Kettle on stand with burner

Object Type
Tea kettles were used to refill the teapot for guests and family while tea was being served. The lamp or burner was filled with camphorine, an odourless and inexpensive fuel that kept the water hot.

The Victorian Tea Service
A complete tea service in one pattern and material was just one option for the Victorian household. Those consumers who could afford it were more likely to purchase a silver teapot, tea kettle and stand, milk jug and sugar bowl to use with porcelain cups and saucers. Domestic advice manuals recommended the housewife to buy this sort of tea ware and cutlery as the minimum amount of silver that a respectable household should own. Electroplated nickel silver (a cheaper, plated alternative) was an accepted substitute for silver. In 1869 the manufacturers Elkington & Co. advertised similar tea kettles and stands in their catalogue for between £10 and £14, depending on size and decoration.

Food & Drink
The Victorians introduced the formal afternoon tea, taken at about 4 o'clock, and by the 1880s it had become an institution. Weekly 'at home' teas were an opportunity for seeing friends and exchanging gossip. Only tea, bread and butter and cake or fruit were offered to guests at these gatherings. However, Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management for 1888 lists a number of different events at which tea played an important role, from large social gatherings such as wedding teas and musical entertainment to smaller family meals.