A popular embroidery stitched by Victorian maiden aunts displayed the motto ‘Cleanliness is Next to Godliness’. Samplers were often framed and hung on a parlour wall. The words encapsulated an age-old idea that to keep oneself and one’s home spick and span was a sign of moral virtue, while to live in a mucky, slovenly…

In the Disney version of Aladdin, the hero woos the Princess Jasmine by taking her on a magic carpet ride. Defying gravity, wind-resistance and the laws of aerodynamics they swoop past the Pyramids of Egypt and the Parthenon of Athens, all in the time it takes to sing a schmaltzy love duet. Although Disney had…

Two hundred years ago London was a filthy, stinking place. Its rapidly expanding population was putting huge strain on the capital’s resources. The city at the heart of an empire was growing economically too, but with affluence came effluent. The way Londoners traditionally disposed of their waste was primitive in the extreme. Rivers such as…

Ironing is a chore that not many of us enjoy doing and seems to never end. But with all of the modern appliances we have these days, the job is a lot easier than it used to be! Before the modern iron was invented, the task was not so simple. China The process of ironing…

When life for everyone in Europe was nasty, brutish and short, in the years before electricity, urban comforts and central heating, Spring came as a great relief. For long dark months the whole family had been cooped up in a small earth-floored, straw-roofed and windowless building. In the centre was a small fire reeking smoke…

The traditional besom had two uses, at least in the hands of a witch. She could use it to sweep the dirt floor of her hovel or she could fly on it over the mountains to meetings of her coven. It is difficult to imagine the besom’s more hi-tech and efficient successor, the vacuum cleaner,…

The ostentatious limousine pulls up and out steps the starlet. As the cameras flash, she flashes her smile and diamonds and slowly walks towards the cinema for the premiere of her latest movie. Every inch of the way she is on show. This moment has taken hours of preparation, with her stylist, publicists and hairdressers…