Victorian Parlour

This room depicts a typical middle-class home of the 1870's.

The Victorian era was a period of invention and innovation. Advances in technology, transport and manufacturing changed the face of Britain forever. There were also improvements in health, sanitation and education. The Victorian home provided a sanctuary from this rapidly changing world.

The parlour or drawing room was the main room of the house. It was here that a Victorian lady spent most of her day. Until the 1880's, the only career path open to middle-class women was marriage only poor women worked for a living. With servants to do all the housework Victorian ladies had a life of constant leisure. They read, sewed, played music and entertained. Life was a constant round of social calls.

The parlour is very dark by modern standards. Daylight was barely permitted to enter the room. Sunlight was not thought beneficial for either the furnishings or the occupants of a house. Large white lace curtains completely covered the windows with heavy curtains on top.

The furnishings and decoration contributed to the gloomy appearance of the room. Walls and woodwork were painted in dark colours and dark wooden furniture was very fashionable. The room was seriously over-furnished with a mixture of styles and materials. There was no definite arrangement. The only aim appeared to be to cover as much of the floor space as possible. Items were placed here and there at different angles to each other and the walls. Every surface was littered with cloths, mats, books, vases, trinkets and ornaments. Domes were a particular favourite, and contained anything from stuffed birds to family silver.

Most parlours contained at least one prized Aspidistra plant, whose leaves were polished daily. It was one of the few plants that could survive in the dark and airless atmosphere.

The room was not complete without a piano. Families gathered around the piano as we gather in front of the television today. Every person had their own party piece for family gatherings or dinner parties. Ladies would withdraw to the parlour after dinner to gossip, while the gentlemen remained in the dining room to smoke and drink. A gentleman would never smoke in female company. The party would then rejoin around the piano to sing and play well into the night.