Hidden Killers of the English Home

From the food they ate to the clothes they wore, the Victorians were surrounding themselves with killers. What made taking a bath and drinking milk potentially so dangerous? And how did the Victorian woman turn herself into a walking fire hazard?

What new innovation killed thousands of babies? And what turned the domestic haven into a ticking time bomb? In a genuine horror story, Dr Suzannah Lipscomb reveals the killers that lurked in every room of the Victorian home.

The dawn of the 20th century ushered in an era of fresh inventions and innovations: Electricity, refrigeration and many other materials promised to make life easier and more convenient. But lack of understanding meant that they frequently led to death.

It was a great age of exploration and science where adventurers returned from the New World with exotic goods previously unknown in Europe. An era in which the newly emergent middle classes had, for the first time, money for luxuries and early consumer goods, many of which contained hidden dangers.

In the 1950s, people embraced modern design for the first time after years of austerity and self-denial. The modern home featured molded plywood furniture, fiberglass, plastics and polyester - materials and technologies that were developed during World War II, but may not be as wonderful as they seem.