Where I lived as a child in the Victorian-style houses of the Huxley Estate in Edmonton (now Enfield) there were three bedrooms, the smallest of which was also referred to as the off room. The sketches on the room layout plans show the arrangement.
My parents' bedroom was the largest of the three bedrooms and was at the front of the house. It had two windows, a fireplace and two built-in cupboards.
Their bedstead was iron with brass knobs and the mattress was a feather one. The bed always had a clean white cover over it, called a 'marcella'. It had a honeycomb appearance, and was edged with a white fringe. Round the lower part of the bed was a valance made of white damask which served to hide shoes as well as the chamber pot which was a necessity at night in houses such as ours with no indoor lavatory.
If you have an old photo which would illustrate the way of life that my mother describes, I would very much appreciate a copy. Pat Cryer
There was a very nice large chest of drawers made of solid wood. The top drawer was bevelled and my mother kept it polished so that it gave a lovely reflection.
The dressing table looked dainty and attractive, although it was actually an improvised affair, made of two large packing cases. It had white muslin patterned with orange and green tastefully draped over it. On top was a large rectangular mirror supported by swivel arms which could be adjusted for users of various heights.
Washstand with the customary marble top and the matching jug and bowl. In this photo, taken in the Museum of Nottingham Life, the jug and bowl set are made of enamel which would have been cheaper than decorated china.
There was also a washstand with a marble top on which resided a large toilet jug and bowl-cum-basin, a soap dish and a vase-like thing for toothbrushes. These items were for display only and for the occasional use by guests, because my parents always a washed themselves downstairs in the scullery. My mother, though, did use the bowl for making Christmas puddings and my father used the jug for his home-made wine.
There was a fireplace in the room, as there was in every room, but it was very rare indeed for it to be lit. It would have been an expense that couldn't easily be justified, particularly when the kitchen was always kept so warm and cosy. Also coal fires were extremely labour intensive. Attached to the fireplace was a shelf made of stone.
Above the fireplace hung a middle sized picture. Actually it was a bible text that remains indelibly in my brain. 'Trust and hope'.
There were two built-in cupboards which served as wardrobes, one on each side of the fireplace.
There were no curtains to pull after dark. Instead there were Venetian blinds which could be pulled down and closed tightly. They were made of wooden slats which were heavy and completely inflexible. So when they were washed, each slat had to be removed separately and washed individually with wash leather. The tapes were also washed and they were hung over the washing line in the garden to dry. The copper would not have been lit specially to heat up the water, so washing the Venetian blinds was a job which had to be fitted round other jobs which required hot water, such as the Monday wash. Once washed, the slats were dried and polished with a clean duster.
There were lace curtains at the windows though. They hung from white cornice poles on brass rings.
The floor was covered with oil cloth - a thick canvas treated with oil and other substances to make it waterproof and hard-wearing, then printed and varnished. It was prone to cracking and wearing away with heavy use, such as under the legs of the bedstead. Then the bare fibres of the canvas showed through..
The middle bedroom had two single iron bedsteads, an inset cupboard, chest of drawers, all on the same pattern as my parents' the front bedroom. There was a chair between the two beds with a candle stick on it. All three of us children slept here until my age dictated that I should go into the off room.
The third bedroom was very small, but furnished in the same way as the other bedrooms. The most significant thing about it was its large cupboard with its full-sized bath inside.
These childhood recollections from around the time of the 1911 census are of the bedrooms in a working class home in north London (then Middlesex). The recollections were written in the 1980s by my mother, Florence Edith Clarke (born Cole), and are here as a tribute to her memory and to shed light on the history of the early years of the 20th century.