Now with a vast bequest of Victorian 'kitchenalia' from a renowned antiques dealer, the country house museum hopes to explore the stories of all who might have lived here. The impressive collection from Annie Marchant was often hired out and used on television shows such as comedian Victoria Wood's soap-opera parody Acorn Antiques in the 1980s, and includes pots, pans and utensils that would have been used in a dairy in Victorian times. The Jacobean house in Richmond once housed such a dairy on site, and would have held servants quarters, but museum leaders say there is a "gap" in its history with these demolished so long ago. "Much of our current collection includes art, fine furniture, and the possessions of the families who lived here at Kiplin over the last 400 years," said James Etherington, director of Kiplin Hall and Gardens. "But those items do not always tell the whole story of the people who worked and lived here. A house like Kiplin would have required staff and servants. "We know there was a dairy on site, and larger kitchens and servant’s accommodation existed next to the hall, but they were demolished some time ago. "Annie’s collection will help us to explore the stories and lives of the sorts of people who worked and lived at Kiplin outside of the family ownership.” Miss Marchant, who lived in Kent, died this spring aged 68, leaving instructions in her will for her collection to be donated to a museum. Kiplin Hall and Gardens, an accredited museum, has been successful in acquiring it, along with a generous financial sum to ensure its safe keeping for the future. Miss Marchant's obituary was written by a friend of hers, Hugh Darrah, and was published in The Guardian in April. He described Miss Marchant as a “lively, talkative and strong-minded woman who held unshakeable views about almost everything – the best word I can think of to describe her thought processes was that everything should be proper – it was, she believed, proper to be frugal, proper to reuse and recycle, proper to grow your own vegetables, proper to preserve produce at harvest time, proper to look after wounded animals.” Mr Etherington said: “At Kiplin we have a number of strong women in the family tree, but on reading Annie Marchant’s obituary we were struck by just how similar she sounds to our own Bridget Talbot. "Miss Talbot was the last owner of Kiplin Hall and is credited with saving it for the nation. They sound very similar in their tenacity and will to preserve history. "The Victorian walled garden, produce from which is used in our tea room, alongside the fine dining room in the hall set the perfect context for the Annie Marchant collection which fills a gap in the telling of Kiplin’s story. "We feel confident that the previous owners of the Hall, especially Miss Talbot, would be delighted to have Annie’s collection here.” Boost to rural economy The funding which accompanies the collection will secure the services of a project officer to create a temporary exhibition set to open next February. It is hoped research can be undertaken into the collection's history ahead of the creation of learning materials to ensure its long-term display. The bequeathment is not only a boost to Kiplin Hall's collection, the museum's directors have said, but at such a time when many jobs in the heritage sector have been lost it is helping to create employment opportunities in a rural area. With rising numbers of families and visitors seeking settings to enjoy the outdoors this summer, Kiplin has reported its busiest ever July. This, they add, alongside the new acquisition, leaves the future "looking brighter" for the setting. ________________________________________________________________ Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. So, please - if you can - pay for our work. Just £5 per month is the starting point. If you think that which we are trying to achieve is worth more, you can pay us what you think we are worth. By doing so, you will be investing in something that is becoming increasingly rare. Independent journalism that cares less about right and left and more about right and wrong. Journalism you can trust. Thank you James Mitchinson