Blakesley Hall
in Tudor Times
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Tudor Living
Richard's front door opened
into an entrance corridor. To
the left was a screen which helped
to protect the great hall from
draughts. In the summer the front
door was often left open.
The 'cross passage' or entrance
corridor was a useful corridor
through the house.
To the right were three working
rooms: |
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The buttery
The buttery was for making and storing
drinks. The name came from the
large barrels, called butts, that
drinks were stored in. Beer was
the main drink of the Tudors. As
a rule men drank strong beer and
women and children a much weaker
brew called small beer. Other drinks
included cider - and there is a
small apple press in the picture
- wine and milk. Water was a possible
problem as it was not treated to
be safe. |
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The boulting house
The boulting house was used to
prepare bread dough for baking.
Boulting means seiving and various
different flours would be seived
to make the different grades of
bread, from the fine white manchet
loaves for the family to the coarse,
heavy bread for the servants and
farm labourers. |
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The still room
The still room was an important
part of the house. This is where
Mistress Elizabeth Smalbroke would
have mixed her lotions and potions
- medicines for the household,
soaps, perfumes, make-up, hairwashes,
hair dyes tooth powders and mouth
washes. She would have recipes
handed down to her from her mother
and her grandmother and she would
experiment with her own mixtures. |
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Let's look at other
parts of the house...
The
Private Rooms
The
Kitchen
Upstairs
The
Bathroom?
The
Servants
Rooms |
