Victorian dining refers to the customs, furnishings and tableware associated with formal and family meals in Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria. The dining room became one of the most important rooms in the middle-class and country house, typically furnished in a solid, masculine style with dark mahogany or oak, rich wallpapers and heavy curtains.
The period saw a gradual shift from service à la française, in which many dishes were placed on the table at once, to service à la russe, in which courses were brought in sequence and served by staff, allowing the table to be decorated with flowers, fruit, epergnes and candelabra. Typical dining room furniture includes large extending tables on turned legs or pedestals, sets of balloon-back or carved dining chairs, massive sideboards, dinner wagons and wine coolers. Tableware expanded dramatically, with extensive dinner services from factories such as Minton and Copeland, cut-glass suites of drinking glasses and silver or electroplated flatware with specialised pieces for fish, game and dessert. Victorian dining furniture remains highly practical today, and extending tables and sets of chairs are especially popular with buyers furnishing period dining rooms.
