We love our time capsules here at Apartment Therapy, these rediscovered spaces that have preserved an authentic historical reality — remember this Parisian apartment, this French house, and this London Tube station? Well here's another one: Welsh homeowners recently discovered a 19th-century kitchen well-preserved (if dusty) in the cluttered basement of their old house.
As the Daily Mail reports, the kitchen had been essentially sealed off by piles of junk (which, frankly, I'd like the opportunity to sift through), but it supposedly dates from the 1830s, when a fire prompted renovations (though from the photos, I might guess a few decades later?). The below-stairs kitchen was out of use for decades when it was repurposed as an air raid shelter during World War II.
The photos reveal two enormous cast iron ranges, pretty typical for the Victorian era, which would have been fueled by coal or wood. You can also see a huge range of copper and cast iron cookware and various intriguing kitchen gadgets. And check out the bells that would have rung when a member of the household wanted to summon a servant. Very Downton Abbey!
I'm especially drawn to the black-and-white tiles and the apricot warmth of the plasterwork. What's your favorite part?
Check out more images and information at the Daily Mail.
Images: Daily Mail
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I love the bells!
What an AMAZING discovery and a very happy surprise. Hope they keep it there.
I just love the idea of this having been forgotten and rediscovered in such excellent condition! What a bustling center for activity this place must have been at one time.
Amazing!!!!
This is fantastic. And it is very Downton Abbey which I've just been watching on Netflix.
@Sing, I immediately thought of Downton Abbey when I saw the bells, again because I had been watching it recently. I wish I lived in a place where this sort of discovery was even possible!
Oh, swoon....
This is very cool. It should be mentioned that this is in a stately mansion, not your average row-house.
Love the black and white tile, the bells and the hanging pots. This is such an awesome find!
Wow, what an incredible surprise. It would be so neat if the owners were able to restore it. I'd love to see a photo of that!
What a gorgeous find! And to think it was a surprise! I'm loving the cast iron stoves and the apricot tile. This is spectacular!
This is so cool! I love stuff like this. ...I really want to sift through those piles of junk too! I bet you'd find all kinds of treasures!
Wow what a dream to find something like that. The copper pots are swoon-y.
That house must be...immense. I cannot imagine having THAT 'tucked away' in a basement corner.
I think I read on another blog that it was oringinally the servant's kitchen....? Which, if true, explains some of the questions.
I thought of Downton Abbey when I saw the bells also!
in love...
I am so jealous. I always dream of finding something so wonderful in my homes. I'm always searching for that hidden passageway. Hope they restore it and keep it intact for years to come.
Am I the only one who thought of Disney's Cinderella when seeing the bells?