Victorian Hydro BBQ

[Braai-Q]

Hey All

I thought there might be some appreciation for this and I took these pictures and the video with the KK community in mind. 

In June, we went to Cragside in Northumberland, the former home of Lord and Lady Armstrong which is now operated by the National Trust. Armstrong was a fascinating character - he was an engineer (albeit a whimsical and eccentric one) and industrialist. The house is beautiful but is also full of innovations and is the first home in the world to be powered by hydroelectricity. The kitchen had a lot of precursors to modern conveniences, albeit slightly primitive but they were early conceptions - a gas stove and dishwasher from what I recall. What particularly drew my attention was the hydraulic rotisserie.

I've included a couple of iPhone images below to give context but the video shows the gears exposed in the floor along with the driveshaft in motion. While the National Trust keep the kitchen in service and bake Victorian cakes for the cafe once a week, the meats were plastic props hence the speed of rotation in the video. 

Anyway, I thought there would be some appreciation here for Victoria era KK style over engineering. 

 

Alex

 

 

 

[Tyrus]

All spic and span with a gloomy charm about it. I like it and incidentally have one of those long handle copper pot hanging in my He shed. All the modern conveniences of the day and a trailblazer for things yet to come. Would have liked to have tasted a dish or two that was prepared in there

[tekobo]

Neat!

[Pequod]

Looks a bit like the rotisserie I found at Biltmore in Asheville, NC

[Tyrus]

Those Vanderbilt's didn't lack for much, even had a bowling alley tucked in there.