Mrs Smith in 12 Objects

To help visitors understand the character and story of Mrs Smith’s life, we want to select 12 objects which represent her best. We have asked lots of people who knew her to nominate objects and dug through the collection to find those objects that reveal how Mrs Smith lived throughout the year. These will be on display in the Visitor Centre when we reopen spanning the 12 months of the year.

We need your help to select the last object for the month of May.

Vote here for the item you think we should use to represent May

Polish and brushes

Object 1: Polish and Brushes

Mrs Smith was very house proud, her diaries provides with a record of each bit of cleaning and mending she did. When she got older she got help from friends and a series of Home Help carers. Margaret remember that ‘Every Friday the brasses all had to be cleaned. It was like a ritual.’ What also tells us a lot about Mrs Smith is that she used her old toothbrushes to clean the awkward bits; getting the last bit of use from something that has already served its purpose.

Wallpaper

Object 2: Roll of Wallpaper

Mrs Smith was keen to present her home and wasn’t afraid of new styles and fashions, as this striking wallpaper shows us. We still have receipts she kept for decorating work she had done and the renovation. This roll seems to be left over from decorating a room and she probably kept it to line the shelves of her pantry or cupboards; something she did every spring.

Glove

Object 3: Glove

This sheepskin glove started life as a smart item that Mrs Smith would have worn out to Chapel in the winter. It appears to have ended its life as the glove she used to grasp the poker for her range. She kept her range burning all through the year providing her with heat, hot water, and a means of cooking.

Vote here for the item you think we should use to represent May