Interior decoration in the 1920s

Sound clip in English of Mabel Kennedy talking about interior decoration in the 1920s.

Courtesy of Mrs Mabel MacArthur

Mabel Kennedy talks to Dr John Holliday in October 1998 about the interior decoration of the house at Main Road Farm in Balephuil where she lived until she went to work in service in Glasgow in 1926.

The floors of the house were made of concrete although, at that time, some must still have been beaten earth and clay. Earthen floors were considered warmer for children’s feet than concrete or flagstones and were kept clean by a sprinkling of shell sand every day except Sunday.

The walls inside were painted twice a year with whitewash made from seashells. The difficulty and expense of obtaining household goods on a remote Hebridean island encouraged the resourcefulness of the local people who would make do with the materials to hand.