My recent blog about King William III's close stool came to the notice of the Historic Royal Palaces Twitter account, who sent along a link to their YouTube video, Toilets through time (Or, a royal flush).
Wait until you hear the description of King Henry VIII's special throne. Lots of interesting information in this one, and amusement for all who enjoy scatological humor.
Thank you, Historic Royal Palaces!
One of us -- 
6 comments:
It is sad but true that I found myself fascinated by the 'arrangements' at the historic places we visited in the UK. Like Old Sarum, where the ruins of the early castle still show deep pits that were emptied out when the king was away by some poor bloke on a rope!! And the garderobes set into the walls of Bodian Castle. It is fascinating because this is the stuff that we really have in common with those people from the past and it brings history to life like nothing else!
I may not always have enjoyed my job, but it was better than being the servant who had to clean up all those chamber pots!
Imagine your mum, bursting with pride, keen to hear what your PhD thesis is about. Freud's new science? patronage in 17th century Netherlands? history of the suffragettes' shops?
No. You tell her as sensibly as you can that you will be spending the next three years researching and writing about royal arses, toilet science and the staff who looked after castle facilities :)
It has to be written of course. I had fun reading "Flushed With Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper". True story!
Lucy Worsley, the narrator of this video, has written an engaging book called If the Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home. I just posted a review of the book on my blog. She really has a talent for making history engaging and fun!
I keep wondering about those elaborately cushioned royal seats, especially in an age when sobriety was not highly prized.
What happened when they missed?
Its funny that we're so fascinated by everyone's bathroom history, but we all ended up on the throne, one way or another.
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