Cast Iron Cooker
In 1709 Abraham Derby managed to reduce the production cost of casting iron which allowed for more efficient stoves to be built. The new lower cost meant that by the mid-19th century cast iron ranges were in common use, as the cost of transporting heavy goods was also reduced with the coming of railways. By the 1920s these cast iron stoves could be found in most homes across the United Kingdom and were powered by gas which was common in the early 20th century. Most middle and upper class families favoured closed ranges as they were the most expensive and efficient, therefore showing their wealth to any visitors in their home.
Mangle (Clothes Wringer)
The Mangle was invented in August 1888 by Ellen Elgin (a black housekeeper). The mangle was made from cast iron and the rollers were often made from wood, and the machine was powered by a hand crank. The clothes were fed through the two wooden rollers, to squeeze out any excess water, to help them dry faster, smaller items such as socks could go through the mangle with no issues however, bigger items such as bed sheets had to be folded in a certain way to be able to fit.
The mangle did have some problems, one of them being the size, early versions of the machine were quite big and tended to take up a lot of space in the room. Another problem was that the rollers could cause the buttons to break under the stress from the rollers, so women would have to cut off the buttons, put the shirts through the mangle and then sew them back on when the shirt was completely dry.
Created by Olivia Lyzaniuk
