles of tradit ...

'' and '' Country Life''. Margetson died in London in 1992 aged 80.

Selected publications

*''Victorian High Society'', London : Batsford, 1980. *''Victorian People'', London : Batsford, 1977. *''The Long Party: High Society in the Twenties and Thirties'', London 34 Seymour Rd, N8 0BE : Gordon ndCremonesi Ltd, 1976. *''Journey by Stages: Some Account of the People Who Travelled by Stage-coach and Mail in the Years between 1660 and 1840'', Cassell, 1967. *''The Prisoners. A novel'', London : William Heinemann, 1949. *''Leisure and Pleasure in the Eighteenth Century'', London : Cassell, 1970. *''Fifty Years of Victorian London, from the Great Exhibition to the Queen's Death'', London : Macdonald & Co., 1969. *''Peter's Wife. A novel'', London : William Heinemann, 1948. *''Flood Tide and Other Stories'', Bognor Regis : John Crowther, 1943. *''Regency London'', London : Cassell, 1971. *''Three Dramatic Monologues: The Whole Truth. Dear Stephen. My Roger'', London : Samuel French, 1953 *''Miss Swinford Remembers'', London; Bognor Regis : John Crowther, 1941 *''Leisure and Pleasure in the Nineteenth Century'', London : Cassell, 1969. *''St John's Wood'', Published for the St. John's Wood Society by Home and Law, c1988.Publications of Stella Margetson
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British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

Catalogue

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Margetson, Stella 1912 births 1992 deaths People from Hampstead Writers from the London Borough of Camden Writers from the City of Westminster People from St John's Wood British non-fiction writers 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English novelists English women novelists