|
To the east of the hall is the dining room. During the
early 19th century dinner at the Cape would have been served between
six and seven in the evening. The table has been laid for dessert
and the white damask tablecloth removed. The extra leaves of this
table made it suitable for small family dining or adjustable for
larger groups of guests.
The Kangxi dessert plates form part of a set which belonged to
Mrs Lidderdale’s mother-in-law, née Mary Wadsworth Busk, who spent
her early childhood in St. Petersburg. The English silver and wine
glasses which complete the period setting all form part of the
Lidderdale bequest.
It was customary for the hostess and ladies to retire to the adjoining
drawing room at the end of the meal leaving the men
to their own discussions and to drink and smoke. Later in the evening
the men would rejoin the ladies in the drawing room for conversation
and card games and tea would be dispensed. Mrs Sarah Norman Eaton
described the local customs of the Cape in her journal dated 1818
and records that tea was served "in the same style as in England,
though in Dutch families it is usual to introduce preserved fruits
which my brother does when he has Dutch visitors".
|
