Pegging Back the Years - EcoForce Wrong Foots 'The White Queen'
The BBC's new period drama 'The White Queen' is causing a drama of a different kind - that of historical inaccuracy.
The lavish production is based on the novel by Philippa Gregory and set in 1464 during the War of the Roses, but look closely and behind the simpering stares and brooding brows lurk modern day anachronisms that are all too prevalent. These include metal hand rails, bricks, modern guttering, zips, nail polish and clothes pegs.
According to Easy-Do Products Ltd, manufactures of EcoForce Recycled Clothes Pegs, clothes pegs originated with the Shaker movement in the 18th Century as a result of an innovation brought home by fishermen who had hung their washing on the rigging while out at sea.
The first patented clothes peg was in 1832 but proved totally impractical and it took until 1853 for David M Smith of Springfield, Vermont to invent the 'spring-clamp for clothesline' that we know today. It comprised two wooden legs hinged together by a metal spring and became the forerunner of today's design.
Smith's invention has been tweaked and modified endlessly with 146 new patents granted in the mid 19th Century alone.
EcoForce Recycled Clothes Pegs were launched in 2008 and occupy a unique position in the UK's clothes peg history because they are made from over 90% recycled materials.
The quest for the perfect peg continues to this day - but don't tell the makers of The White Queen, recycled plastic pegs in 15th Century England really would be a Medieval muddle too far!
For more information on EcoForce and their products visit www.ecoforce.co.uk