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Victorian Fireplace

Gaslight, with its gentle hiss and mellow tone, is most attractive, but electricity is more convenient; Victorians would not have used a coffee table, but low-level furniture suits the way we live. The degree to which we shape a period house to modern requirements is a highly individual matter; to accomplish this with tact and sensitivity does not require textbook knowledge so much as a feel for Victoriana that can be acquired through familiarity.

The following articles in our blog are intended to give you just such an acquaintance with the developments of Victorian style. Our aim has been to show what Victorian houses were like, and why, and to show how they may be adapted to modern living without loss of character.

Victorian fire place

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Fortunately, more and more of us are coming to appreciate the character and craftsmanship of older houses, to value the special atmosphere of a place that has been living in for generations and to take pleasure in the wealth of architectural detail so lacking in more modern homes. And of the earlier housing stock, by far the largest and most accessible proportion will have been built in the 19th Century. In Britain alone, almost 6 million houses were built during QueenVictoria’s reign, the majority after 1870.

A House must, first and foremost, provide a sound and practical place in which to live. There are people who have turned the restoration of their Victorian house into a rigorously purist exercise, creating something akin to a museum piece, but in the end they are left in a period cocoon. What is important today is not so much the pursuit of authenticity as finding a balance that reconciles our way of living with what we see as valuable in Victorian style and decoration.

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Very few houses over a hundred years old have survived unaltered. In many cases, the effects of the weather and pollution and the additions, repairs and extensions made by several generations of inhabitants have changed them to such an extent that their builders would have difficulty in recognising them.

Before the listing of buildings of architectural importance began in Scotland in 1933, and in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1947, ownership conferred the right to pull down anything considered obsolete or which stood in the way of the future development. For this change of attitude we must be thankful to William Morris, the instigator in 1877 of the society for the protection of Ancient Buildings. He brought to public attention the state of many medieval buildings which were then suffering serious neglect or were threatened with demolition

We think of ourselves as more enlightened today, but our aesthetic vandalism is more insidious. If a roof needed retiling in the 19th century, the chances are that the replacements would have been made from the same clay – or even the same kiln – as the originals. Nowadays there are countless substitutes on the market, and nearly all of them are visually inferior to the originals. A glance down any Victorian street will illustrate this sad decline. The roofline will probably have suffered most, with slates replaced by interlocking concrete tiles and cast-iron gutters by plastic ones. Nor will the facades have survived unscathed; good brickwork will have been painted over or repointed in course cement mortar, and sashes will have given way to aluminium-framed or PVC windows.

We do everything we can to bring you original British period products which are sill made in the original way and, in the case of Kirkpatrick, are still made at the same foundry they were made at 150 years ago. Let us know about your renovation successes and send in your pictures to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/castinstyleuk

Summer is in the air and we have all been very busy here at Cast in Style looking for lots of new sturdy giftware for Fathers Day. We have a real selection of great heavy solid cast iron product we’re sure he’ll love. Why not get a “Keep off the Grass” sign to safe guard his precious lawn, or one of our fabulous nut crackers, designed by Cast in Style. They make cracking nuts for older hand a breeze. For the seasoned gardener we have a garden line reel to keep the lines of vegetables straight. How about a hose tidy or and old fashioned tractor seat to rest his feet. Whatever you fancy for him we’re sure to have something to fit. Click here for our Fathers Day Page – http://www.castinstyle.co.uk/section.php/90/1/fathers_day_gifts

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Six lath clothes airer

Cast in Style products are bucking the trend when it comes to the current recession. They are ecological, natural and can help you beat the credit crunch. How you many ask? Cast in style products are very cost effective with a quality that last a lifetime. The traditional pulley clothes airer is a grea recession beater as it is economical and can help cut your energy bills by a great amount compaired to using a tumble dryer. Visit us at http://www.castinstyle.co.uk

Buy 5 get one FREE

We now have a superb Summer offer for you. Take advantage of our fantastic buy 5 get one FREE offer. This applies to everything we sell. You don’t have to buy 5 of the same product you can buy 5 of anything you like and you will get the lowest priced item completely FREE. Fantastic if you are renovating you house and need several door knobs or window casement fasteners. Take a look  – http://www.castinstyle.co.uk

Rump Steak Cooked in The Griddle Pan

Ingredients

1 rump steak, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 tbsp Greek-style yoghurt, 55g/2oz cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for sprinkling, 3 tortillas, handful of coriander, chopped ½ red pepper lime wedges, for garnish. For the sour cream1 lime, juice only85g/3oz Greek-style yoghurt, salt and freshly ground black pepper, handful of chives, chopped.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Preheat an oiled griddle pan until it is very hot.

2. Season the steak with salt and pepper and grill for two minutes on each side until the steak is medium rare.

3. Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing diagonally into strips.

4. While the griddle pan is still hot, grill the red pepper for 6-8 minutes. Slice into strips.

5. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yoghurt and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Place tablespoon of chopped coriander in the centre of a tortilla.

7. Arrange a few strips of beef and grilled red pepper over the coriander.

8. Dollop with a spoonful of cheese mixture. Roll up the tortilla to wrap the filling.

9. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

10. Drizzle the tortilla wraps with a little oil and griddle for 1-2 minutes on each side.

11. Sprinkle with some grated cheese and place the griddle pan into the oven for 3-4 minutes to warm through.

12. Make the sour cream by combining the lime juice, Greek-style yoghurt, salt and pepper.

13. Serve with the warm tortillas and lime wedges. Garnish with chopped chives.

Now available from www.castinstyle.co.uk , the kitchen maid clothes airer is a traditional Victorian design which has been lovingly reproduced by Cast in Style. They have a large variety of other cast iron products which will suit any home. Take a look at www.castinstyle.co.uk   or www.castinstyle.com  . It’s great