I visited Back to Backs, a reconstruction of the domestic and working lives of four families in a block of terraced back to back houses on the Birmingham stop of the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour. There are houses/working premises from different periods, illustrating life from the 1840s, the 1870s, the 1930s and a tailors workshop from the 1970s.

1840s house; photo taken with permission of National Trust

The National Trust have made the properties as authentic as possible with real coal fires, gas lighting, kitchen tables set out ready for cooking or eating and clothes hanging around the bedrooms. Many people worked from home in trades such as glass eye and clock hand manufacture and their work benches are laid out with their tools in various locations around their homes.

What came across to me was how cramped living and working conditions were in the past compared to what we’re used to now. Even families with eight children would need to squeeze in lodgers to make enough money to survive. It must have been hard to concentrate on intricate work with kids running around and the clattering of food preparation.

Then there’s the issue of the communual toilet facilites, as flushing toilets were only introduced around the 1930s. Each family would be assigned a specific day for use of the wash house to do that weeks laundry and if it happened to be raining that day you’d be in trouble. The families would have to collect their water from the pump/tap in the courtyard.

There’s also an exhibition area where you can watch videos and read more about the lives of the families who lived in the courtyard and how the life of Birmingham residents has changed over time.

I enjoyed my visit to Back to Backs as it does evoke a feeling of glimpsing into lives of real families, much more so than reading about it in a history book or even seeing a documentary or historical drama on TV.

You can only see Back to Backs on a guided tour, so it’s best to phone in advance to book a time slot.

Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour sponsored by