ABSTRACT
The home environment was first and foremost created for its occupants. However, the physical elements of building, decoration, furniture and furnishings were a powerful statement about who you were and your position in society. The homes of friends, with parents providing hospitality, were an important venue for young unmarried people to meet and for relationships to develop. However, the material culture of interiors would no doubt have been consumed along with the refreshments against the time that they would establish their own homes. Single men of substance were likely to invest in the requirements of a polite household. Here, the entertaining of colleagues, business associates and fellow worthies ensured that the imbalanced nature of the non-marital household towards notionally masculine spaces and pursuits was lessened. Social rituals connected with tea drinking changed over time, but location was also a factor in people's participation. Women gained some ground for entertaining in the home due to the popularity of tea drinking.
