10 dangerous things in Victorian/Edwardian homes (BBC)

[Warpy]

1. I didn't know that one, either

They left out gas jets for lighting. Buildings in Boston still had the pipes running through the walls and were so damned old that nobody remembered where they were. While it made adding gas fireplaces easier when the building was yuppiefied, people found they had to strip plaster and lath off the walls to get to them--plaster that contained asbestos. Nobody back then designed things that could be fixed. You built them once and they would last until the end of time, i guess.

Early electricity was DC current. The MTA ran on it and they still supplied it to residential buildings to run the Edwardian era elevators.

However, the back staircases were as lethal here as they were in England. Navigating them cold sober in jeans was a challenge. I can't imagine doing it in a long skirt with an armload of laundry or cleaning supplies.