The Still House at Ham

The still room used to be a distillery room found in both wealthy households and many small houses and farms, dating back as least to medieval times.

Such rooms were used to make medicines, cosmetics, beeswax candles, furniture polishes and soaps.

Herbs and flowers from the kitchen garden were preserved for flavouring foods and processed into what today we call essential oils. Candied marigolds and violets, sweetmeats, marchpanes, dried petals for broths and stews, vegetable dye to colour butter and cheese were all prepared in the stillroom.