Themes:
Edwardian & the Great War
Tastes of History for All
The Gamekeeper's Cottage
Forget life upstairs in ‘Downton Abbey’ instead, against the backdrop of our turn of the 20th century cottage kitchen, find out how ordinary working folk lived during King Edward VII’s reign.
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Join Mr and Mrs Powell, the estate’s gamekeeper and the house’s chief cook, to discover and sample (if you so choose) some delightful Edwardian period recipes.
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Join Tastes Of History to discover life on board this iconic ship of the pre-war era and the different dining experiences for passengers in First, Second and Third-class.
Titanic Dining
The RMS Titanic, operated by the White Star Line, sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15th, 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to that time.
Visitors can sample dishes selected from the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus served to passengers on April 14th, 1912 - the fateful day of the sinking.
Three classes of travel on the Titanic meant three different menus had to be served daily. Passengers in First-class were by far the best fed enjoying the most sophisticated dishes served in the formal settings of the age. As was the fashion in upper-class circles at the time, the food was predominantly French in style, but some of the great British stalwarts like roast sirloin beef were on the menu.
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Food was closer to home in second class. French menu selections rarely appeared on the menu, but that hardly mattered as traditional British food was preferred anyway. Curried chicken, baked fish, spring lamb, mutton, and roast turkey were common menu items, as were puddings for dessert. Passengers in Third-class (or ‘steerage’) were fed a simpler version of the dishes made for Second-class. Passengers in steerage had little to complain about, however, as for many of them the food was better than they had been used to.
Click to learn more about: Titanic cuisine
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Women's Suffrage
From the kitchen of our modest cottage, we can be seen preparing for a ‘Votes for Women’ campaign march. Tastes Of History’s display aims to bring the suffrage movement to life, to reveal the differences between suffragists and suffragettes, and find out whether The Representation of the People Act 1918 was the goal these brave women sought.
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Discover all about Black Friday, the infamous 'Cat and Mouse Act', how women were treated in prison, the suffragettes' crusade through 'Deeds not Words', their campaign of militant action and bombing, what happened when the Great War began and later after the Armistice.
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Prepare to be shocked to discover that the suffragettes were thought of as terrorists in some circles, may not have had widescale popular support and, controversially, actually may not have won women the right to vote.
The Great War
Defence of the Realm Set during The Great War of 1914 to 1918, our focus is on the measures introduced for Britain’s defence. Although popularly associated with World War 2, food rationing for example began in Britain in early 1918. Visitors can discover what was on the ration, how people supplemented their diets, the differences between rich and poor, and we will of course recreate recipes from the period.
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Rifle Drill for Kids Being an ex-soldier, Mark is only too keen to instil discipline in younger visitors with ‘Rifle Drill for Kids‘. Volunteers, both big and small, are temporarily issued a wooden ‘drill purpose rifle’ to learn the basics of marching, teamwork, and the effective use of the bayonet*.
We will also highlight the social changes in Britain as men and women adjust to life after the Armistice.
Click to learn more about: Rationing
* Rest assured no actual bayonets or other sharp pointy things are involved.