Tea at Trianon: Kitchens, Sculleries and Larders

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Kitchens, Sculleries and Larders

From Geri Walton:

Kitchens were used for cooking and usually connected to Larders, Entrances, Sculleries, Dining-rooms, Sideboard-rooms, Servant-Halls, Steward-rooms, Housekeeper's room, and Still-rooms. The most important features of a good Kitchen was coolness, dryness, and good lighting. Ventilation was also of primary importance because people did not want odors or cooking smells permeating into a family's living quarters or greeting guests at the front door.

There were also several other things to consider when it came to Kitchens. These things included floors, entrances, and size. Stone floors were considered the best and the most practical because they helped keep the Kitchen dry and cool, but wood floors were also acceptable. Kitchens also usually had several entrances or exits that included one from a Corridor, one to the Scullery, and one to the Larders. If a Kitchen garden was present, it was also nice to have a door that opened onto it. A Kitchen for a small house might be no larger than 15 feet square with its ceilings at least 10 feet high. However, in mansions the Kitchen was usually somewhere between 18 and 30 feet with a ceiling height of 20 feet not considered too high.

It was always important to think about placement and access to a Kitchen. If a Kitchen was on a lower floor, there was always the danger of overheating the floors above. Entrances from the Kitchen to the Dining-room also needed to be as direct as possible, which meant no interfering traffic as direct routes allowed meals to be delivered to the Dining-room as quickly as possible, thereby ensuring they remained hot and fresh.(Read more.)