Stuart Dining Room

The 17th Century was a period of great turmoil. Chester supported King Charles I in the Civil War and suffered a devastating siege from 1644 to 1646. The following year, 1647, a plague wiped out 20% of the population. Life was hard for the remaining citizens but Chester slowly began to recover. Houses were repaired and new buildings constructed. The city began to expand and soon became the commercial and social centre for the surrounding area.

This small panelled room illustrates life in a typical middle class household during the relative stability of the late 17^th Century.

The main rooms of the house were panelled to provide warmth, with long heavy curtains covering the windows. The floor was of bare, polished boards, sometimes strewn with rushes. Carpets were very expensive and were only found in the richest of households.

Furniture was mainly of carved oak, very simple in design with only a few pieces per room. A mixture of chairs, stools and benches were used. Settles were a particular favourite in country areas. Gate-leg or folding tables were very popular in the late 17^th Century especially in middle class homes.

Clothes and linen were stored in chests; while silver, brass and pewter were displayed to show the families wealth. Slipware pottery was very popular.

Lighting was normally by tallow (animal fat) candles or rushlights. Rushes were gathered from a nearby river then dipped in fat. A 2 ft. (600 cm) rush would burn for about an hour, or less if lit at both ends

The dining room was the main living room of the house a place to relax, and to receive and entertain guests. It was generally situated on the first floor, above the noise, dirt and smell of the street. People were still throwing slops and other unpleasant things from windows.

Most families had three meals a day. Households enjoyed plenty of meat and bread, but there were few vegetables. Meat had to be salted to preserve it, and was often in varying stages of decay depending on the weather. Ale and mead were the staple drinks for both adults and children. Tea, chocolate and coffee were imported into Britain from the 1650's onwards. All were incredibly expensive and only the rich could afford these "luxuries" on a regular basis.