The 1940s House: The Kitchen

IWM Senior Historian Terry Charman tours IWM London's 1940s House (closed January 2012) and speaks about life in wartime Britain for the typical family.

[maarontaylor]

I inherited my Grandmother's house which was built in 1908. A few amenities I preserved while renovating such as the doors, door knobs, pocket slider doors, walnut wood floors, baseboards, and the wood decorated framing throughout the interior of the house, the built in pantry cabinets, the dual converted electric from gas light fixtures flanking the original Rookwood fireplace, the old medicine cabinets and bathroom tub, and cathedral windows in the attic. These old houses have character worth reviving and have absorbed many souls worth communicating. A civilization can only communicate its spirit by the artistry and architecture left behind.

[Sennmut]

We have it so easy, today. Windows into the past like this are important.

[DevSodDribble]

Having been born in 1974, I've been in homes that weren't much different from this, just with more modern stuff like a fridge or a TV set. Even in my lifetime, people haven't necessarily always redecorated or renovated their homes constantly, and furniture/fixtures were built to last.

[brooksanderson]

In the 40s I lived in an old Victorian (read "Munster") house in Upstate New York. Winters were cold -30F and colder. Water in bedroom drinking glasses would freeze. It had a 20ft X 20ft kitchen, an icebox, a coal stove and water in 5gal bottles. It was the warmest room in the house. Meals were "made from scratch" And, took hours to prepare. The men did the outdoors and"hard" work like shoveling coal into the furnace, but, the women worked longer hours. Late spring, summer, and early fall were nice but, winter was brutish, espesially for a kid walking two miles each way to school. The "good old days" where pneumonia or polio could kill you wern´t so nice.

[cavdragoon]

A different breed of people who knew the true meaning of sacrifice and dealt with it while staying positive. The likes we shall never see again.

[howisyourpeterbilt]

When I was a kid, there was an Ice Box; the Ice Man would come by, and put a big block of Ice in it.

[alicedevens]

Looks beautiful..my dad was born in 1938 and he tells us at 80yrs. Old how he lived is real neat, but sad..god bless everyone who lived threw this time...i love u daddy..

[whgdqje]

👍 I love the design of the old days many decades before I was born. Now I understand why I love so much vintage design. 😀 I miss the nativity and the simplicity of the good old days before I was born. 💐 🌞 Efrat Israel.🍍

[gabye.]

My mom got her first fridge in the mid 80's...we had to walk outside to the outhouse ( a tiny she'd with a hole beneath to drop the urine and feces, and a potty above where you seat)
I pushing 40 now, but I remember been so poor and luckily we had potable water, but we took showers outside with a hose(cold water)
My house now is pretty comfy and I wouldn't go back in time, for the life of me, all in all this nostalgia some people have is because they never experience living under those conditions...
Love the antiques but love modern world more.

[yasminbarry]

I live in the southern hemisphere. I can assure you that this kitchen would be considered state-of-art in most of the homes I

[zzydny]

Love this kitchen! It would suit me just fine.

[margaretpepper]

That was my mum's kitchen in the late 40's !! I recall the Butler sink vividly....so many memories....all now museum

[angharadceridwen]

Try looking for Back in Time for Dinner, a BBC documentary about what British consumed in each decade started from the 40s. It's a great documentary series.

[annabellesinger]

It's so interesting to learn about the past!

[momofmomof]

The kitchen featured is a "museum" of sorts now, and back in the day most of these items shown would have been put away and not out like they are in the picture. Soap and water and some elbow greaser is all it really takes to get anything normal clean. We are so inundated with too many products today that just are not necessary. My parents were born in the 1920's and 30's and they had nice homes to live in, yes there was rationing, and they worked with it. If you find old cook books you will see many recipes of the 30s and 40s using what was available. Those who could grow food, or lived on farms did well.

[timothysuppera]

I think that even today half the people in the world not fortunate enough to have a kitchen like the one you are showing. Britain must remain proud of itself. In fact Britain has taught the world the meaning of the word kitchen.

[HolyFreakinDragonSlayer]

I still have my grandparents ration books and a few other things. I'd like to maybe donate them to a museum if possible

[elyb]

We have more materially, but we've lost a great deal more on another level. Our spirits suffer for the loss. It's a shame.

[mindrolling]

We still use a carpet sweeper regularly. They do an excellent job!

[PetraYT]

Looks perfect to me. Put in a washing machine, an electric kettle and a toaster, done.