How We Lived

I like visiting museums of how we lived many years ago the Black Country One At Dudley is a favourite and i also like the Back To Back Houses In Bham.,I think its fascinating looking how people lived outside toilets no washing machines or dryers life was very hard for the woman of the home..

Re: How We Lived

Re: How We Lived

Re: How We Lived

It was very hard for the ladies many years ago, no luxury items like we have today, just continuous, exhausting work.

Those pictures remind me so much of my grandmother's house.

Re: How We Lived

Me too Mags I spent some time living with my Great Aunt and her house was just like that.

One thing though, many houses were very clean and washing not just washed but boiled. I was listening to an item on the radio the other day about some of the washing these days being filled with harmful bacteria because people wash their towels and underclothes at too low a temperature encouraged by the detergent manufactures who say their products can be used at 30degrees.

Re: How We Lived

Terrific pictures Callumsmum, they bring back memories of my dear old Grandmother, she had to do all the washing by hand, cook, darn socks, shop around for the cheapest stuff, manage what little money there was, etc. etc.. She always had a smile and seemed to enjoy it, funny enough. Thanks for sharing the old ways.

Re: How We Lived

Oh Mary darlin' those photos bring back so many memories for me - particularly the one of the hearth. My Grand mother had one exactly like that, except that she also had a shell and a shell casing which she filled with sand and used as her ash tray. As a kid I used to play with that 'shell'. After she died we discovered that the shell was 'live' - a 6" Naval shell which had it exploded would have taken out the entire terrace block where she lived. The shell we think was a souvenir from her WW1 work in Woolwich arsenal. We have no idea how she managed to smuggle it out of the factory. My 'Nan' had been a suffragette, and had taken part as a child 'worker' in the Bryant & May Match factory industrial dispute late in the 19th Century. My Dad (George) used to have a photo of 'Nan' on the picket line at Bryant & May laying about this Policeman with her rolled umbrella.

I took after my 'Nan' - being a 'rebel' all my life, have taken part in many industrial disputes: was at Saltley Coke depot during the Miners strike, was at Cheltenham (GCHQ) when Thatcher (phth, phth, phth) banned Trade Unions there, was at Wapping in support of the Print unions, attended at 'Grunwick', as well as many 'local' disputes around Brighton.

Was the the 'Battle' of Grosvenor Square (during the Vietnam war demonstrations) and many, many other demostrations including one of the first 'Aldermaston' marches against nuclear armaments.

Re: How We Lived

I don't do the low temperature wash anymore as things aren't being cleaned properly for my liking.

Thanks for the pics Mary, I find these places very interesting, if only to remind ourselves how easy we have it in this day and age.

Re: How We Lived

This museum has everything even shops rebuilt like they used to be ..
I agree about the washing lower tempretures dont get the grime out..
......

Re: How We Lived

And you can also go on the barge under the tunnels to see where the men did the mining its real damp and cold under the tunnels.