Lady May Abel Smith

Getting around

Horses ruled the early 1900s streets

Before World War One, horses dominated town streets, pulling everything from carriages and taxicabs to delivery carts and buses.

At the table

High Bread Consumption

Bread was a staple for urban families, with some large households consuming as many as sixty loaves a week.

What people wore

Domestic servants' uniform requirements

Female domestic servants were required to purchase their own uniforms, which consisted of striped cotton dresses for morning chores and a black dress with a white cap and apron for afternoon duties.

Music

Concertina music at village festivals

In the early 20th century, concertinas were widely used at house dances, village festivals, and in pubs, where dancers might even perform on farm wagons. Collectors sometimes had to be stationed at doors to ensure dancers paid the musicians, as collecting fees became harder with the popularity of round dances.

Daily life

Water was often collected from outside taps

Many homes lacked running water, requiring families to collect it from an outside tap shared with neighbours and heat it on the stove for bathing.