Out in the Cold

[Staff Writer]

This week Alan took his family to stay a stone-built cotttage in the windswept Lancashire hills.

Without any central heating or mains water, Alan got to thinking about how cold it must have been for the rural poor in previous centuries. The village is now an attraction for walkers and day trippers but rural idylls were rather illusory back in the Victorian era. And although much of the scholarly attention is given to city slums, Alan points out that many villages also had shocking mortality records.

Have you ever stayed in a cottage that's transported you to another century?

Did it offer you any insights into how our forebears lived?

Was it a worthwhile experience?

Click [link=http://www.bbcwhodoyouthinkyouare.com/localhistory.php]here[/link] to read the blog and have your say below

[noseyoap]

Hello there,
Must tell you about my experience although it has not involved an overnight stay. My grandfather was born in 1875 in one of the camps set up for men building the Ribblehead viaduct, it was called Sebastapol, so we decided to visit. Although there is not much remains of the camps it was unbelievable to see where they actually lived - it was so bleak. We learnt quite a bit about their way of life from a small museum at the Ribblehead station, the shacks they lived in must have been so cold as the wind blows from all directions over the moors. The life seemed so hard especially for the women bringing the children up, I really felt respect for my great grandmother she must have had a very hard life and she seemed to follow my great grandfather on other jobs he had as a mason. It really moved me visiting the area.
Pat

[Staff Writer]

Thanks for that noseyoap.

That visit, and the museum, sounds like a great way to get a better understanding of the world your ancestors experienced .

Your forebears must have been a pretty hardy sort and, although they endured hardships, it must have been an amazing project to have been involved in.

Every time you pass that beautiful viaduct you must be very proud.

Has anyone else got any stories about visiting the homes were their ancestors once lived, or perhaps their places of work?