These included the principal contents of the Chirk laundry and the catalogue description alone of a huge George III pine, circular, boiling vat 'for washing the greys and for bathing the laundry girls' seemed to justify the winning bid of £850.
For the vendors, grime certainly paid. Carrying estimates in the £200-600 range, laundry pieces included this late Victorian spin dryer, right, originally powered by an engine, and the Wallness Wringer upright mangle, far right, which each sold at £1600. Other pieces included a box mangle and a Vowel A2 hand-operated washing machine which made £1700 and £1100 respectively.
Cleaning up after servants’ life of grime
THE servants’ quarters, very much a part of the history of any great house, are always hugely popular with visitors and the National Trust was keen to buy items at Christie’s (19.5/12% buyer's premium) Chirk Castle sale on June 21 which represented life below stairs.