At home we’d pretty much got the new house arranged in a manner that suited us. We got to know the next door neighbours a little better because my sister played her music too loud and they paid us a visit. They seemed nice enough and I’d rather not hear my sister’s taste in music either. We went for a day out in The Peaks and got caught out in the rain which prompted Mother to buy Jane and I an umbrella each. I didn’t want an umbrella but since my raincoat doesn’t have a hood, I apparently need one. It’s one of those compact ones but at least it’s black with white spots and not purple & pink like my sisters. Our umbrellas did come in handy during week three when the April showers did what they do best, so much so that I also made sure I put a dry pair of socks in my school bag.
In my fourth week we went on a school trip to a stately home, museum and heritage centre near Darly Dale. It would have been better if there wasn’t another four or five school trips scheduled for the same day from ‘normal’ schools. I’d sort of got used to wearing my skirt, but only because all the other boys wear one too. We felt like we were as much on display as the curios in the museum as the kids from other school in other town pointed and whispered, giggled and sniggered at the boys from the sissy school. It wasn’t nice but I didn’t blame them. I’d have likely done the same back in my home town of Ashford whenever we spotted an Academy boy. Thankfully the tour around the stately home was done one school group at a time. We ate our packed lunches in the grounds, then hung around until our group was called. The tour took us through grand halls and galleries, an elegant dining room, a large lavish library, an ornate bedroom complete with a huge four poster bed. Then they showed us the tiny servants quarters and described how arduous their lives were; starting work at around 5am and working until long after 10pm with only one day off each month. The guide asked for a volunteer and several in our group put their hands up. Becky Jacobs was selected and we watched as she donned all the items of clothing and 18th century maid would wear; chemise, corset, petticoat, shirt, heavy black dress, crisp white apron and finally, a dainty lace hat. The guide stated that Becky wears the garments of lady’s maid; evident by the delicate lace on her apron. Kitchen and scullery maids wore much plainer aprons. Then the duties of a lady’s maid were described and another volunteer was asked for. A few of the girls hands went up, but Miss O’Neill suggested that one of the boys could volunteer instead of a girl. None of us did, so she chose me!
Just like Becky, I donned a chemise over my school uniform, and this was followed by a corset which Becky laced me into. I complained that it was too tight and the guide said that it’s actually quite loose in comparison to how tight they used to be worn. Next came a hooped petticoat, followed by an under petticoat, followed by a tunic, followed by an over petticoat, followed by a big heavy frock and long pair of satin gloves, followed by a thick housecoat and a hat similar to a bonnet. It all weighted a tonne and one of my classmates asked why they wore so much. “Because 18th century houses were very cold and very draughty, especially stately homes like this… they had no central heating, no double glazing, no lightweight and warm modern fabrics… in fact all they had apart from their many layers of clothing were the huge open fireplaces, which the maids would have to keep topped up with hefty buckets of logs or coal, dragged up several flights of stairs.” the guide explained.
With me dressed as an 19th century lady and Becky dressed as a lady’s maid, Miss O’Neill had us pose for a couple of photographs. I felt stupid but in retrospect, I suppose I got a real insight into the clothing aspect of 19h century life. We were eventually freed from our garments and the tour continued down to the kitchens where life beneath the stairs was described to us. The guide got some of us involved but they didn’t have to dress the part. The working farm demonstrated various agricultural tools and techniques from the era as well as shoeing a horse… all in all it was a very interesting day, the only sour point was the derision we received from the other school groups.
