Miss Toward's Tenement Time-Capsule

Hello again, Blogonauts!

Today, rather than focusing on a bigger picture, let's take a narrower perspective on life in Glasgow...in fact, one particular woman's life as she lived it while dwelling in a "tenement house" during the first half of the 20th century.

First, we must meet Miss Agnes Toward (1886-1975). A native Glaswegian, her father died when she was only 3 years old, and her two sisters died in infancy. In 1911, she and her mother (a dressmaker) moved into a 4-room flat (apartment).

Her mother died in 1939, and Agnes continued to live in the flat until 1965, when ill health forced her to enter a hospital for the last decade of her life. The apartment sat shut and undisturbed until Agnes died in 1975.

So far, unremarkable.

However, Agnes had a pair of marvelous afflictions. She was highly reluctant to adopt new technologies, and she exhibited many traits characteristic of being a hoarder.

The lucky, complicated, and astonishing result is that the paraphernalia of her life, as it was lived in 1911, was kept almost entirely intact.

Touring this home is not like wandering through a lavishly furnished palace. Instead, we're treated to a vision of working class Glaswegian life from the early decades of the 20th century, as if time had stopped still.

For instance, during her entire tenancy in this flat, Agnes heated and cooked with coal. Take a look at some of the photos, where the coal would have been glowing (and smoking) in colder months.

(Note: Clicking or tapping on a photo will enlarge it and allow you to zoom in closer.)

Parlor Hearth

Kitchen coal-heated cookstove

Kitchen cabinets with coal bin door open

In addition to heating with coal, lighting in the flat was through coal gas. It was expensive, and so lamps were kept dim.

These gas lamps are supplemented now with electric light

Sleeping arrangements were rather tight. Beds were essentially a closet fitted with a mattress, both in the parlor and in the kitchen.

Bed in the parlor closet

Bed in the kitchen closet.
Note the 1935 calendar on the wall.
That's where it was found after Agnes died.

In 1960, Agnes finally allowed the flat to be fitted with electric lights & sockets. And at some point, she had a free-standing bed, although on it she placed a straw mattress, that was then topped with a horsehair mattress...both of which seemed to have been in place for years.

Her straw mattress is now lying beneath the bed

There were, of course, a variety leftover product containers, many of which were in excellent condition.

 
(Before you ask, yes, the flat had plumbing, so the kitchen had a sink and a bathroom had a toilet, sink, & tub. Sorry for the lack of photos.)

The museum has copies of many of Agnes' letters to friends and family. She was clearly not a recluse. She had trained and worked as a shorthand typist until she retired in 1960 at age 73.

By lucky circumstances, a pair of Agnes' chairs were bequeathed to Sam Davidson, one of her church's elders. When he went to collect them from the flat, he brought along his niece, Anna Davidson.

When Anna beheld the contents of the flat, even after a decade of dire neglect, she was enthralled. She arranged to buy the entire tenement, lived there for 7 years, and eventually deeded the property and the contents to the National Trust for Scotland. And today it's open daily as Glasgow's Tenement House Museum.

The entrance to the Tenement House Museum

Thanks for humoring me as I dragged you through a delightful visit to this tiny gem. My fascination isn't all that rare, though. The museum sees upwards of 20,000 visitors each year.

That's all for today! If you care to leave a comment here on the Jaunticles site, carve your name or a discernible alias along side your message, so I don't get lost in the woods of confusion.

Blog to you later!