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Washing facilities for guests in early 20th century homes

In Victorian and Edwardian times, it was not considered polite to expect guests to wash themselves in the sink in the scullery the way that the rest of the family did. This page describes the special facilities that were provided for them, with no bathroom or toilet in the house.

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Extracted from the memoirs of the webmaster's mother (1906-2002) and edited by the webmaster with further research

The china wash set

Hot water for washing was provided for guests. A female family member would fill a special decorated jug with hot water from the kettle or the copper and take it up to guests in their bedrooms. They would then pour the hot water into a matching bowl which was already there on a washstand and wash themselves in privacy.

The following images show the variety of wash sets. In ordinary families, they consisted on just a matching jug and bowl, but in better-off families, they also included matching chamber pots, soap dishes, dishes for miscellanea like hair clips and slop buckets with lids to minimise the smell after use. In our house, the guest chamber pot was not matching. It was stored under the bed out of sight. A folded newspaper was used to cover the chamber pot while it was carried downstairs.

Old matching china jug and bowl for washing oneself where there was no access to a bathroom - common in the early 1900s, blue and white.

Matching jug and bowl sets

Old matching china jug and bowl for washing oneself where there was no access to a bathroom - common in the early 1900s

Old matching china flower-style jug and bowl for washing oneself where there was no access to a bathroom - common in the early 1900s.

Old matching china flower-style jug and bowl for washing oneself where there was no access to a bathroom - common in the early 1900s, flower design on white

The matching bowl was kept ready on an elegant stand. In our house it had a marble top which I very much liked.

A typical old washstand in bedrooms used by visitors in the early 1900s.

A typical washstand in bedrooms. Note the decorative matching china set of a basin, jug and soap dish. Also note the towel rail and the bucket for slops. Sketch provided by Rosemary Hampton.

Our jug and bowl set were more often used for other purposes that looking after guests. My mother used the large bowl for mixing Christmas puddings and my father used the jug for making home-made wine.

Baths for guests

If a guest had a bath with us, the copper had to be lit to provide the hot water. This then had to be carried upstairs to the bath in the offroom, where of course there was no running water. It was a dreadful bother. Most guests realised this and declined baths.

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