Old-style 1923

trailingspouse

I've just added to my collection of Mrs Beeton books. In the 1923 edition the author (not Mrs Beeton, she died in 1865!!) begins to imagine what a truly labour-saving house would be like (this was a time when, following the 1st World War, servants were in short supply and women who previously might have had servants were having to mange with fewer, or none, and therefore were having to do more of the housework themselves).

So, written 91 years ago -

'Some day, perhaps, the dream of every labour-saving housewife may be realized. Then we shall see a house with kitchen and scullery combined, the walls white-tiled, and the floor of some rubber composition, soft to the feet, and easy to keep clean. There will be no decorative and unnecessary mouldings or fittings on which dust would collect; walls, floor and ceiling will be swilled down with a hose, a drain in one corner carrying off the water. Fittings and furniture will be of white enamel and as compact as possible, the table-top and sink will be of porcelain, and adjustable to the height of the worker. To economize space, the dresser and cupboards will be built into the wall, and will have glass doors so that articles may be found at a glance. Coke or gas will provide a constant hot-water supply, gas or electricity will cook, electricity will wash up, clean metal ware, grind coffee, peel potatoes; in fact, do all the drudgery.'

It goes on, imagining that every bedroom will have hot and cold water, a gas fire or electric radiator, a cooker, boiler and toaster, a telephone and an electric clock. There will be electric vacuum cleaners and sweepers, and no basement kitchens.

Apart from cookers and toasters in the bedroom, and swilling down the kitchen with a hose, I think pretty much all of this is now available and reasonably commonplace. In fact, re the 'rubber composition' on the kitchen floor, we seem to have moved on from 'cushion flooring' and back to tiles!! We've come a long way in 91 years (although I've always thought I would be able to find work for a housemaid if one was available...)

nursemaggie

Well I had the hose down floor in the kitchen and bathroom back in the sixties in Singapore. Just a shower room really what we would call a wet room now.

You would not want it. We had enormous cockroaches coming up out of the grill. When going into either after dark. We would put the light on and wait for them to scatter back down the grill or they would be running over your feet. Makes me shudder even now.

I think I could still find plenty for a housemaid to do.

Brambleberry

In my copy of Every Home Should Have One, there is an article about the servantless house, all designed to make cleaning and management as easy as possible, also written in 1923.

The picture of the house is beautiful and if I were building my own from scratch, I could do far worse than start there. Every detail is considered and explained in terms of how it saves labour but it doesn't look utilitarian at all.

As for Mrs Beeton, the household management guidance she gives is fascinating, but exhausting just to read!

arbrighton

trailingspouse wrote: »

In fact, re the 'rubber composition' on the kitchen floor, we seem to have moved on from 'cushion flooring' and back to tiles!! We've come a long way in 91 years (although I've always thought I would be able to find work for a housemaid if one was available...)

We've just had vinyl put down throughout downstairs, different effects but practical, easy to clean, works with the underfloor heating (what WOULD they make of that??) and perhaps more importantly for clumsy folk like me, you have half a chance of recovering something you drop on the floor