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

As long as the weather was reasonably fine once the washing was done, it was always dried outside in the garden. The rule of thumb seemed to be that if the pavements were dry and if there were no heavy clouds in the sky, out went the washing.

The washing was pegged onto clothes lines that were simply lengths of thin rope, slung between trees or hooks.

Each item of the wash had to be pegged in such a way that the wind would blow through it to blow out the creases. This was to make Tuesday's ironing easier. The collars of shirts would be bent taut over the line and pegged where the collar met the rest of the shirt, and pillowcases would be pegged at the open end loosely and on one side only so that they would billow out as the wind blew through them. Sheets were folded double and pegged at each end, with one side pegged taut along its whole length and the other side sagging slightly.

The pegs were what were known as "gypsy clothes pegs" because gypsies made them and came round knocking at front doors selling them. Each peg was made from two pieces of carved wood held together with a nailed-on strip of tin can.

Once the clothes were pegged into position, the lines were propped up high in the air with wooden props so as to catch the wind. A prop was a length of wood about nine feet long and an inch and a half square with a slot in the top to hold the rope. Specially made props could be bought but some women often used a suitably sawn-off trunk or branch of a small tree.

My mother and her next door neighbour would often find themselves in their gardens at the same time on Monday washday, and they would give one another cups of tea over the fence. I don't think there was time for much chatting.

When the washing was reasonably dry, it was brought in and folded. If the wind had blown the sheets or tablecloths out of shape, I had to hold them while my mother tugged them back. With her greater strength, she would often pull them out of my hands. This made her very cross, and she would say, "Haven't you got any gumption?" I only learnt later much later that gumption meant energy and commitment. Yes, I did have gumption, but I was a few stones lighter than she was.

The whites were rolled up while they were slightly damp, ready for ironing the next day, and if they were too dry my mother would sprinkle them with water first.

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