The Geffrye, Museum of the Home

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Kingsland Road London E2 8EA  Tel: 020 7739 9893

17th Century FloorsPage 1

Bare wooden floor-boards, cleaned with dry sand, were probably the most usual type of flooring. Patterned rush mats or plain matting, made in strips which could be sewn together to fit the room, were also widely used. Only the wealthiest could afford imported 'Turkey' carpets or English imitations. Both were so highly valued that they were often put on tables and cupboards rather than on the floor.

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Room 1, Geffrye Museum, which represents the hall in a middling Londoner's home in 1630.

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