There were some things we just couldn't do genuinely, which included cooking, some lighting and the type of decor/furniture. The house is the right age, but obviously decorated in nice, light, airy and neutral 21st century style. It is also, of course, plentifully supplied with 21st century items like washing machines and dishwashers (we didn't use these), tvs, playstation and a cross trainer. We didn't really use those either, although allowed ourselves to watch the Got to Dance live final on the Sunday night. We did use the range-style cooker, imagining wood instead of electricity and gas. We re-positioned the fridge as some kind of cold storage. My aunt's house, built in the 1930s,retained its pantry and she was able to use it for cold storage very effectively (it was,even in summer, chilly in there and in winter, really cold!). For lighting, we knew that a house of this type would have had gas lights so we lit small lamps where possible to create the effect of dim gas lamps and did not use the overhead lighting except in the dining room, where the bulb was a low-enough wattage to pass muster and the light fitting was a very approriate chandelier. In the kitchen, where the ceiling spotlights could not be anything other than modern electric light, we used candles.
We imagined ourselves as a lower middle class family, not overly wealthy, but not poor. This got me out of doing some of the heavier housework like cleaning floors as we would have had a maid-of-all-work. I suppose she would really have done the cooking as well, but as she didn't exist and we had to eat, I did my own cooking. I wanted to be the kind of woman who had the leisure time for causes and who joined the WSPU.
Anyway, the next few entries are my diary from 1910. Enjoy.
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