A new exhibition has been launched at Strokestown Park House, Co. Roscommon, in the last preserved 18th-century gallery kitchen in this country and one of the finest examples in Europe.
Titled ‘Food, Feasts and Footmen’, the exhibition sheds light on servant life through displays and narratives highlighting kitchen workspaces, food preparation and serving in addition to the contrasting lives of the gentry in the dining room.
The unique gallery kitchen was concealed behind partition walls until its rediscovery in the early 1980s.
The exhibition’s engaging interpretation allows visitors to gain a practical understanding of servant life ‘below stairs’ in the ‘big house’.
This new dimension to the guided tour of Strokestown Park’s Palladian House includes insights into the laborious tasks performed by predominantly female kitchen staff and the strict hierarchical rules by which they abided.
Drawing from the records left by Strokestown Park’s last resident, Olive Pakenham Mahon, who lived there until 1980, the exhibition was meticulously researched from records in the National Library of Ireland.
It also examines the decline of servant numbers in Irish society after World War I.
Curated by the Irish Heritage Trust, which manages the historic property, the exhibition has been supported by funding from the Regional Exhibition Scheme (2023) of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and from Westward Holdings, the owner of the property.
Irish Heritage Trust general manager at Strokestown Park and the National Famine Museum, John O’Driscoll, expressed delight at being able to another dimension of Strokestown Park’s rich history and to honour the often overlooked contributions of its invisible servants.
“It is fitting that we are launching this exhibition during the week of the commemorative national famine walk from Strokestown, as it highlights the parallel lives of those on the estate, similar to the narrative of our recently redeveloped national famine museum here at Strokestown Park,” O’Driscoll said.
Constructed in the 18th century, the gallery kitchen at Strokestown Park House was designed by the esteemed architect Richard Castle.
The kitchen includes elaborate ranges, ovens, mechanised roasting spits and smokers, all impeccably preserved alongside an extensive collection of original kitchen equipment spanning the 18th to 20th centuries.
Renowned food and culinary historian at University College Cork (UCC), Regina Sexton, expressed her enthusiasm about working on research within the project: “The house’s kitchen complex is a historical gem for Ireland, as are the gardens.
“The exhibition not only delves into the culinary intricacies of the gentry, but also explores the contrasting diets of the wealthiest class, the middle classes and the poorest subsistence-level cottiers on the Strokestown Estate.”
Strokestown House Park and The National Famine Museum is open seven days a week.