In the high tech, fast paced society that we live in, it’s easy to take some things for granted. Case in point: the wood cutting board on which you’ll probably be preparing the evening’s dinner. Have you ever taken the time to think about the history of the cutting board? Where did it come from, and what did ancient civilizations use to cut their meats, fruits and vegetables? Wood throughout the ages Since the dawn of time, wood has been one of the most available materials used by mankind to build tools and lodgings, so it’s not really surprising to know that wood has been used in the preparation of food since the prehistoric ages. Of course, back then, cavemen probably used an unpolished slab of tree trunk to cut the kill of the day on and they probably didn’t think twice about saving it once the meal was over. Chances are they probably threw it in the fire with the rest of the wood needed to kindle it. Advances in technology Throughout the centuries, mankind evolved and started creating machines from steam, electricity and metal. When the circular saw was invented, nicer, cleaner slabs of wood were cut and used as cutting boards. Since soft wood was the most available type of wood at the time, it was the material of choice for to be used for cutting boards. Boards were made smaller since the slab of wood could now be cut to any desired size. Since they were made smaller, they were also used to eat off of and some people referred to them as trenchers. Trenchers were originally pieces of stale hard bread that were used as substitute plates. Wood trenchers quickly became the replacements of the eatable dinnerware. The butcher block: the cutting board’s larger cousin In the industrial ages, many industries rapidly developed, and the butchery industry followed this trend as well. Before the invention of the cutting board, butchers used tree rounds to carve their meat on. The rounds were often too soft and they rapidly became unsanitary. Hard maple wood butcher blocks were the preferred choice of the industry. They were made to be extremely thick and durable, so durable in fact, that a butcher could use the same block for almost his entire career. Cutting boards around the world As cutting boards began to be more and more used in kitchens around North America, the rest of the world crafted such boards from different materials. The East used thick bamboo as their material of choice. Despite its frail appearance, bamboo is quite strong and made durable cutting boards and butcher blocks. Europe used maple in the crafting of their cutting boards while Persia used flat pieces of polished wood in their kitchens. The world then saw cutting boards that were being made from other materials like plastic and they came in all shapes and sizes, but they always served the same purpose, to provide a household with a safe, clean surface on which to prepare meals for their friends and family members. https://www.woodcuttingboards.com/news/quick-history-of-the-cutting-board-47.aspxThe bread board is an example of kitchen equipment used during Victorian times and similar to those used today.Bread board wooden round with carved inner circle and carving an outer rim in old English lettering "Bread"None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, chopping board, cooking, kitchen equipment

Fitting U shape on wooden base. From the wreck of HMS "Hampshire", 1916.Marked in pencil "H.M.S. Hampshire sunk & wrecked 1916" "Kitchener on board".flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, hms hampshire

This cheese cutter was made and used by an early settler family in Moorabbin Shire c 1900Early settler families in Moorabbin Shire were self sufficient making their own tools , kitchen equipment, and clothing while they established market gardens, dairy farms , poultry farms, orchards and flower nurseries. Each family had a 'house cow ' to provide dairy products of milk, cheese, cream and butter.A wooden frame with wire cross pattern for cutting cheesecheese cutter, equipment, box cottage, dairy

Sad-irons or "solid" irons were made by blacksmiths and used to smooth out material by pressing the hot iron over it. A piece of sheet -iron was placed over the kitchen fire and the irons placed on it could be heated whilst remaining clean of ash.. The women used 2 irons - one heating while the other was used. Thick cloth or gloves protected their hands from the hot irons. The handle was removed from the cool iron and re- attached to remove the hot iron from the fire. The cool iron was replaced on the fire or stove to heat again. Mrs Florence Potts invented in 1871 a detachable handle made from walnut wood with a metal latch to release the handle. These wooden handles prevented burned hands and were sold to grateful women all over the world. These irons were cleaned with steel wool to prevent them marking the material. If the iron was too hot the material would scorch. Most homes set aside one day for ironing and some large households had an ironing room with a special stove designed to heat irons. However, most women had to work with a heavy, hot iron close to the fireplace even in summer.Mrs Florence Potts invented this type of detachable walnut wood handle with a meta release latch for sad irons in 1871 and it sold widely throughout the world to grateful women including those in Moorabbin Shire. The family of Ms May Curtis were early settlers in Moorabbin ShireA) A sad iron, made of cast iron , has a special handle invented in 1871 by Mrs Florence Potts of Iowa, USA. B) The detachable handle made of walnut wood to prevent burned hands, was attached to the iron by a metal latch.A) UNITED/ N0 / 50 / AUSTRALIApotts florence, iowa usa, melbourne, moorabbin, sad irons, kitchen equipmentn fireplaces, walnut wood, sewing, laundry, table ware, linen, pioneers, early settlers, washing days, craftwork

