SC -cooling Creme' Bastarde

[CBlackwill@aol.com]

OK, you all have me blushing now.

However, in answer to the original question, I looked into the design for 
Caernarfon Castle last night because I remembered something about a cold room 
off the kitchen.  According to the design, they diverted sea water into a 
stream which flowed through the center of a stone room.  Around the edges of 
the room are shelves where they could place containers or other things they 
want to keep cool.  In the center of the diverted stream they place two stone 
boxes (no notes on what kind of stone or how the boxes were made) around 
which the stream flowed constantly and in which they could put those things 
which they wanted to keep especially cold.  The notes from the national trust 
say that the average mean temperature in the room is 34 degrees and that the 
temperature in the boxes runs about 15 degrees (Fahrenheit).  They also note 
that the boxes are large enough to hold a full boar carcass in each and the 
room would hold enough to feed 200 people for more than a month. 

This castle is in Wales and was build in 1283 - 1330 on a shoreline.   Seems 
that the idea of the "spring room" was certainly around by then.  I believe 
that we would be safe in assuming that manors would have similar though 
smaller designs as well.  I have written to the trust to see if they can 
forward me any further information.

At any rate, it would appear that they not only had the ability to 
refrigerate but also to freeze.

Still researching,  hey this is fun,  never would have imagined they had the 
technology then.

Constance de LaRose