Reminiscences of Grandmother’s Kitchen

“Tell me a story about your grandparents, Sara,” said Tilly as she settled into her narrow single bed in the attic room the two maids shared under the eaves of Wickham Place.

“Again?” sighed Sarah. “I’m bone tired after airing the bedrooms today.”

“Oh go on, Sara! Please!” begged Tilly, looking over at Sara in the opposite, equally narrow bed. “I never knew my grandparents.”

Sara sighed heavily again. “Alright. Which one?”

“The house. Tell me about their kitchen.” Tilly said with a smile as she settled back into her thin pillow.

“Well, my grandparents used to live in the Watendlath in the Lake District. They had a Lakeside farm. My grandfather used to have sheep…”

“What kind of sheep, Sara?”

“Shhh! Don’t interrupt and be impatient Tilly!”

“Sorry Sara.”

“Herdwick sheep, Tilly. Grandfather used to show them at the Keswick Agricultural Show. They had a little limewashed cottage that Grandmother kept spick and span, and I used to go and stay with them for the occasional holiday. It had a big kitchen with a flagstone floor and a stove that Grandmother used to keep well blackened. Poor Agnes would be jealous. Grandmother would hang her gleaming copper pans around it, and there was always a shiny copper kettle atop it. She would keep the pot on the stovetop edge to keep the pot warm as it steeped. We would eat our meals in the kitchen as it was farmhouse, not a grand house like this with its own dining room, so there was a big table surrounded my ladderback chairs.”

“And the kitchen dresser? What about the kitchen dresser, Sara?”

“Oh Tilly!” Sara hissed. “You! You know this so well!”

“Tell me again, Sara!”

“In the corner of the kitchen there stood a big old dresser, like Cook’s one downstairs. It was there when my grandparents moved in when they were first married, and I’m sure it is still there now, because the roofbeams bowed from age have held it in place where it stands. Grandmother used to have her best china on display in it: a Royal Doulton dinner set that they were given as a wedding gift.”

“Cor!” gasped Tilly. “Very fancy!”

“Grandmother’s family were comfortable, so they could give the newlyweds a nice gift.”

“And what did you and your Grandmother do whilst you waited for your Grandfather to come in?”

“Grandmother would pull her spinning wheel over by the stove, take out some of the wool Grandfather had taken from his sheep and she would spin it. Sometimes she would let me sit on the stool with her and she would teach me how to draw the thread out, long and straight as it slowly twirled around the spindle and the bobbin. Whir, whir, whir it went, and clack, clack clack.”

Light snoring came from Tilly\'s recumbent figure. Sara\'s happy story of her country childhood, so different to Tilly\'s inner city one, had sent Tilly off into a world of happy dreams.

This year the FFF+ Group have decided to have a weekly challenge called “Snap Happy”. A different theme chosen by a member of the group each week, and the image is to be posted on the Monday of the week.

This week the theme, “anything on wheels” was chosen by Phunny, phunnyfotos.

I have taken a small amount of liberty on the theme this week with two photos. This is one of them. I hope you will indulge me. I don’t drive, and I’m not really into cars, so at first I was a little stumped with this week’s theme, however a spinning wheel band does go on the spinning wheel, and the theme is about “anything on wheels”, so I hope that it counts. If it doesn’t, the fact that you have enjoyed my story and my photo, which is made up with pieces from my 1:12 size dollhouse miniatures collection, will hopefully make up for my stretch of the theme. Some pieces in this photo come from my own childhood including the spinning wheel in the centre foreground, which I was given as a reward for learning how to spin on a real timber wheel and the two teapots which I bought from a specialist tea shop when I was in my mid teens. Other items I acquired as an adult through specialist online dealers and artists who specialise in 1:12 miniatures.

Interesting things to look for in this tableaux include:

The shelves of the dresser are set with a 1:12 scale miniature dinner service based on a Royal Doulton pattern from the late Nineteenth Century.
On the workspace of the dresser in the far left-hand corner is a Cornishware white and blue cannister. Cornishware is a striped kitchenware brand trademarked to and manufactured by T.G. Green & Co Ltd. Originally introduced in the 1920s and manufactured in Church Gresley, Derbyshire, it was a huge success for the company and in the succeeding 30 years it was exported around the world. The company ceased production in June 2007 when the factory closed under the ownership of parent company, The Tableshop Group. The range was revived in 2009 after T.G. Green was bought by a trio of British investors.

Next to the Cornishware cannister stands a miniature Blue Calico milk jug. Traditional dark blue Burleigh Calico made in Staffordshire, England by Burgess & Leigh since 1851. It was inspired by Nineteenth Century indigo fabrics. Blue Calico is still made today, and still uses the traditional print transfer process, which makes each piece unique.

Next to the Blue Calico milk jug is a C.W.S. biscuit tin. Crumpsall Biscuit Works (CWS) opened in Lower Crumpsall, near Manchester, in around 1873. The factory was subject to numerous alterations and expansions between around 1896 and the 1920s, including plans for a new cake bakery which were laid down in 1896, there was a new biscuit portion added in 1896, and in 1921 additional land was purchased to accommodate extensions such as new offices, a despatch room and a garage. factory created numerous products and had four departments, these were the biscuit factory; the cake factory; the sweets and toffee department; and the drugs and sundries section. The works at Crumpsall boasted being "the only 8 hour day biscuit works in England" and had numerous facilities for its employees including a cricket club; football club; tennis courts; a bowling green; a recreation ground; a dining room for over 600 people with discounted refreshments and free warming of packed dinners; a library; and board and card games. The works put on numerous social events through the year including sports days, and dances and whist drives nearly every week during the winter. The works also stated that girls, however young, were started at no less than 6 shillings a week, and that they were only employed to do girls work and not to save the expense of employing men. There was also a Sick Benefit Society.

On the stove is a floral teapot I acquired from a specialist high street tea shop when I was a teenager. I have five of them and each one is a different shape and has a different design. I love them, and what I also love is that over time they have developed their own crazing in the glaze, which I think adds a nice touch of authenticity.

On the small kitchen bench to the right-hand side of the stove there are a number of objects you might find in any country or town kitchen including an Art Nouveau brass cup, a silver Art Nouveau plate and funnel, all of which are dolls’ house miniatures from Germany, made in the first decade of the Twentieth Century. They are beautiful works of art as stand alone items, and are remarkably heavy.

Three artisan 1:12 miniature preserve jars stand on the shelf above the stove, and contain seeds and herbs. There is also a small spice rack hanging on the wall to the right of the stove. Containing real salt, pepper and other herbs, I have had this rack since I was seven years old. Each canister is made of glass and has a cork stopper inserted into them.

The embroidery basket in the bottom right-hand corner of the photo is an artisan made piece I acquired when I was in my late teens.

The silhouette picture hanging on the wall is one of a pair. They are also artisan pieces and have remarkable detail on them.

The spinning wheel, rocking chair, ladderback chair, round drop leaf dining table and the dresser are all miniatures from my collection that I have had since I was a child.

Taken on: July 24, 2020

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Snap Happy

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anything on wheels

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spindle

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stool

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Blue Calico ware

CWS Biscuits

Crumpsall Biscuit Works

silhouette

portrait

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pan

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bucket

wool

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Edwardian

Victorian

dollhouse furniture

cupboard

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saucer

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Art Nouveau

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Sets appears in: • Collectables • Upstairs and Down at Wickham Place more » • Snap Happy • Photos During the Time of Pandemic « less

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Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/2.8, 1/15 sec, 6.2mm, ISO 500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/2.8
Exposure Time:	0.067 sec (1/15)
Focal Length:	6.2mm
ISO:	500
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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