About 20 years ago, when April was going to U of A, I used to go over there all of the time and use their library for research.
That was back when it was free to check out books. Now it costs big bucks to get a yearly library card for non students.
Anyway, I was looking through my notebooks yesterday and I found some lists and a floor plan that I thought might interest some of you that are into accuracy in your historic buildings.
This first one is a floor plan for a house called Wychwood, from sometime in the 1800s, England.
I will list the rooms, just in case my handwriting is hard to read. I am starting at the top left and going across.
The library is easy enough to read, but by the time I got to the bottom I was getting a bit sloppy.
It goes... Library, Dining room, then going outside we have Fire Fighting equipment, An arch with servant quarters above...A spiral staircase and then three more floors of servants quarters with an attached coal shed. Second row was a staircase and hallway and butlers room.
Next was a Japanese room, hallway, the kitchen with back stairs and the game larder.
The fourth row was a garden alcove, hall, butler's pantry and more hallways. I am thinking that the back door was there?
Fifth came the study, and more hallways. At the bottom was a staircase, an entrance hall, a servants hall with butler's sitting room alcove. Hallways, and last but not least.... A Still room...Can we say brewery?
The other two are just lists, but interesting anyway.
The top most is a description of the accouterments in a house in Exeter between 1500 and 1550.
I will just list them as written.
Rooms serve more than one purpose-living, sleeping, cooking, etc.
Doorways, low arch enclosed by chamfered frame. Internal and external.
Windows- Glass was rare. Some iron grill work an wooden shutters.
Fireplace on first two floors.
Stairs wooden or stone steps.
Hall- main living room, most important in house-ground floor eating room sometimes used as kitchen. Sometimes a bedroom.
On the second floor, Chamber- primarily for sleeping-secondary storage.
Men's chamber,-Maids chamber- Quarters for servants at the top of the house.
The word chamber was sometimes used in certain room names, ie- starching chamber, distilling chamber, wool chamber, milk chamber...
Kitchen-Cooking, washing, brewing. sometimes a separate building across the courtyard.
The third and final list I found most interesting. It consists of the different types of rooms that the wealthy people had. Some are listed as rooms, some as house. I imagine that the ones listed as houses were separate buildings on the property.
We have, Hamper house, Water closet, Stick house, Potato house, Ironing room, Dairy, Drying room, Implements shed, Tea shed, Wash room, Scullery, Cook's pantry, Old kitchen, Jam house, Butler's pantry, Lamp room, Silver chest, Wine cellar, China store, Maid's store, Servant's hall, Postman's room, Butler's bedroom, Housekeeper's room, Bakery, Still room, Work shop, Food preparation Room.
They didn't add any of the usual rooms bed chamber, living room, library, dining room, etc. I assume that they thought that you would just know about those.
I thought that these might give you ideas for different kinds of rooms that you could add to historic houses.
Off to the dentist now... See you tomorrow.
