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I've had a spivving afternoon, I took a trip back in time to 1939. Joanna lives in a small terraced house here in my village, and today she had an open day. I first met her a few months ago on the bus coming back from town, and immediately fell in love with her style. Her clothes were from the thirties, and her makeup and hair was in keeping with the whole thirties look. Yesterday I saw her again and she told me about the open day. I have taken lots of photo's but it will take me a while to sort them out. In the meantime, you may like to look at this web page which will give you a taste of 1939. I will add my photo's to this post when they are ready, possibly tonight.
Catch you later.
I am ready, well half ready, I will split the photo's into two or three posts, there are so many of them. I just couldn't stop clicking. There are also photo's of the Heritage Group Fun Day as well, down at the bottom pub. I will save them for later. So, this is Joanna's 1939 house. She has been mad about the thirties/forties for a long time and has been collecting memorabilia from that era, buying things from car boot sales, charity shops, and Hemswell Antiques Centre, which is a few miles south of here. Forties music was blasting out into the street when I arrived.
Entry was down the side passage, first off was the outside lavvy, ha ha, brings back memories of sitting out in the freezing cold with my knickers round my ankles. We had an outside lavvy in 1966.
Next to it is the coal hole. Also housing the garden tools.
Plenty of firewood stacked up next to the old metal dustbin. Remember those dustbins? The bin man used to grab the handle and hoist it on his back before depositing the rubbish into the lorry. No health and safety then.
These two ladies turned up, don't they look lovely.
There is a small back kitchen with a single cold tap over the sink.
The wooden clothes horse, ah yes, we had one of those when I was a nipper.
The dolly tub and washboard, no modern appliances here. This is how Joanna does her washing.
The mangle and wooden ironing board.
My mum was always mincing food. This is a beauty. The bread bin is under the table.
The fire in the range was roaring, it was sweltering in there. All the water is heated on here, for cooking, washing, and bathing.
My grandma had one of these clothes dryers. There was always something on it.
It was like being in a museum, a fascinating array of bits and bobs from many years ago.
The glass fronted cabinet with the best glass and china on display.
More friends came to help Joanna show the visitors round the house.
What wonderful photos, thank you for posting these. I'll have to look at the website tomorrow, Ilona. I love those elegant clothes, although I generally look a scruff, I like that sort of dressing if I were to dress up.
ReplyDeleteMy Mum still has that clothes airer. My friend in Newcastle has the overhead clothes airer on her landing, in her largish terrace, you can't even see it but as all the heat rises, the clothes dry very soon.
I made a compromise with my clothes drying, I don't have room for one of those but I used three curtain rails, that you can adjust, between two walls on my landing. You have to watch the weight, but it WORKS! Free drying if it is raining.
Wow! I love it All!
ReplyDeleteMy Mom had a mangle for clothes when we were kids.
She took in washing & ironing for $1.00 a basket load,
all cotton & starch at that time. lovin' your photos!
These photos all remind me of my grandma's and aunt's homes when I was small...good memories simpler times...I did manage to get my fingers in the washer wringer a time or two!
ReplyDeleteThat's fantastic! I love these "living museums". Thanks for the pics and glad that the charity sale for cats went well on the weekend.
ReplyDeleteJoyce
This is interesting...I'd be curious to know what attracted Joanna to this period of time. Several years ago, there was a television series done in the UK using a British family that had to go live in a war time house for a specified time. They had to cook, clean, grow food in their back garden and live on the rationed food of the period. It was a way of bringing history alive and also dealing with the pressing issues of the time like air raids, shelters and the 95 percent inflation that effected the price of everything in Britain. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteHello Ilona, I feel old (am 52) as I can remember most of the items in the photos from childhood, we had an outside lav complete with newspaper squares and in those days, the print came off! the coal hole, a big black range in the scullery for cooking with its two ovens, a sheilas maid, and a meat counter in the cellar, rush matting on the floor and gas lights (although these were not working). I look at those photos and realise just how hard my mam worked keeping two jobs and bringing my brovver and me up, no wonder she died young.
ReplyDelete.
Brings back some memories, how quickly we forget the old ways.
ReplyDeleteHow amazing. A living museum! I too remember many of those things from my Lincolnshire Grannie`s house.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos.The strange thing is that people living back then were all so glad when they could have hot water, inside loo, washing machines,fridge etc. No-one back then wanted to carry on with 30s 40s living when new was available.Yet we all like looking at it.
ReplyDeleteHi Ilona, that was very interesting! Loved all the photos. You mean the woman actually lives in the house full time? I noticed there was a blow dryer on the vanity. Is that hers? Or is that some other gadget? I saw that show about the family that was chosen to depict life during WWII. This reminded me of it. Does she show the house all the time like a museum?
ReplyDeleteHi KG. Yes, she lives there and dresses in costume all of the time. I have seen her out walking her dog with a dress on and wellies. She also cycles to work on an old fashioned bicycle with a basket on the front. The hair dryer is a recent purchase, it is an old bakelite one, it blows soft and gentle, not an almighty blast like the modern ones.
DeleteShe welcomes visitors any time, in fact I think she would like more, she was handing out cards to people to pass on. I can get in touch with her if anyone would like a visit. She welcomes individuals or groups. Don't mean to sound like an advert, but it is a lovely place to visit.
I have one of those wooden ironing boards in my garage!
ReplyDeleteIt's all lovely, reminds me of my Nans house.
Thats smashing but it seems a strange period to choose given the hard labour it takes to do it the 30's way but interesting just the same. I live in a victorian terraced house and i opened up a space in the back room where a range would have been just like in the 30's house but i'm going to get a woodburner. We've got an airer too which is just above a radiator, drying the clothes nicely.
ReplyDeleteDave.
Hi Dave, glad you have caught us up. Thank you for your comments on the trucking post, I read them all. I think woodburners are very popular now with the price of electricity and gas being what it is.
DeleteHi Ilona, i enjoyed your trucking tale, much more interesting than the usual RDC drivel.
DeleteTheres usually wood around in skips for woodburners and plenty of junk mail to light it with.
Hi Ilona, I have one of those overhead airers that we put up on the upstairs landing of our largish Edwardian terraced house. Using it over the winter has resulted in £138 being refunded from the Leccy company. Just shows what it has saved
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing house! Nostalgic thoughts about years gone by are evoked just brousing these pictures. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Ilona, you say you had a 'spivving' time at Joanna's house. Does that mean you were selling
ReplyDeletestockings and othet difficult to obtain wartime goods? Dave
Near us we have a 1950s all electric house museum and your post reminded me of it. I'm thankful for my indoor plumbing and yes, at my grandfather's farm, there was an outhouse to use when the electric went out, which happened frequently. I was afraid of the mud-daubers (stinging insects) who liked to take up residence inside and flew around your head when you opened the door. I remember hanging clothes up out back to dry. Our 20s son doesn't remember us not ever having an electric clothes dryer until mine died this winter. I had to resort to hanging clothes up in the doorways and it took three days for them to dry completely. It didn't take long for the guys to save up money to purchase another! LOL!
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