Old Laundry Yields More History Than First Tought

Where I help out as a volunteer room steward, the country house concerned has opened the ‘below stairs – butlers pantry’ experience that literally goes from below the front door througha  series of service rooms and down a brick tunnell into the once huming laundery room.  The buzz of chatter has been replciated on a loop through speakers and cheery little laundry maids and ladies’ hand maids would do all their tasks according to the day of the week.  Monday was exclusively Wash Day, no ifs or buts.  Tuesday was mending, darning and ironing day.  There are photos of various maids getting stuck in with the embroidery box, maybe repairing the Mistresses cuff or similar.  Then the darning mushroom being used on what looks like a sock.   It is a wonderful chance to feel I belong to the family who owned the house – old skils that have all but died out already – we just buy new of course.