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The origins of the stately home #43

...roots in Roman and Greek culture when they used a room to make medicines and distill oils from plants etc. In the 16th century people found that they needed an extra room separate from the kitchen for distilling and preserving and so the 'still' room was invented! Of course, people drank beer more in those days as it was safer than water, which could often be unsanitary or disease ridden. Women were typically in charge of the still room as it combined the functionality of a kitchen with the technical capabilities of a laboratory. It also became a makeshift hospital so that those with medical ailments received treatments as they were being created! Sounds like...

The Origins of the Stately Home #39

...roots in Roman and Greek culture when they used a room to make medicines and distil oils from plants etc. In the 16th century people found that they needed an extra room separate from the kitchen for distilling and preserving and so the 'still' room was invented! Of course, people drank beer more in those days as it was safer than water, which could often be unsanitary or disease ridden. Women were typically in charge of the still room as it combined the functionality of a kitchen with the technical capabilities of a laboratory. It also became a makeshift hospital so that those with medical ailments received treatments as they were being created! Sounds like i...

Midnight Pool Parties # 59

...ssed as a Roman wearing a toga!  It was great fun until someone decided to open the window and walk along the ledge.  I’ve mentioned in previous blogs that my brothers and I would walk along the window ledges when we were children (with perhaps smaller feet) but this was a fully grown man who’d had a few drinks and thought it was hilarious to stand outside the window jigging up and down at us!  We all ran to the window and tried to entice him in without scaring him too much – he had no idea that we were 3 floors up and there was a 30 foot drop to the dry moat below!  He finally came in and promptly passed out when he saw how high up we were!  What a c...

Mediaeval Weaponry #84

...�� of the Roman Legionary differed in that their swords were short and intended for stabbing.  Each to their own! Later swords had one or more grooves cut in the blade – these were known as ‘blood gutters’ which sounds pretty horrible but mainly the metal was grooved to lighten the blade without losing its strength.  By the time of the Middle Ages swords were much more elaborate, often made with inlaid inscriptions of brass or silver.  The blade was lengthened and so was the grip so that two hands could be used to hold the sword instead of one, and of course, only the aristocracy would have owned a sword as they were so expensive to make. A Japanese...