Homes long ago
History · Early Years · The School
Light without electricity
Homes long ago had no electric lights at all. People used candles. They used oil lamps. A candle gives much less light than a lamp today. Homes were much darker once the sun went down, every single night.
No fridge, no freezer
There was no fridge long ago. Food could not be kept cold the way we keep it now. People kept food in a cool room. They salted meat to make it last longer. Fresh food had to be used up fast.
Keeping warm
Homes long ago were warmed by a fire, not by radiators. One room might be warm. Other rooms stayed cold. People wore more clothes indoors, even at night, just to stay warm enough to sleep.
Getting water
Water did not come from a tap in every home long ago. Some people carried water from a well or a pump. Hot water for a bath had to be heated over a fire, one pot at a time.
One evening in a home long ago
Imagine a made-up family in a home long ago. It is bath night. First, they carry water in from the pump. There is no tap. Next, they heat the water in pots on the kitchen fire. The same fire cooks supper. It is salted meat, because there is no fridge. The fire keeps them warm, so they sit in the kitchen. When it gets dark, they light a candle. There is no light switch. One by one, they wash in a tin bath by the fire. Then the candle is blown out. Only the glow of the fire is left.