Find out what secrets the Victorians buried for us to find...
The book, the database, the project
WhatTheVictoriansThrewAway.com is a unique reference resource for researching the hidden lives of the Victorians at home. It brings together for the first time over 500 unique everyday objects, photographed, described and catalogued.
The ground-breaking idea originating in the book What the Victorians Threw Away is to dig up rubbish dumps, and examine what different households discarded, as a new technique for delving into the past.
The objects that emerge often tell intimate stories about the people who used them. Explore this website to bring the world of our great grandparents vividly to life. You can also use it to discover the origins of our throwaway society today.
Get the Book
Find out about the book that started it all, and how to order itFind out about the book that started it all, and how to order it
Explore the database
Discover the project
Latest additions to the database:
Childhood and Education
Food and Drink
Health
Household
Transport
Latest blog posts:
Kirton Rectory, Suffolk
When Tom Lucking went foraging for old rubbish dumps in the village of Kirton near Felixstowe, he came upon a filled-in pond to the rear of the churchyard, on land formerly belonging to the rectory. The site had all the tell-tale signs, being tucked away in a corner,...
Kings Lynn Town Rubbish Dump
In July 2015, Tom Licence and members of Norfolk Bottles obtained permission to dig on the site of the King's Lynn town ash-yard, which was the sorting point for refuse to the south of the town from 1883 until c. 1940. In later years the land was put to various uses,...
A Norfolk Rectory: Part 3
During the first two days of our dig at the Norfolk rectory, we had discovered that the rector purchased imported wines and mineral waters, and that a few re-usable bottles were discarded among his rubbish. On the third and final day a few more interesting details...