The Bathroom
Welcome to the Bathroom!
It’s somewhat of a myth that people in the 19th century were always dirty. In the wealthier households, people usually bathed at the washstand each day, and frequently.
Our bathroom is a very interesting room indeed. In fact, several of the items were brought in from the bush to become a feature in Newstead House.
From the bush to the city
You’d be right in thinking that our bathroom is not necessarily set up the way it would have been back in the Harris’ era, starting with the fact that there are three bathtubs.
These have been included to show the evolution of bathing, from washstands to bathtubs. The sabot or slipper bath is a design commonly used during this period. The one displayed is c1890.
The porcelain bathtub surrounded by cedar panels is c1870. It was found on a farm and was being used as a horse trough before being relocated to Newstead House. The cedar panels were retrieved from the chicken coup. It’s certainly a talking point.
The third tub is a hip bath, which would have been what the Harris family used back in their time.
The house was not plumbed, so the bathtub would have needed to be filled manually by the household staff.
What was in this room?
Scroll through the 1890 auction catalogue below to find out what was in this room.
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3 Adjacent Rooms
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