The 1900 House

September 22, 1999

We go behind-the scenes to find out how an ordinary terraced house in the shadow of the Millennium Dome was transformed into a time machine and why the Bowlers were selected

September 23, 1999

In Somerset, the Bowlers indulge in a last supper of junk food before saying goodbye to 1999 and hello to life in 1900

September 30, 1999

The Bowlers wake up to their first morning in the 1900 house. There is no water, potties need emptying and the milk has gone off. The dream is over.

October 7, 1999

It is a week since the Bowlers began their time travel experience. But no one has had a decent bath. The range cooker, which should provide hot water, hasn't produced a drop.

October 14, 1999

After four weeks of the drudgery of a Victorian level of housework, Joyce comes up with a 1900 solution: finding a servant to do the dirty work, as most women in her position would have done a hundred years ago.

October 21, 1999

A newcomer arrives at the house as Elizabeth, their new "maid of all work' starts domestic service. Scrubbing, washing, ironing, carpet beating, black-leading the range - all for 4d a day.

October 28, 1999

The arrival of the maid has given Joyce the freedom to investigate the history of the suffragette movement. But the more she learns about the battle for women's rights, the worse she feels about employing a maid.

November 4, 1999

eriment in living history to investigate how radically our lives have been changed by technology, a modern family swap the luxury of 1999 for a life of urban Victorian domesticity A night out at a Music Hall is a great success but proves a rude introduction to the seedy world of Victorian London

December 28, 1999

After three months of living in the past, the Bowlers' Victorian odyssey is coming to an end. Before they leave, they decide to throw a party for their friends and neighbours.

December 28, 1999

The Bowlers reflect on the highs, lows and unforgettable moments of their three month living-history experiment.