George III’s bath tub again, in the wonderful Georgian kitchens at Kew

More than two years ago – gosh, how time flies! – I described Susanne’s discovery of George III’s bathtub in the Georgian kitchens at Kew Palace.  Now the bathtub takes pride of place in the really beautiful new presentation of the kitchens – open for your delectation since 18th May.  The whole building is presented very precisely to the date of the 6th February, 1789, which Susanne discovered to be the first day poor old George was allowed to handle a knife and fork again as he gradually recovered from an episode of his so-called ‘madness’.  We all went to admire the finished, opened, kitchens the other day, and I recommend that you do too … beautiful.

There’s the bathtub. Read the full story as reported by Maev in the Guardian here.

The garden out the back…

View into the Clerk of the Kitchen’s office…

His notice board!

His desk…

He’s ready to offer you a drink … and below, the oath of office all the kitchen’s employees were required to swear.  I’m particularly fond of the phrase ‘I do from my heart abhor, detest and abjure as impious and heretical, that damnable doctrine and position that PRINCES, excommunicated or deprived by the POPE or any authority of the SEE OF ROME may be deposed or murthered by their subjects or any other whomsoever’.  Take that, Georgian Catholics!