I am starting this project by looking into the history of my own home, I want to see the different types of people who have lived there, how they has changed over time and what this can tell me about East London. I live in a very typical victorian terrace house on a street of identical houses.
I began researching and found a selection of people who had lived in my house on the census, however they are only available up until 1911. Finding out what jobs the people had can tell me a lot about their class.
I found it interesting to learn that in 1881 the family living in my house had a servant suggesting they were quite well off, this would definitely have been reflected in their decor. They would have been the first people to live in the house so it would have been in perfect condition and potentially could have been seen as quite modern at the time.
People often use their homes to show off their wealth, although people are still house proud nowadays there is less pressure to maintain a spotless or formal home, this is probably to do with how women roles have changed, none of the women listed on the census had jobs instead they would have been housewives, their home was part of their reputation.
I want to explore domestic spaces, these spaces are places we spend a lot of our time and often are filled with things reflect our identities and the time we live in. the rooms within my house will have dramatically changed throughout its time.
Freya's Blog 