The sections of this wardrobe can be lifted apart so that it can be transported easily and when assembled provides suitable hanging and storage space for the clothes and bed covers of an early settler family This wardrobe is of a type commonly used by early settler families in Moorabbin Shire c1900Wooden Wardrobe with 3 sections- top, hanging space with a central oval glass window, a shallow central drawer and 2 doors with key locks, and drawer section with 2 deep drawers early settlers, market gardeners, poultry farmers, mechanics institutes, furniture, kitchen equipment, clothing, drapery, haberdashery, green pederson carol, city of moorabbin, county of bourke, moorabbin roads board, parish of moorabbin, shire of moorabbin, henry dendy's special survey 1841, were j.b.; bent thomas, highett william, ormond francis, maynard dennis,

Among the early settlers in Moorabbin Shire were blacksmiths who made tools for the other settlers who were establishing the homes, market gardens, farms, orchards and various businesses. Early settlers were self reliant and repaired their own equipment for kitchen,dairy, farm, horses, carts using various tools . This hammer is typical of the type used by early settlers in Moorabbin Shire c1900c1900 Hammer with a wooden handle and metal head. The metal head a circular striking edge and a tapered wedge shaped edgehammers, early settlers, market gardeners, blacksmiths, tools, building equipment, moorabbin shire, bentleigh, mckinnon, highett, cheltenham,mcewan james pty ltd, melbourne, bunnings pty ltd,

Originally the Bow Chair started off life with the name of the ‘Smoker’s Bow Chair’ where originally, it wasn’t designed for grandeur like many chairs of the time, but instead was designed for practicality and comfort. The original Smoker’s Bow Chair was a simple chunkier version of the Windsor Chair design which first appeared in the 1820’s. Although it lacked the high back found on any Windsor Chair of the time, it maintained a heavier, sturdier appearance. The main feature was a hoop or bow which was fashioned from steamed wood. This was then curved to make both the back support and arms. The chair also consisted of a wide seat, supported by 4 splayed, spindle legs. In its original form it was found in many country kitchens of the day as well as in many inns and public houses throughout the United Kingdom. Its name of the "Smoker’s Bow Chair" because the sweeping armrests were the perfect height to support a smokers arm when smoking a pipe.A significant piece of furniture from the late 19th century designed for a specific purpose, smoking. These chairs are now highly collectable and valuable today and avidly sought by collectors of antique furniture.Chair wooden dark brown "Smoker's Bow" chair, with wide and deep seat with broad arms, turned spindles and thick turned legs joined by a double stretcher.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, chair, furniture, smokers chair, bow chair

This particular small ice chest was once part of the domestic furniture of Dr W.R. Angus and his young family in 1927 when they lived in the Nhill and Ballarat districts. The family relocated to Warrnambool in 1939 and brought the ice chest with them. An ice chest, also called an icebox or refrigerator, was invented by Thomas Moore in 1802 and had become a common home appliance from the mid-1800s until around the 1930s, when electric refrigerators became affordable and safe. The non-mechanical ice chest allowed perishable food to be kept fresh for longer than the food-safe or ‘Coolgardie’ used in colonial days in Australia. It required the use of ice blocks, which were delivered to households by the ‘iceman' and his horse and cart. The ice man would use an ice pick to cut the blocks into the right size for the buyer’s ice chest. The ice came from an ‘ice house’, a factory where the ice was made. The ice chest required a block of ice to be placed into the insulated top section on top of the corrugated iron stand. The ice would cool the air and the cool air would flow downwards through the oval hole under the stand and into the refrigerator compartment below. The water from the melted ice would drain from the sloping floor of the top compartment and into the hooded pipe. The pipe went through the refrigerator and ended below its floor, where the drained water would be collected in the metal bowl placed there for that purpose. The lip on the bowl allowed it to be easily removed and emptied at regular intervals before it overflowed. W.R. Angus Collection- The W R Angus Collection spans from 1885 to the mid-1900s and includes historical medical and surgical equipment and instruments from the doctors Edward and Thomas Ryan of Nhill, Victoria. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1927 at Ballarat, the nearest big city to Nhill where he began as a Medical Assistant. He was also Acting House surgeon at the Nhill hospital where their two daughters were born. He and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his own medical practice. He later added the part-time Port Medical Officer responsibility and was the last person appointed to that position. Dr Angus and his wife were very involved in the local community, including the early planning stages of the new Flagstaff Hill, where they contributed to the layout of the gardens. Dr Angus passed away in March 1970.This ice chest is significant for representing a method of refrigeration and food preservation used in the 19th to mid-20th centuries when people were beginning to afford powered domestic refrigerators. After the second world war, most households replaced their food storage cupboards and ice chests with refrigerator appliances. The ice chest is also significant for its connection with the domestic furniture of Dr W.R. Angus and his family, and its inclusion in the W.R. Angus Collection.Ice chest; single front wooden cabinet with two doors and a flap, and three accessories. The top door is a lid with a metal handle at the front and two metal hinges along the back. The front door has two metal hinges on the right-hand side and has a metal lever catch. A hinged flap fits between the front legs at bottom of the ice chest and swings upwards. The front legs have wheels. The insulated top compartment has a metal lining and its floor slopes towards the centre of the back wall. In the floor are a formed oval air-flow hole and the open end of a pipe that has a hood partly covering it. The front compartment is an insulated metal-lined cupboard with a vertical pipe down the centre of the back wall and horizontal rails in the centre of each side wall. The accessories are a rectangular corrugated iron stand, a rectangular wire grid shelf and a round aluminium bowl with a lip and two sides pushed in. The ice chest was made circa 1927 and is part of the W.R. Angus Collection.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, dr w r angus, dr roy angus, dr ryan, doctor angus, dr angus, ice chest, ice box, antique, food preservation, refrigeration, domestic equipment, kitchen appliance, refrigerator, non-electric refrigerator, non-mechanical refrigerator, w.r. angus collection

