As it's National Poetry Day, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on Byron. The celebrity cult of Lord Byron began while he was still alive, boomed when he died, and still continues today. He remains an object of fascination, scandal, and appeal. I've been interested in him since I first read about him in a "Famous People" encyclopaedia. It was a children's book, so it did not explore the more infamous aspects of his life. But it was enough to inspire me to delve further into research on the man and the myth - including the puzzle of the mirror . Ultimately, Byron went on to become a major inspiration for my first published book Day's Dying Glory , right down to its title. His early poems (generally my favourite ones) feature heavily in the book, and I enjoyed weaving in lines and references which Byron-fans would spot where others might not even notice them. Poets and poetry have inspired hundreds of writers. It is fascinating that language can be so power...
There are so many things we have today which were almost beyond imagination in the past. This has been particularly brought home to me this week as I'm making a few trips to our county town (more than 100 miles away), and because we lost the internet which brings home just home much we use it! Technology certainly has its benefits!
In fact, looking around the room (and this is a comparatively old-fashioned room) as I'm writing this, there are so many things we take for granted which would simply not have existed even a couple of hundred years ago. You can, of course, discount anything which uses electricity and, more interestingly, all of the paperback books - of which there are hundreds - and none of the MDF bookcases either. There would have been no photographs, although there may well have been paintings and sketches of the people in them.
But it's not just about taking away what is here now. It's also about what we have lost since then. Rooms needed lighting, and there were many different ways of doing this, from candles to lamps, using resources such as tallow and whale blubber, to more sustainable (and expensive) alternatives including beeswax and butter. The fire, of course, has been the centre of human homes since we were in caves, but the fuel being burnt here would traditionally have been peat, not coal or wood.
Soft furnishings, too, would have been different. Furniture was hand-crafted and provided a unique appearance. Soft seats were often stuffed with horsehair or straw, dependant on cost, and cushions were stuffed with feathers. Upholstery flourished in the Middle Ages with many earlier cultures using stone or wooden seats and softening them which cushions or blankets. Door curtains were amongst the earliest use of soft furnishings, sometimes replacing internal doors altogether. They were not printed, but were often woven wool or tapestry. Interior doors were not often a consideration for poorer people.
Things we take for granted, such as books and ornaments, would have been treasures in the past. Reading was not as universal as it is nowadays, and it was not commonplace to have so many in your house. Perhaps on that we are sadly regressing once more, for very few people compared to when I was a child now have more than a selection of books. There would have been fewer ornaments in most homes, but they might still have represented places visited (such as pilgrim badges) or have been hand-crafted gifts for a loved one. Whittling was a skill often handed down from father to son rather than taught in an apprenticeship.
So, all things considered, even our old-fashioned living room would have been significantly different 200 years ago. For a site which was been occupied for more than 1,000 years, just imagine all the different evolutions of the rooms... It is almost as impossible to imagine as today's must have been for the people who lived in them!
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