Mondays: drying the weekly wash in bad weather in working class London in the early 1900s

Based on childhood recollections of working class family life in north London in Edwardian times.

Drying the washing in bad weather was very different from drying the wash in good weather.

When the rain, frost or  snow came, the wet clothes had to be put in the kitchen to dry. There were a number of options: over a wooden clothes horse; pegged onto lines strung across the kitchen; and put over the fireguard of the kitchen range. The fireguard was made of strong wire mesh with a half inch strip of metal round the top and could be secured to the wall. It well and truly guarded against fire. I never think that today's ones are adequate, but I suppose they are not supposed to be functional as few people have fires.

There was also a very useful contraption which consisted of rigid horizontal wooden 'lines' which could be hauled up near the ceiling, out of the way.

Even in bad weather, though, my mother would always try to put the washing to dry out of doors. Sometimes the frost hung on all day, and the washing would come in stiff like boards. Her fingers would be white with cold. This was called hot ache and could be very painful.

This website Join me in the 1900s is also known as Join me in the 1900's and is © Pat Cryer.