CASTLETOWN, OMAGH, COUNTY TYRONE BT78 5QY, NORTHERN IRELAND, TEL +44 (0)28 8224 3292
Herb chopper

Herb chopper with steel blade and wooden handle. Height 14cm, length 17.5cm, no inscriptions.
Bottle jack
The bottle jack was used when roasting a joint of meat at an open fire. The jack contains a clockwork spring mechanism, and was attached to the crane or to the mantelpiece. The roast was suspended from underneath the bottle jack. As the spring unwound, the roast rotated and cooked evenly without constant attention. Prior to the invention of the bottle jack, jacks could have been powered by weights, or by fans catching the strong draft from the fire upwards in the chimney.
This bottle jack, made from brass, is marked 'John Linwood, Birmingham'. He started to manufacture bottle jacks in the 1790's.