Rotherham

Mr. Straw's House is part of the National Trust, a charity that cares for nature and historical sites in the UK. William Straw was the owner of a grocery store in town.

At first, the couple and their two sons lived in a flat above the store. They bought this house in 1923 and Mrs. Straw redecorated. After Mr. Straw died suddenly in 1932, as a sign of mourning and respect, nothing was changed, not even the calendar page!

The older son William Jr, moved back after their mother died 7 years later, to take care of the property, grow and can vegetables, and cook for himself and brother Walter, who ran the business. The bachelor sons lived here for the rest of their lives, They didn't modernize, and didn't replace anything that they didn't have to.

Everyone in the family had collections, and they are still in place, some on display but many (such as 3000+ books, 300+ postcards, 2000+ magazines, countless newspaper clippings, etc.) in spare rooms, in bottoms of wardrobes, under beds, etc. So this house is "frozen in time", and really shows what life was like in the 1930s.Read more