A fireplace pot hanger

In Victorian times, cooking in a cottage was often done in a three legged cooking pot or cauldron. This could be stood in the ashes of a fire or suspended over the flames. An iron bar was built into the chimney and a pot hanger could be hooked over it. This had a hook to support the cooking pot.

The pot hanger had a ratchet, so that the pot could be suspended at the required distance from the flames. This hanger was found in a cottage on Russell Mill Lane, now in Littleton Pannell, but formerly part of Market Lavington. See Russell Mill, Russell Mill and Russell Mill for information and pictures of this area.