Rear South Room - Kitchen.

• The range used coal for fuel and would have been lit every morning. If the owners were house-proud, the outside of it would have been polished with black lead every day.
• The cupboard to the left of the range would have been perfect for storing food that had to be kept dry, so salt, sugar and flour would have been kept there.
• Flat irons were used for ironing clothes and would have been heated to the correct temperature close to the fire.
• The oven would have been used for baking bread, although at one time there was probably a separate bread oven in the scullery.
• Lighting was by gas back in 1900 and the fish tail lamp is still in place.
• Possibly an early modification was the addition of a sleeping platform over the next door area, supported by the large beam to the right of the door. Later on a full upper floor was added and a wall was built under the beam to form two separate rooms - the kitchen and a separate scullery.
• The windows are examples of the Yorkshire slide design, which goes back several hundred years.
• The doorway is very low. People were not generally so tall as they are now.
• The doors are of a very simple plank construction and the door fittings are handmade examples of the blacksmith's trade, forged by heating and hammering into the required shape.

The range complete with iron still in situ.

Rear North Room - Scullery.

• The set pot was used for heating water for the weekly wash, which was always done on Monday. Clothes were also boiled in it as a final washing stage. The fire would have been hard to light and burning coals would have probably been carried through from the kitchen range using an ash pan.
• The dolly-tub was used for soaking dirty clothes overnight in washing soda and then for washing in hot water after being soaped and scrubbed. Either a posher or a wooden dolly was used to agitate the clothes in the dolly-tub. Another tub would be filled with cold fresh water for rinsing clothes after washing.
• The wooden tub was used for scrubbing and soaping dirty clothes. (Before detergents were invented)
• Clothes were part dried by squeezing them through the wooden rollers of a mangle. (There is a Victorian one in 51 Fleetgate)
• There is an arch to the left of the set pot which was probably where a bread oven originally stood. These were heated up with coals and then the coals were scraped out and the risen dough placed in the hot oven.
• The slop-stone is an early version of a kitchen sink and was carved from York stone. It would have probably been connected to a drain, leading to a sewer or a soak-away.
• There is a bathtub at 51 Fleetgate which is typical Victorian. The family would have taken turns to use it one a week. In winter, baths would have been taken in front of the kitchen range. This would have stopped the water cooling down too quickly.
• There are many kitchen tools on show in 51 Fleetgate. These include shears, sleaver, peel, straining frame, salt glazed pots, stew and jam pans, cast iron saucepans, slop pail, fire shovel, Edwardian posher and many more.
• One of the windows has been blocked up in the scullery. This was probably done after the introduction of tax on windows in the 17th century.
• The floor was originally all brick, laid in a herringbone pattern.
• The pine table would have been regularly scrubbed to keep it clean, especially before and after food preparation.
• The water pump in the yard was the only source of fresh water. (There is now a tap next to it connected to the mains supply)

The scullery complete with may old items not generally seen today.

Upstairs Rear Wing - Bedroom Area.

• The long window uses leaded glass, though originally they would have been just open, with shutters that would be closed when it was cold or windy.
• The fireplace is Georgian, made in the 18th century.
• When first built, the hall would have stretched right to the wall of the front rooms with no staircase, no chimney breast, no dividing walls, and no upstairs floors. It would have been high roofed. The reeds used for the thatched roof would have been visible and there would have been no glass in the windows. The timber frame was the strength of this design and the walls were just bricks laid on edge with mortar to fill the spaces between the frame timbers.
• The timber used for the frame is oak. It is probable that the carpenters would have been trained as shipwrights, perhaps working at one of the ship building yards on the Haven, when not building houses.

This room is the best place to see the medieval crown post roof.

Upstairs Front Room - Bedroom Area.

• The fireplace is Victorian and quite different from the taller Georgian fireplace in the back room.
• Coal was expensive and it is likely that the fire would not have been lit very often. The room gets quite cold, even though it now has an electric heater. If the fire was lit the coal would have had to be carried all the way upstairs from the coal shed in the back yard. In the morning all the ashes would have had to be carried back down stairs and got rid of.
• The lock on the door has a wooden case.
• The Yorkshire slide window dates from the 18th century.
• The fishtail gas burner provided light at night.
• The toilet was situated outside in the back yard.

There are many features to see in this room.

The Rear Garden.

• The rear garden has been lovingly restored and maintained by a band of volunteers and is looking wonderful.  There are seating areas where you can sit and contemplate the history of the area.

The gardens of 51 Fleetgate looking towards the building.

Click here for details of The Clipson Family

Living History

Val and Eddie are continuing to compile a history of the building. They are building a collection of recordings of local people telling their stories about the building and the people who used it.

They are eager to receive more information about the house and its people. If you would like to tell your story, they would love to hear from you on 01469 519144 or eddie.max@ntlworld.com or help@bartoncivicsociety.co.uk.

Christmas at 51 Fleetgate

Christmas is not complete without a visit to 51 Fleetgate on the day of the Barton Christmas Festival.  Every year Val and Eddie open the doors and offer a warm welcome to all visitors, including mince pies and mulled wine.  If you are not in the Christmas mood before this day then you will be after it.  Why not pop in next Christmas and see what a treat it really is.

The Christmas window display	Warm mulled wine	Hot mince pies

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