How it started

A week or so ago Hannah watched Edwardian Farm and decided that she would like to "do that too". Now the farm aspect of it is out of my power to organise, not being a major tv company, but I read a blog recently about a family who had a Georgian house and spent some time living as Georgians so I knew it could be done on that sort of scale. It cannot, however, be done in our home which is a mid-30s terrace. And doing it at home will be boring apparently. So this is the plan. At some point in the future, when we can afford it, we will rent (or borrow) a house from an appropriate period and spend a week living in 1908.

We have chosen 1908 for two reasons, other than that it falls between 1901 and 1910. One is that it was a year in which the WSPU became more active in their campaign for women's suffrage and started chaining themselves to railings, breaking windows etc and of course, if I am going to live in the early years of the 20th century, there can be no doubt that I will be a suffragette.

The other is that Wind in the Willows, which has long been on our "books to read" list was published in 1908 so will be our bedtime (and no doubt other times) reading material for the week.

We are very excited planning what we will need to get and doing a lot of research reading, watching and visiting. First up is probably a visit to the Geffreye Museum http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/period-rooms-and-gardens/explore-rooms/drawing-room-1910/ to have a look at what furniture etc we would have had and although we probably can't replicate this in our project, it will be helpful to know. We are also lucky enough to be near the Museum of Childhood  so can look not only at what she would have played with at that time but useful exhibitions like this http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/whats_on/exhibitions_and_displays/food_glorious_food/index.html.

We already have a couple of books from the library and are compiling lists of clothes (arrghhh, corsets!!!), toys (teddy bear, board games, hoop, paper theatre), food etc that we will need. I'm planning to use this blog to help with the planning and (after the event obviously...no internet in 1908!!!) will post the diary of our week in the past.