Visit to Staircase House 21.2.08
We had a very good return visit to the House, this time with excellent new audio descriptions of the entire exhibition.
We went to the Storeroom where the household supplies would have been kept and saw how well organised the running of the house would have been. This ledon to the Cold Store and we heard a conversation of a young boy being given instruction in the preservation of a side of beef. Fish was also preserved and apples stored in layers of straw. Game was hung from the celing and dishes containing herbs and spices.
We then moved into the kitchen with a huge grate, kitchen tableladen with food, hams and fish - fruit -spices which we were able to touch. We were told there would not have been glass in the window, just shutters to keep out the wind and rain.
We went into theparlour where guest would have been entertained with different games including cards and they had wine to drink. Here they would have discussed the days affairs and politics.
The counting room contained quill pens and coins and this is where the masterof the house would have spent a great deal of time. The Shelcross family was very wealthy and owned mines and land and farms producing all they needed to live their pampered lives compared to the commoners. There were heavy carved boxes to contain their recors and money.
The bedroom was dominated by a large four poster beed heavily draped in coarse linen. There was a large cabinet on the wall to house the wine and food that might be needed in the night. The bride's dowery chest would have held the linen brought to the marriage. A women's life was based on marriage, births and deaths.
The dining room was very elegant, with fine china and linen and glasses. The panelson the walls were a bright blue and the historians had found traces of this colour when stripping back the woodwork after the fire. There was a heavy carpet on the floor and a cupboard containing a chamber pot for the men to use once the ladies had left them to their port.
In the music room there was a piano where they intertainws and comfortable chairs and settees for them to rest upon. The next room covered the 1940' with an old valve radio and utility furniture.
We rounded off the visit with a cup of tea and biscuit in the extension to the house which had been added to enable a lift to be installed. The staff were all very helpful and on hand all of the time to answer questions.
As usual our sincere thanks to May for such a highly organised trip and the volunteers for getting us there and guiding us around.
A combined blogg from Ken and Elaine.
We went to the Storeroom where the household supplies would have been kept and saw how well organised the running of the house would have been. This ledon to the Cold Store and we heard a conversation of a young boy being given instruction in the preservation of a side of beef. Fish was also preserved and apples stored in layers of straw. Game was hung from the celing and dishes containing herbs and spices.
We then moved into the kitchen with a huge grate, kitchen tableladen with food, hams and fish - fruit -spices which we were able to touch. We were told there would not have been glass in the window, just shutters to keep out the wind and rain.
We went into theparlour where guest would have been entertained with different games including cards and they had wine to drink. Here they would have discussed the days affairs and politics.
The counting room contained quill pens and coins and this is where the masterof the house would have spent a great deal of time. The Shelcross family was very wealthy and owned mines and land and farms producing all they needed to live their pampered lives compared to the commoners. There were heavy carved boxes to contain their recors and money.
The bedroom was dominated by a large four poster beed heavily draped in coarse linen. There was a large cabinet on the wall to house the wine and food that might be needed in the night. The bride's dowery chest would have held the linen brought to the marriage. A women's life was based on marriage, births and deaths.
The dining room was very elegant, with fine china and linen and glasses. The panelson the walls were a bright blue and the historians had found traces of this colour when stripping back the woodwork after the fire. There was a heavy carpet on the floor and a cupboard containing a chamber pot for the men to use once the ladies had left them to their port.
In the music room there was a piano where they intertainws and comfortable chairs and settees for them to rest upon. The next room covered the 1940' with an old valve radio and utility furniture.
We rounded off the visit with a cup of tea and biscuit in the extension to the house which had been added to enable a lift to be installed. The staff were all very helpful and on hand all of the time to answer questions.
As usual our sincere thanks to May for such a highly organised trip and the volunteers for getting us there and guiding us around.
A combined blogg from Ken and Elaine.
posted by elaine at 11:36 AM
1 Comments:
March 04, 2008 3:53 PM
Dear Elaine & Ken, Many thanks for this article and your kind comments. I've had to be re-set up for Zoomers by John F to be able to write this! I tried to comment last week unsuccessfully, but i hope it's all systems go now. Regards, Mary
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