The Taylor family once lived in this weatherboard workman’s cottage, located at 3 Meadow Street Guildford. It was in sad disrepair by 1983, when a group of volunteers dismantled it and rebuilt it at the current location in the Guildford Historic Precinct.

Step inside and marvel at how life was in days gone by. It is said that thirteen children grew up here, although not all at the same time! The bedroom only has space for a tiny ‘wardrobe’, and one small bed. Perhaps the children would have slept on the floor, or on the verandah during warmer months.

The kitchen includes furniture made from packing cases. The open fireplace must have been in constant use for cooking, heating water for bathing, washing clothes and heating irons. Imagine the work to keep everyone clean, and the house in order.

Out on the back verandah, see some of the items Emma Taylor and her daughters may have used to do the washing for a large family – a metal trough, scrubbing board, the reliable Sunshine soap, and wooden dolly pegs to hang the washing out on the clothes line.

We end our tour of Taylor’s Cottage at the authentic ‘dunny’ in the backyard. These outdoor toilets were a part of every home right up to the 1960s in many Perth suburbs, and in country towns. Ours, of course is decommissioned and is simply a display model. It comes complete with a red back spider and a snake on the toilet seat!