Category Archives: Friday feature

Posts featuring the lighter side of late 19th/ealy 20th century life

The gentle art of sandwich making

What are you having for lunch today?  A sandwich, by any chance?  Ham or cheese, perhaps?  How boring! Recently I came across a handy little booklet published in 1924 by Country Life magazine and enticingly called Portable lunches [1924.7.2746].  The … Continue reading

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Curing yourself of the smoking habit

You may or may not be aware that last month was the Department of Health’s official stop smoking month, it was Stoptober. This blog is for all of you who struggled all month but failed to kick the habit. It’s … Continue reading

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Fine china

Ooh, lovely, a Royal Doulton china catalogue, I thought as I picked this up. Then I opened it and realised that well, it’s not the sort of china you put roses in … In fact, it’s called a Catalogue of … Continue reading

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Tarzan – a Romance of the Jungle

This is a remarkable and sensational book, which tells the story of a young English aristocrat who, born on a desert island, learns from the apes the dread secrets of the forest. The adventures which befall him, his perils and … Continue reading

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Drummond’s Tracts

  Drummond’s Tract Depot was based in Stirling, and during the late 19th and early 20th centuries produced thousands of religious tracts and booklets. They were aimed at both adults and children and were printed on cheap, coloured paper, sometimes … Continue reading

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Summer holidays

With the August  bank holiday approaching, I couldn’t resist this brochure advertising sunny Eastbourne (Sussex) in 1922. Looking at the brochure, I’ve been planning my ideal day at the seaside as it would have been then. Trains from Victoria station in London took less … Continue reading

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Diaries

  Before the personal organiser and the smartphone everyone had a diary, and in the early 20th century they came in all shapes and sizes. As well as ordinary diaries, specialist diaries were produced for everyone from clergymen to motorists … Continue reading

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Indoor Games for Awkward Moments

I don’t think anyone would disagree that summer has been a bit of a washout so far. If yourself and friends or family are feeling a bit bored during a rainy afternoon or damp weekend, I recently came across a book … Continue reading

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Royal celebrations

  The Queen’s diamond jubilee is finally here, and if you want inspiration for a celebration over this weekend, I can assure you there’s no better place to start than this firework sales catalogue from James Pain & sons (pyrotechnists) … Continue reading

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Is there an app for that?

It may be difficult to understand now, but there was a time when there was no such thing as an iphone and we didn’t have apps to help us get through the day. At the start of the twentieth century people … Continue reading

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