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The Kitchen
The Victorian kitchen was a room of work. Walls were painted white and the tiled flor was scrubbed. There was no decoration or ornamentation as this was a room frequented by servants. The kitchen tended to be located on the ground floor at the back of the house. Leading off from the kitchen were a scullery for chores and a pantry for china food and equipment storage. Ease of cleanliness, efficiency and functionality were all important. By the 1870’s walls were painted in neutral colours, beige, cream and grey and wallpaper might be hung and varnished in order to be wiped down easily. Floors were oiled and varnished then covered with rag rugs, carpet pieces or oilcloth. The introduction of linoleum was well received as it was easy to clean. Water could now be pumped directly to the sink or even run through a tap instead of being fetched. Popular pieces of kitchen equipment included the following:-
- Cast iron stoves
- Wooden iceboxes housing blocks of ice and allowing air to flow around it
- Pie safe
- Glazed cabinets for displaying china
- Central table with a scrubbed top
- Plumbed in sink (1850’s onwards)
- Side tables for sub-tasks
- Dresser with shelves and cupboard space
- Copper geyser
- Wooden draining board and butler sink on brick built supports
- Meat safe
- Spice cabinet
- Clothers drier
Essential items included:-
- Pastry board
- Cutter
- Rolling pin
- Mincer
- Iron
- Copper pots
- Kettle
- Knives and choppers
- Jelly mould
- Salt box
- Mixing bowl
- Teapot
- Bread storage – made from ceramic
- Kinfe cleaner and sharpener
- Butter churn
- Storage jars
- Weighing scales and weights
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