Department of History

They seem like such a normal family. Joyce is a daycare facility inspector. Paul is in Britain's Royal Marines. The kids-Kathryn, twins Hilary and Ruth, and Joe-love pop music, fast food, and computer games. But the Bowlers are different. No, they're very different. They can go back in time! It's romance versus reality in the most tantalizing, time-tripping, domestic drama of any century: The 1900 House. The Bowler family, smitten by the idea of experiencing the Victorian lifestyle right down to corsets, chamber pots and cutthroat razors, invites everyone along as they turn back the calendar to the spring of 1900. Their eye-opening, heart-tugging story is a uniquely thoughtful and witty portrait of the grueling demands of a bygone era and the relentless power of modern ways.On-site cameras capture the misery of long and arduous laundry days, the frustrations prompted by a stove that refuses to provide enough hot water, the indignity of being routinely "dirty, greasy, and smelly," and the sobering fact that life, especially for women, is enormously restrictive and achingly dull. Yet for all the hardships, by the end of their three-month adventure, the Bowlers understand another era, themselves, and each other with exceptional clarity and a unique perspective. Just how good were the good old days? Find out when you move with the Bowler family into the 1900 House.