Sweet Waters and Bath Preparations

The work of the still room was an important part of a moderately prosperous Elizabethan housewife’s chores. In a large house the still room was usually located somewhere near the kitchen with easy access to the garden. A small fireplace provided a source of heat and a ready supply of spring water enabled the herbal potions and infusions that were almost the only medicines of the time, to be prepared. It was here too that the aromatic leaves and flowers from the garden were dried and preserved for decorating and perfuming the rooms in the house.