dish, serving
Object
Accession Number
E121a-cDescription
A silver-plated meat dish with a domed cover (b) featuring the engraved monogramme FGK and a looped handle on the top. The oval dish (a) has a handle at each end and four bun shaped feet on the bottom. The surface of the dish has groves in a tree-like shape that lead to a well for collecting meat juices. On the side there is a cap that leads to the hollow body of the dish. The dish and lid are both marked for Elkington & Co. of Birmingham, England and the “W” date mark for 1882.Narrative
This silver-plated meat dish with domed cover was made by Elkington & Co. of England in 1882. It is a high-quality object that is suitable for use in Craigdarroch’s dining room, pantry, and kitchen. Typically, a dish like this would hold a roast or poultry item. The hollow body would be filled with hot water to keep the meat warm until it was served. The cooked meat would be placed on the dish in the kitchen and brought into the dining room, possibly stopping in the pantry on the way, where it might rest until needed. It also might stop briefly in the pantry after being used in the dining room.When not in use, dishes like this one were normally stored in the Butler’s Pantry, or, if a house had one, in a silver safe/vault. James and Laura Dunsmuir’s house Hatley Park had such a vault, whereas their former house, Burleith, built 1891 did not. It is not yet known whether Craigdarroch had one. This dish was collected for Craigdarroch’s Education Collection, so that it can be displayed and used in the restored kitchen and/or pantry where it can be handled by visitors under supervision, as well as displayed in the dining room during Christmas.
