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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2575
Location: New Jersey, USA
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 Posted: Fri Dec 02, 16 3:48 pm Post subject: Tell Me About Root Cellars |
 
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Yesterday I visited friends who are estate gardeners, to see the contemporary root cellar. It's lovely. Used for the traditional potaoes, onions (which are sprouting), squashes, dormant flower bulbs.
I'm curious - any Downsizers with actual experience / memories / family stories of root cellars, clamps, or other traditional root vegetable storage techniques they'd like to share? When this was, where it was, what was stored, how successful - anything and everything you might want to relate.
PM fine, although I think other members would enjoy hearing about it.
TIA |
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gythagirl
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 1467
Location: Somerset
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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2575
Location: New Jersey, USA
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16035
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frewen
Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46276
Location: yes
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| Posted: Sat Dec 03, 16 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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not for roots but :
in pennine yorkshire many houses were built with cellars ,the best have various rooms , some were dry and have wood shelves on brackets to keep the wood away from damp walls and some used porous stone /dampness from the earth or sprinkling to cool by evaporation,all have good ventilation.
apples store very well on dry shelves with a newspaper "carpet" in a cool 5c and moderate airflow cellar.
dairy (chese,milk,butter ) have porous stone shelves so as evaporation cools the goods
hams,bacon etc have hooks and good ventilation
veg etc would be in crates on bearers to keep them off the damp flags
the coldest damp stone shelf would often be near an air intake vent and acted as a fridge for fresh meat etc.
dry cellar space was good for some things but a mix of airflow and controlled moisture was best for many things
mice etc had traps and as much physical barriers as poss.
a chum has one that was built as a butchers hanging room about the size of a large shipping container, vaulted ceiling, ,damp flags and walls and now we have opened the ventilation again it has good airflow and a stable 2 to 4 c temp all year round (rather than the nasty warm, damp "weeping walls" and dry rot it had when the vents were blocked)
based on what i know good ventilation is vital and natural lime based whitewash seems to be the surface coating of choice for walls and shelves/woodwork ( which makes sense for several reasons)
iirc elm is a good wood to use in cellars |
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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2575
Location: New Jersey, USA
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Slim
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6618
Location: New England (In the US of A)
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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2575
Location: New Jersey, USA
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Slim
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6618
Location: New England (In the US of A)
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Pilsbury
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex
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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2575
Location: New Jersey, USA
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Slim
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6618
Location: New England (In the US of A)
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46276
Location: yes
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| Posted: Sun Dec 04, 16 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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a few further observations.
if the house is built on a slope the cellar is often cut into the hillside with a wall facing the downhill side. this allows for a door, window and drainage so the part nearest the outside of the space can be dedicated to laundry etc. a copper and chimney is often a feature of these.
the parts further back form dark storage spaces.
shutes are useful for coal/logs/large dead critters ( and i suppose bulk veg etc ) as supplies drop in easily from the outside ( many central london cellars have these in the road or pavement for coal, yorkshire ones are usually either in the pavement or through the wall at an angle.
even with cellars that have no outside wall (ie a hole under the house ) light/access can be provided via a window/shutters forming one side of a "pit" that is open or barred at street level. these need to be dry so often have a drain to avoid rain problems.
sandstone is the ideal material for flags and damp shelves ,in west yorkshire the natural bedrock is often incorporated into the features of the cellar.
a few yorkshire cellars have a well but that depends on geology and need. Pre the end of the 18th c it was more common as hand pumps/gravity fed taps in the yard became more common in the 19th c.
from the late 18th c posh town houses had a basement level that was often part storage cellar for coal/foodstuffs and part kitchen/scullery for the servants to cook and wash in. the storage parts used many of the features i have mentioned but the damp shelves were often rather fine stonework.i lived in a rather nice listed building and the "cold shelf" was a 10 by10 sandstone slab in the centre of a well ventilated damp cellar room, it was separated from other areas by brick walls but had no door and good ventilation at and below ground level.
thinking of ventilation at least two vents are needed , more is good, and the best have vents at different levels as well as different aspects.
even quite modest houses (skilled workman) were built with storage cellars up to about ww1 these were often half coal, half walk in fridge and would have a footprint of about half the ground floor.they were often of poor design and not very good for more than keeping a jug of milk or a weeks meat fresh.
purpose built low pay industrial workers houses rarely had a cellar level as they could only afford hand to mouth shopping so a small cool larder and coal bucket was enough storage.
the oldest cellar i am familiar with was under a pub restaurant i worked in . 13th c built for the abbey alehouse that predated the pub by several rebuilds.
floor level was about 20 ft underground to outside level,high vaulted ceiling ,natural rock walls, natural stone benches for beer both sides. i assume they quarried a big hole and used the stone for the cellar roof and original walls
it was a bit "haunted" in places , i was ok with all but one end (which we never used ) but many ran screaming never to return  the most recent refit of the pub lost a few contractors due to then running off site never to return.
we had a sump pump for drainage as it was rather wet ,i have no idea how it was kept from flooding when it was built, perhaps by a drain that got covered over or walled in ?
hope that adds to yorkshire and london cellar info. |
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chickenlady
Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 413
Location: Dorset
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