Strange But True

Strange But True

  • Inexpressibles

    The name given to the tight trousers worn by some Regency gentlemen, such as the notorious Beau Brummell and his ‘dandy’ followers,  as they showed off their leg muscles.

  • What did Victoria do first

    after her coronation in 1837?  Have a parliamentary meeting?  Have tea with all the royal dignitaries?  No – she gave her dog, Dash, a bath.

     

  • Now that’s what we call a cake!

    Victoria and Albert’s wedding cake was a colossal 9 feet wide and weighed 300 pounds.

     

  • Victorian ladies’ knickers had no middle

    Once they got all those big dresses on, they couldn’t reach their knickers to pull them down, so they could stand over a potty to wee with these on instead.

     

  • Would you wee in your dining room?

    Victorian gentlemen did! Some dining rooms (like ours) had a special cupboard to house a chamber pot so all the gentlemen could go for a wee without leaving the table (once the ladies had left the room, of course!).

     

  • The last ducking stool to be used in England

    (in 1809) can still be seen not far from us in the Priory Church, Leominster, Herefordshire. It’s huge.

     

Handy Hints

Handy Hints

  • Keeping your kettle clean

    To prevent teakettles coating with lime – put the shell of an oyster in the teakettle and the lime will adhere to it, instead of coating the sides. 1852

    As with all our historical handy hints, this is a real tip from a Victorian book. We cannot say that it’ll work and it’s up to you if you want to try!

     

  • To take mildew out of linen

    Take soap and rub it well, then scrape on some fine chalk, rub that also into the linen, lay it on the grass, as it dries, wet it a little, it will come out at twice doing. 1852

    As with all our historical handy hints, this is a real tip from a Victorian book. We cannot say that it’ll work and it’s up to you if you want to try!

     

  • Antidote against mice

    Gather wild mint, put it where you wish to keep them out, and they will not trouble you. 1852

     

    As with all our historical handy hints, this is a real tip from a Victorian book. We cannot say that it’ll work and it’s up to you if you want to try!

     

  • To remove grease from books

    Lay upon the spoon a little magnesium or powdered chalk, and under it the same; set on it a warm flat iron, and as soon as the grease is melted, it will be all absorbed, and leave the paper clean. 1852

     

    As with all our historical handy hints, this is a real tip from a Victorian book. We cannot say that it’ll work and it’s up to you if you want to try!

     

  • An insect trap

    Scoop out the inside of a turnip, scallop the edges, and place it downward in the earth. The insects will pass into it as a place of retreat through the holes, and the cucumbers, squashes, melons etc., may soon be clear of them.  1852

     

    As with all our historical handy hints, this is a real tip from a Victorian book. We cannot say that it’ll work and it’s up to you if you want to try!

     

  • To clean gilt buckles, chains &c.

    Dip a soft brush in water, rub a little soap on it, and brush the article for a minute or two, then wash it clean, wipe it, and place it near the fire till dry, then brush it with burnt bread finely powdered. 1823

     

    As with all our historical handy hints, this is a real tip from a Victorian book. We cannot say that it’ll work and it’s up to you if you want to try!

     

Victorian Children

Victorian Children

Victorian Toys Resources for Teachers

Toys are a fantastic way to learn more about the Victorians. You can find out what children liked to do, what they looked like and how they used their toys…

More

Victorian Children

Victorian school days resources for teachers

What was it like being a Victorian child at school? Did they learn the same things as us? What did they dress like? What did they play in their breaks?  …

More

Victorian Children

Playground games

Out in the playground there were plenty of games to entertain. Games with balls, marbles and tops were all popular (see The Judge’s Lodging’s Victorian Toys – Resources for Teachers)….

More

Victorian Children

Subjects

In this section you will find some pages from notebooks belonging to children from Presteigne. You will also find a school report. 1. School Report: Although lessons mainly concentrated on…

More

Victorian Children

Study Materials

Cymraeg1. Slate & pencil: Using a slate in class was an easy and cost-effective way to write and draw. The pencils were also made of slate and the board could…

More

Victorian Children

School Photographs

Prior to the 1860s, children learned their ‘3Rs’ by attending a ‘private adventure school’ for, at most, one or two years in their early childhood. Presteigne had five or six…

More

Victorian Children

Clothes & Shoes

Victorian children’s clothes often made them look like miniature adults. Here you can see the ‘best’ clothes of a little boy and girl, which would have been worn when visitors…

More

Victorian Children

Scrapbooks

Scrapbooks were a favourite pastime of Victorian children. They could be used to collect pieces from newspapers, adverts, fashion pictures, postcards, poems, drawings, pressed leaves and art projects in. Their…

More

Victorian Children

Toy Theatres

Victorian children enjoyed trips to see pantomimes. At home they would recreate the excitement by using table-top toy theatres to perform plays for their friends and family. Toy theatres could…

More

Victorian Children

Picture Blocks

Used both for construction and as a type of three dimensional jigsaw, these block are hollow, made from thin pieces of wood covered with paper pictures. In the classroom: How…

More

Victorian Children

Jigsaws

There are two jigsaws from the 1880s: ‘How jolly it is to be at the seaside’ and ‘Skipping-time comes after lesson-time’. Jigsaws have always been used as educational toys, helping…

More

Victorian Children

Marbles

The two types of marble shown here are glass and clay. Glass marbles were expensive as they had to be made by hand. If you look at a modern glass…

More

Victorian Children

Outdoor games

Outdoor games Here, you can see three different wooden whipping tops. The drawings show a top with its whip and boys playing in a ring, seeing whose will spin the…

More

Victorian Children

Indoor Games

Books of games to be played outdoors or at home were very popular. This game of ‘Head, Body and Legs’ comes from The Modern Playmate – A Book of Games,…

More

Victorian Children

Tin Train

Toys that show transport have always fascinated children. Models of horses and carts gave way to toy trains as the excitement of the railway came to Britain, allowing people, for…

More

Victorian Children

Pedlar Doll

English pedlar dolls were faithful replicas of street traders (hawkers) who were a common site in London and other large cities. Their clothes accurately represented that of the working-classes at…

More

Victorian Children

Dolls

The two dolls shown here are an excellent way to see the difference between what rich and poor girls would have had to play with. The large doll has a…

More

Victorian Children

Parlour Games

The Human Alphabet Cut out squares of card and attach a cord, long enough to go over a child’s head, to the top corners (it should hang down like a…

More

Subscribe to our
newsletter
Subscribe