The 1900 house

One thing you have to know about me. I’m a closet historian. Secret geek.

I love to learn anything about the past – whether that be Tudor, Victorian or Edwardian, I try my best to soak up every fact and quote of the times. Guess I just find it fascinating what life was really like for our parents and grandparents growing up, and further back still. My Auntie is convinced we have traced our family tree back so far we have royal blood flowing through our veins! Good to know…

To satisfy my history craving at the moment though I’ve been watching ‘The 1900 House’ on 4od. It was actually shown on Channel 4 over 10 years ago, but as a child I used to love it. So it was time for me to re-live it all again but actually understand more what was going on. Well I was 9 with the first broadcast, as so was one of the family members who moved in, Joe.

Things that stood out for me that was synonymous with the era of the time was the ‘cut throat razor’, ‘the range’ and the family struggling to get running hot water. Some of the many arduous tasks typical Victorian families had to suffer with.

The Bowler family that took part made it so fun to watch, probably because they felt familiar and reminded me of the last time I watched it. They were in the renovated, gas lamped, dark Victorian terraced home for three months, which is all captured in a 10 part episode, big brother style.

Probably the funniest part of the whole thing was watching them ‘get back to modern life’ with their cd players, chunky windows computers and landline phones. Just going back 10 years is enough difference, let alone 100.

Apparently the family now are living in New Zealand for a bit. Already tried finding them on Facebook.

Mind you, here’s a great little spoof on the whole project here, The 1980’s House with the Fat Boy Slim family…

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