Houses

A session around houses/homes brought up the following discussion points;
Bedrooms and beds; children shared beds 3 0r 4 in a double bed sleeping head to toe.
Toilet facilities were outside often at the bottom of the garded or across the yard, not flushing toilets but a hole in the ground with a board over to sit on in some cases. Toilet paper was sheets of torn up newspaper hanging on a nail in the toilet door. at night often a 'potty' was kept under the bed and emptied in the morning. This thought horrified the young people in the group.
There were no bathrooms, a bath was a tin bath put in front of the fire and filled with hot water which had to be boiled on the stove or on the fire, there was no running hot water. One bath full of water would do the whole family! Again the young people were horrified - they just couldnt imagine life without showers or hot water straight fom the tap.
Coal fires were the means of heating and also often cooking. Kitchen sinks were white ceramic large and deep.
There were no automatic washing machines, washing was done by hand in a big tub then wrung out using a mangle (explained by an elderly gentleman as two rollers and a handle, he told a story about getting his fingers squashed in the mangle).
There were no fridges, food was bought fresh and not saved very often. Vinegar and salt were used as preservatives. Houses had a 'larder' to store any food (a small room adjoining the kitchen) usually with a marble slab to keep foods cool.