Henry VIII’s Court: How Castors Would Have Made Feasts More Fun!

Could you imagine feeding 600 people twice a day? Unless you are a chef in a top hotel or restaurant with that kind of capacity then it is unlikely that you can even begin to comprehend that scale of preparation and serving. However, if you were a member of staff at Hampton Court in the 16th Century then you would have been used to the huge feasts that were held every day, twice a day under Henry VIII’s reign. With no technology to help them, just imagine how Castors would have been able to make the whole process that bit more efficient! The Royal Court of Henry VIII is famous for its size and its activities. The King and his friends were well known for their love of hunting, eating and associating with all sorts of women. However, the nature of the work that went into the huge feasts has not been documented as well. For example, it is a little known fact that the kitchens at Hampton Court, as constructed in 1530, were larger than those that can be found in any modern building. It required several teams of a Master Cook, Sergeants and Yeomans to prepare the food for however many of the 1200 plus member Court happened to be present every day. So how would castors have helped the teams to provide the food and drink required at every mealtime? Well, first of all, it may have helped to save the backs of some of those working in the kitchen. The kitchens were located underneath the banquet hall so all dishes would have had to have been carried up to the same floor and then into the room. Imagine how much those serving would have appreciated a trolley with some SSXM Series Castors on it to carry one of the 1,240 oxen cooked and consumed there every year! Holding between 100kg and 370kg, they would have been ideal. They would have also made their jobs significantly easier within the kitchen because fetching and carrying heavier items using said trolley and reliable high duty wheels would have been much easier and potentially more efficient. Just think about how much trolleys are used in modern kitchens and you will soon get an idea of just how handicapped those working in the huge Hampton Court kitchens actually were as compared to kitchen assistants and chefs today. Of course, castors were not even invented during the Tudor era so there is absolutely no way of knowing exactly how much of an impact it would have had on the Royal Court and feasting. However, there can be little doubt that their use would have made mealtimes an awful lot easier for those working really hard to cater for Henry VIII and his friends. They would have revolutionised Hampton Court as they have revolutionised modern catering, restaurant kitchens and hotel kitchens today.