Improvements in the kitchen were relatively slow to materialize particularly during the first half of the 19^th century. In the wealthiest of homes the kitchen was never seen therefore there was no need to spend money on improving it. It was only when health concerns became an issue that the kitchen finally was brought up to standards and once again became a room the family would spend time in, even if someone else were actually doing the cooking.

The kitchen consisted of a network of rooms- the ancillary ones leading directly off the main kitchen area. At the heart of the latter was the cast iron coal or wood burning range. The number of ancillary rooms leading directly off the kitchen varied. Almost all homes had a scullery, which was used for washing dishes, cleaning silverware and provided extra storage for large pots.

In addition you may find a storeroom, larder and a butlers pantry. The pantry was obviously only found in larger homes and served as a place to make final preparations to the display of the food prior to serving it. It also served as storage space for tableware. It also housed the intercom system.

The main kitchen area in Victorian households had no built in work counters. Instead, food was prepared on a large, centrally positioned table. Shallow drawers for utensils were incorporated underneath. Open shelving, small cupboards and racks were commonly used to display all manners of utensils. The open shelves eventually became cabinets with glass fronts towards the end of the century. The Victorians liked the convenience of everything being visible and it added decorative accents to the room.

A constant feature throughout the 19^th century was a free standing wooden server or dresser with shelves and hooks for storing and displaying chinaware, a deep shelf for the bread bin and drawers for linen and tableware.

Another main feature of the kitchen was the icebox, which in the 1840’s was no more than a box with a block of ice. By the 1860’s this had evolved into an insulated wood cabinet filled with crushed ice.

Kitchen floors were brick, marble, tile or hardwood, which was varnished, oiled or painted for protection. Staffordshire quarry tiles, traditionally available in red, blue and buff colors, were commonly used throughout Britain.

The floors were either left bare or else covered with washable rag rugs, carpet remnants, decorated oil clothes or linoleum. Linoleum became popular toward the end of the 19^th century.

Wainscoting encircled the main kitchen area with simple relief molding around windows and doors. Like the wooden floors, wainscoting was varnished, oiled or painted. Popular paint colors included bottle green and chocolate brown. Another added decorative feature was the addition of a plate rail, which was used for storage but also as a way to add color in the room.

Kitchen walls were usually painted in light tones. Wallpaper was also used but it had to be varnished to protect it from moisture and condensation. Most kitchen furniture and shelving was painted for the same reason. The only exception was the table used for food preparation.

Lighting was limited to candles and oil lamps up until 1860. Thereafter gas lamps were installed. Electricity didn’t become common until the late 1880’s.

Windows were draped with brocaded fabrics, lace, netting or muslin. Bare windows were acceptable but it was common to see stencil borders .

All in all the kitchen was not an overly decorated room. It was furnished with simple pine or oak furniture with corresponding open shelves, countertop and flooring.