Posted by John Nichols on April 13, 2003 at 22:58:49 from 165.91.199.202 user Mcneacail.
In Reply to: Re: BECKFOOT layout - arrangements for eating posted by Laurence Monkhouse on April 13, 2003 at 20:48:57:
Dear Laurence,
There is an excellent book written on the English House in 1904 by a German Architect. He makes a lot of observations about the life style of the English in his book.
The behaviour one sees in the SA series matches the stuff written in the book about the English. I will endeavour to bring the book in although I suspect it is rare and not available. But I will post some comments from it, as the author included a Windermere home. The kitchen in summer with the stove lit was probably hot which might be a reason for DIck being moved.
AR appears to have been a typical Englishman of the times in that respect about the eating etc not being in the kitchen, when we also look at the reference to Cook and Nancy discussing the menu's and Nancy saying for cook to decide. She really is grown up a lot in PM.
In this architectural book extensive reference is made to the fact that one does not have the WC visible but that it is behind doors within doors, which is as my grand parents had it and that which I used to think was old fashioned and now appreciate.
There is a discrepancy in AR's sketches in PM. He moves the chimneys around on the northern end between two pictures. This is the kitchen chimneys. One way it makes sense the other it does not.
He also shows chimney pots whcih allow one to count the fireplaces at the southern end of the buildings. There are definitely more fire places in the house than I originally thought.
Ed also worked out which is Capn Flints bedroom and once he had it also made sense from the architectural comments by the German.
Anyway Ed and I have been having fun with this discussion over the weekend.
Gotta go cook hamburgers.
John