Pottery condiment set with copper coloured lustre glaze & ringed with pink & gold rough cast decoration. Consisting of a Sugar shaker, mustard pot with wooden spoon & a bowl.domestic equipment, table setting, kitchen

Small nutmeg grinder, metal with black wooden handles, marked Pat ap'd for.domestic equipment, food preparation, kitchen

Two wooden butter pats, one marked in ink, approx 1880 vintage butter pats donated by Sister Kerrins 154 Don St Bendigo 12.3.65domestic equipment, food preparation, kitchen

Three wooden butter or shortbread stamps with patterns of, cow, rooster and rose.domestic equipment, food preparation, kitchen

Wooden butter mould with dove tailed joints on corners, hole in base with handle for pushing butter out. Stamped with number 20 on both pieces.domestic equipment, food preparation, kitchen

Small wooden roller for making patterns on butter or shortbread pastry, dated 1827 & with initials IY, accompanied by a newspaper clipping reporting the history of the object. Made by Mr.Y.J.Young of Durham, England for his wife & inherited by his Granddaughter Miss Robshaw of Don Street, Bendigo.domestic equipment, food preparation, kitchen

Black and white photographs (2) mounted on rectangular brown board. House, California-type bungalow wood and rough cast construction, 2 gables, bow window on right. Large square return verandah with brick and concrete balustrade. 2 double and 1 single window on side plus 1 chimney ( kitchen ) Name of house 'Frostville' centre beam of porch. Wooden slat front fence. On back of photo: A. McIntosh, Thistle Street, £1000 sewered or £950 plus sewer, 15.10.31' 2012 photo of house attached to record.Frank A. Jeffree Photo Bendigo [In Brown]bendigo, business, t c watts and son, s

Cast iron food mincer with claw feet legs, mounted on board, painted silver with white enamel mouth, wooden turning handle with thumb screw, flip catch to open for access to mincing teeth inside.15 Alte Hutte Neusalz & O Patent 58domestic equipment, food preparation, kitchen

Postcard, WW1, B&W photo of 8 men at a camp kitchen. Two pairs of ovens and hotplates with chimneys and one inground oven with chimney. Pile of firewood in left foreground. Wooden buildings behind and conical tents in the background. Seven soldiers standing near ovens holding some implements and one soldier sitting at lower right. Location not known.postcard, postcard, ww1, camp kitchen

This Commode Chair has been skillfully adapted by a bush carpenter from a kitchen chair - possibly for an invalid at a time when toilets were usually outside and often difficult to reach. The hinged seat is held up by a wire hook (No.8 fencing wire), and the seat can be lifted to remove the commode pot. The cream paint is of the type universally used for kitchen furniture before a more diverse range of paint colours became available.A wooden commode chair converted from a kitchen chair with four round legs and a hinged seat. Underneath is a hole to hold chamber pot or covered commode. The backrest consists of three turned spindles between squared timber that supports a carved rail across top. It is painted with cream paint that is rather worn.chairs, adaptation

Brought by Dutch migrants as part of kitchen apparatus.Sieve with green plastic handle and two hooks to hold sieve over bowl. Detachable Y-shaped steel frame apple sauce roller inside sieve, designed to fit over the handle and hook onto rim on opposite side, has turning handle with green wooden knob, a wooden egg-shaped roller, to force apple sauce through sieve, and metal paddle to scrape sauce from sieve. Cooked apple sauce was placed in sieve and pushed through mesh by turning handle to produce the fine apple sauce beloved by the Dutch.household item