Layout

Ballyknockan kitchen layouts

Drawing of kitchen layouts in Ballyknockan village Co. Wicklow. The village is unique in that almost all buildings are of stone.

Ballyknockan: A Wicklow Stonecutters' Village

Ballyknockan kitchen layouts
Ballyknockan: A Wicklow Stonecutters' Village

Ballyknockan kitchen layouts

Drawing of kitchen layouts in Ballyknockan village Co. Wicklow. The village is unique in that almost all buildings are of stone.

Ballyknockan: A Wicklow Stonecutters' Village

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All cooking and boiling was traditionally done at the kitchen fire. The simplest type of hearth was that in which the fire was made on the floor, which was typical for turf burning. Coal was burned in a raised grate.

By the middle of last century, iron ranges with cooking hobs and an oven had replaced the earlier arrangement in most houses. These were usually placed in front of the blocked up hearth opening.

More recently, modern bottled gas or electric cookers have taken hold and standard modern fireplaces inserted, thus ending the tradition of cooking on the hearth.

Wardrobe

A large, heavy wardrobe, similar to that used traditionally in Irish bedrooms.

Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries

Wardrobe
Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries

Wardrobe

A large, heavy wardrobe, similar to that used traditionally in Irish bedrooms.

Courtesy of Wicklow County Libraries

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Bedroom furniture before modern times included brass and canopied beds; washstands; wooden or metal chests; and large, heavy wardrobes like the one in this picture.

Of all the rooms in the house, bedrooms were the most likely to have religious pictures and crucifixes.

Many bedrooms also had fireplaces. These were often much smaller than the fireplaces in the kitchen and often had metal or timber surrounds. Those in Ballyknockan are built of stone. They are made to a very high standard and decorated with various motifs.