featured item
Copper Kettles
Posted by ANTIQUES.CO.UK on 15/08/2022
You may be thinking to yourself after reading the title, what could you possibly have to say to me about antique kettles that I would find remotely interesting, and my answer to that would have to be, quite a lot actually.
I love copper kettles; they have far more personality and character than the soulless stainless steel descendants we have inherited, thanks to the discovery of electricity and new materials. The antique kettles we have today do not convey the domestic warmth and conviviality that surrounds the copper kettle. One imagines the hustle and bustle of a large and busy household at the centre of a busy working kitchen. The copper kettle sat at the centre of everything, suspended above the hearth or sitting on an iron hob; it was efficient, attractive, the very picture of domestic perfection. You may be forgiven for thinking this was the birth place of the copper kettle, but it has a far longer history than that.
The kettle is often seen as an essentially Victorian invention and it certainly gained popularity during this time. However, we have the Romans to thank for having come up with this rather ingenious way of boiling water. It was known as the "aquamanile" although at this time they didn't have spouts.
