The Kitchen
The main feature of a Tudor kitchen would be a large Inglenook fireplace with a breadoven, a large cauldron hanging over the fire by a hook. There would be a large table for preparing the food and maybe some stools, plus wallshelves for foodstorage (Clay jars and pots were used for storing and cooking food and drying herbs would hang from the fireplace or the shelves).
Tudor kitchens were also used for bathing and washing, so a big wooden tub might be kept there. During the Tudor period people began using "trenches," flat boards with hollows carved out for food or tin plates, instead of the large slices of bread used before. Spoons and knives were used for eating, but not forks.
Tudor kitchens were also used for bathing and washing, so a big wooden tub might be kept there. During the Tudor period people began using "trenches," flat boards with hollows carved out for food or tin plates, instead of the large slices of bread used before. Spoons and knives were used for eating, but not forks.
The Living Quarters
The Hall was the main living area for a medieval family. They would have their meal there, entertain guests, educate their children and generally live their daily lives. Medieval furniture was very basic, even in a rich household chairs were rare. You would have basic long tables with benches for people to sit at and eat. When the meal was over you could stack them up against the walls to give people room to sleep. If you was rich you´d probably have some tapestries hanging on the walls - they were not just for decoration, they also helped keep out draughts.
The Bedroom
The poor population in Tudor times didn´t have beds, but slept on straw pallets or on rough mats which were covered with a sheet. The wealthy Medieval residents purchased Four poster beds. These were often elaborately carved four poster beds with a tester and valance of embroidered material. Heavy curtains allowed privacy and kept out the cold. The mattress and pillows were made with down and feather.
This is the inventory of of Sir Thomas Offley in Hackney in the county of Middlesex, made in 1582:
1 plain bedstead
1 mattress of wool
1 featherbed and bolster [type of pillow]
1 plain white blanket
1 red blanket
1 coverlet of green with flowers and letters
a canopy with fine curtains of blue and yellow dyed canvas
3 benches around the bed
1 trundle bedstead
1 mat
1 mattress of wool
a featherbed and bolster
a coverlet of fine cloth
1 cupboard
1 cupboard cloth of fine striped cloth
1 foot part before the chimney
1 great chest
1 curtain, 2 pieces of painted cloth and a red curtain
This is the inventory of of Sir Thomas Offley in Hackney in the county of Middlesex, made in 1582:
1 plain bedstead
1 mattress of wool
1 featherbed and bolster [type of pillow]
1 plain white blanket
1 red blanket
1 coverlet of green with flowers and letters
a canopy with fine curtains of blue and yellow dyed canvas
3 benches around the bed
1 trundle bedstead
1 mat
1 mattress of wool
a featherbed and bolster
a coverlet of fine cloth
1 cupboard
1 cupboard cloth of fine striped cloth
1 foot part before the chimney
1 great chest
1 curtain, 2 pieces of painted cloth and a red curtain
The Bathroom
This is easy - they didn´t have one - baths were taken in a big tub filled with hot water, often in the kitchen. The head of the household would take his bath first, then all the other males, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies.
It is often thought that medieval men and women did not care too much about personal hygiene or keeping clean. But personal hygiene did exist in the Middle Ages – people were well aware that cleaning their face and hands – health manuals from the period note that it was important to get rid of dirt and grime. For most people, having a private bath was not an option – it was simply too costly and too time-consuming to have their own baths. That does not mean they went without bathing, for public baths were very common throughout Europe.
It is often thought that medieval men and women did not care too much about personal hygiene or keeping clean. But personal hygiene did exist in the Middle Ages – people were well aware that cleaning their face and hands – health manuals from the period note that it was important to get rid of dirt and grime. For most people, having a private bath was not an option – it was simply too costly and too time-consuming to have their own baths. That does not mean they went without bathing, for public baths were very common throughout Europe.
In Medieval times people used potties. Potties were kept in most homes. Streets had open drains – channels that ran down the streets – so it was easy to empty the pots. You just chucked the contents out of the window. Tudor people would happily ‘pluck a rose’ (have a wee) anywhere – in chimneys, corners of rooms or in the street.
Even rich people did not always have a lavatory. Some castles and palaces did include a toilet, but it was little more than a raised hole in the floor above the moat. The toilet was not private as it is today, but was still called a privy.
Toilet paper was invented over 100 years earlier in China, but only for the Emperor's use. It was not manufactured in Britain for another 350 years. So the Tudors used sheep's wool.
Even rich people did not always have a lavatory. Some castles and palaces did include a toilet, but it was little more than a raised hole in the floor above the moat. The toilet was not private as it is today, but was still called a privy.
Toilet paper was invented over 100 years earlier in China, but only for the Emperor's use. It was not manufactured in Britain for another 350 years. So the Tudors used sheep's wool.
The Pub / Tavern / Inn
A tavern was a place to drink, and to eat, and it was for the rather more wealthy customers as they could afford the wine the tavern offered. An alehouse was for the poorer people and it served only ale, no wine. An inn served food and drink and also provided accommodation.
Food might be bread, cheese and meat, you'd get ale in an alehouse, and probably eat from wooden tables and benches. Here you might also find serving wenches!
Food might be bread, cheese and meat, you'd get ale in an alehouse, and probably eat from wooden tables and benches. Here you might also find serving wenches!