Our Victorian Range

The range before restoration

The range is an original feature of the cottage which dates back to 1830, the Victorian cast iron range or the Yorkshire range to give it its correct name was already in place when we moved into the cottage. It was always our intention to bring it back to as close to an original as we could.

We identified the areas of the range which needed attention and after much research found only three places in the country specialising in cast iron ranges. As you can imagine spare parts for a 1850 range are few and far between.

We found a local blacksmith who made a new front grill, we replaced the fire bricks and raised the height of the fire grate. We needed to find two oven trays and a shelf, these were sourced from two different companies one in North Yorkshire and the other in Somerset.

These are the areas which needed attention.

new front grill and raise the fire grate

replace the fire bricks

source oven trays & shelf

repair the water tank lid

Replacing the fire bricks

Some of fire bricks were deteriorating due to the heat and had to be replaced. They were all removed and new ones were carefully installed using fire cement between the joints.

At this point we took the opportunity to raise the height of the fire grate by creating a ledge on each side for the grate to sit on.

This brought the grate back to its original position, with the fire now higher this now allows the oven to reach a temperature of 160 to 200 degrees centigrade.

The new front grill

The left hand picture shows the front bars being made at the blacksmiths workshop and then bolted onto the front of the range. The front bars were made from solid steel which worked out cheaper than having new ones specially made from cast iron.

The oven door handle and hinges on some cast iron ranges were highly polished and in some cases nickel plated, it is not often you see these finishes anymore however they are much more traditional than the common black stoves that you may see.

After a small test patch on the door handle, our range was found to have these polished fittings, we set too and brought them back to the original finish using metal polish wadding.

We found an oven shelf or trivet which it is sometimes called and two oven trays from two sources in the UK. They were sent off to be sandblasted to remove all traces of rust, the trivet was given a coat of graphite based iron paste and the two oven shelves a coat of heatproof black paint.

The Roasting Jack

Following the restoration of the range, we sourced a roasting jack from an online auction site to complement it. Finding one in working order and complete with its key proved quite a challenge, but eventually we managed to find one.

This fascinating traditional gadget is known by several names, including roasting jack, bottle jack, meat jack and spit jack, it was invented in the late 18th century around 1790 to 1800 and continued to be produced through the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The roasting jack is made of brass and contains a clockwork mechanism that rotates a set number of times in one direction before turning back the other way. The meat is suspended from hooks beneath the jack and slowly rotated by the mechanism, using the heat from the fire to cook it evenly. A basting or dripping pan is placed directly beneath the meat to catch the dripping fats and juices. Regular basting is essential for achieving a succulent, flavoursome roast, helping to keep the meat moist as it cooks.

After restoration

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