Recently I visited the Old House in the town of Hereford after fellow writer Christina Courtenay recommended that I take a look. 
A dresser in the dining room on the ground floor of the house, presumably made of oak. Note the practical stone-flagged floor.
A long narrow dining table, large enough to seat a big family, and in the background stairs leading up to the drawing room on the first floor.
The item which surprised the most was this baby walker on the top floor. Isn’t it cute? Although I did worry about its proximity to the stairs but maybe they only used it on the ground floor…
Built in 1621 as part of Butchers’ Row, the Old House is a very well-preserved half-timbered Jacobean building. The other houses in the original row have long since been demolished, and this building is now the only one left. It’s been a museum since 1929, and it houses some items which really surprised me. Here are some photos from the interior.
This gorgeous canopied bed made me want to catch up on some sleep!
No visit is complete without a bit of dressing up.
Henriette Gyland 
Well worth a visit, Henri. Good photographs. Reminded me a little of Smithills Hall, near Bolton.
Thank you,
Eileen
I haven’t been there, Eileen, but it sounds interesting. Even though this isn’t the period I write in, I was surprised at how “modern” the interior of this house seemed.
Such a beautiful house. I want it. Did you like the dress?
I want the house too, Linda! It was fun dressing up because it gave me an idea of how the items of clothing from that period fit together.
Love the dress! What beautiful furniture, too. Now, I’m beginning to like IKEA but polished wood is really something special. Nora x
What was particularly interesting about the dress, Nora, is that this was a middle-class household, so the stays (the blue jacket) does up at the front because it’s unlikely the woman of the house had a personal maid to dress her. The stays for a fine lady would have done up at the back. And I loved the polished dark wood too!
That’s an interesting point about the stays. When you think about it, it does make sense. I think I would find the canopied bed a tad claustrophobic… but it looks wonderful.
The bed felt incredibly soft, but I noticed it was quite short, less than 2 meters which is standard today. I believe the average height was lower and has gone up over the centuries, no doubt due to diet.