51 Fleetgate Rear North Room - Scullery

Background:

The scullery was originally part of the open 15th century hall. It is possible that the wall separating the scullery from the kitchen would have been built at the same time that the outside chimney was built for the set pot in the corner, probably in the 18th century. You can see that the outside wall was built out to house the set pot, which is simply a cast iron water container set in bricks over a coal fire. A scullery is an old name for a room where rough kitchen work was done, such as washing dishes and clothes and some food preparation, such as washing and peeling vegetables and preparing meet prior to cooking it. It comes from an old French word escuelerie which is from the old French word for dish, escuele.

Principal Features:

• The set pot was used for heating water for the weekly wash, which was always done on Monday. Clothes were also boiled in it as a final washing stage. The fire would have been hard to light and burning coals would have probably been carried through from the kitchen range using an ash pan.
• The dolly-tub was used for soaking dirty clothes overnight in washing soda and then for washing in hot water after being soaped and scrubbed. Either a posher or a wooden dolly was used to agitate the clothes in the dolly-tub. Another tub would be filled with cold fresh water for rinsing clothes after washing.
• The wooden tub was used for scrubbibg and soaping dirty clothes. (Before detergents were invented)
• Clothes were part dried by squeezing them through the wooden rollers of a mangle. (There is a Victorian one in 51 Fleetgate)
• There is an arch to the left of the set pot which was probably where a bread oven originally stood. These were heated up with coals and then the coals were screped out and the risen dough placed in the hot oven.
• The slop-stone is an early version of a kitchen sink and was carved from York stone. It would have probably been connected to a drain, leading to a sewer or a soakaway.
• There is a bathtub at 51 Fleetgate which is typical Victorian. The family would have taken turns to use it one a week. In winter, baths would have been taken in front of the kitchen range. This would have stopped the water cooling down too quickly.
• There are many kitchen tools on show in 51 Fleetgate. These include shears, sleaver, peel, straining frame, salt glazed pots, stew and jam pans, cast iron saucepans, slop pail, fire shovel, Edwardian posher and many more.
• One of the windows has been blocked up in the scullery. This was probably done after the introduction of tax on windows in the 17th century.
• The floor was originally all brick, laid in a herringbone pattern.
• The pine table would have been regularily scrubbed to keep it clean, especially before and after food preparation.
• The water pump in the yard was the only source of fresh water. (There is now a tap next to it connected to the mains supply)

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