A METICULOUS restoration project has helped shed new light on what life was like in a Victorian poorhouse kitchen.

The kitchen at Ripon's Workhouse Museum would have catered for the hungry inhabitants of the poorhouse, and is now open for visitors after being restored to how it looked in 1890.

Curator Martin Wills said: “We’ve been able to uncover some of the room’s original features, which include two fireplaces and quarry-tile flooring, and with the help of early floor plans we’ve been able arrange furniture, such as tables and cabinets, in their exact original locations.”

The kitchen was a vital part of the old workhouse. Inmates - mainly female - were responsible for cooking the food for all the other inmates, preparing three meals a day for over 100 people.

Mr Wills said: “One surprising feature is the colour of the walls - blue. At the turn of the 20th-century it was thought that the colour blue kept flies and other insects away."

The museum on Allhallowgate is open seven days a week. For more visit riponmuseums.co.uk