1900 House

On 14 March 1999 an ordinary family embarked upon an extraordinary journey. Paul and Joyce Bowler, with their children Kathryn, Ruth, Hilary and Joe, were selected to travel back in time to the world of their great-grandparents. Their destination was a Victorian house in the suburbs of London restored to the way it would have been in 1900. The Bowler's challenge was to live for three months as a Victorian family. We all know that life has changed radically over the past 100 years, but exactly how have those changes affected our everyday lives? We may be able to visualize Victorian life, but how does it feel? What are the smells and sounds created by gas lighting? With no refrigeration, how do you keep your food fresh? What is it like going to bed by candlelight...The book draws on the Bowlers' written and video diaries, and also tells the story of the painstaking conversion of two run-down flats into a Victorian home and places this unique experiment in its historical context...