During the 19th century the pharmacy or apothecary was part of the main hub of every town or village, as this was before the National Health Service,  people would rely on their local chemist for advice, and if they were lucky enough to afford a doctor, their prescriptions. All pharmacys would have used a pestle and mortar to grind natural ingredients such as herbs and spices in the preparation of the medicines they dispensed

This pestle and mortar is made from bronze, it was made in the 1750s but as such a hard metal would survive for centuries. It would have been an expensive example to buy all those years ago and would be likely to be passed down through many generations

Dimensions: the mortar measures 10cm high x 13cm diameter. The pestle measures 23cm long