In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there

  Tinker, tailor, soldier….whalebone rosette maker Chandelier burnisher, milliner, billiard room attendant, lift attendant, wig consultant, gun polisher and whalebone rosette maker: these are some of the jobs advertised in 1870 and 1920, which no longer exist. And while domestic roles such as household cooks, maids, housekeepers and servants...