Posted by John Nichols on April 08, 2003 at 16:24:19 from 165.91.199.202 user Mcneacail.
In Reply to: Re: BECKFOOT layout posted by Adam Quinan on April 08, 2003 at -1:50:49:
Dear All:
I have posted by separate email a copy of the jpg files that show the plans and shots for Beckfoot. The plans went to all those Amazonians on the list who have an email address I could get from the site who have been part of the discussion on the Beckfoot Layout. One person did not have an email address. If anyone else wants them please let me know.
I got access to my web site yesterday so hopefully I can get some of the my plan drawings on the web site.
Ed mentioned that I could use trig to calculate the dimensions of element of Beckfoot. Some of the attached sketches show the dimensional analysis. I used two sets of dimensional relations to get the height of Beckfoot, the first is the height of the Boat House that I could get from the river shot in SA. That was what started me thinking about Beckfoot and discussing it with Ed.
I could use the WH shot and the PM shots of Beckfoot to get the dimensions of the walls and I could cross check these dimensions against Tent Lodge pictures from the Web and the painting.
Luckily AR knew how to draw perspective so I am confident I can get relative relationships.
There are several things we can accept as book facts:
1. We know where Nancy and Peggy's room is located.
2. We know the height of the boathouse and its dimensions from SA and the river shot.
3. We can get a relative size of Beckfoot from the shot of the Great Aunt in the Garden pointing at the grass. Which is about 20 feet high. This sets the house back about 250 feet from the water's edge.
4. I can use the pictures in PM and WH to cross check the height estimate against the door height, and the children heights and the sundial height.
5. I can then compare these dimensions to the Tent Lodge painting image that Ian sent to me. (I have no doubts it is the model.) I can also use the Tent Lodge Painting to compare the background mountains and fells heights against the AR Drawing from PM. In the Tent Lodge painting we have a house at the foot of the mountians to give us a scale.
You need about 20 points of comparison to get a match on a fingerprint. AR has at least 20 points that match Tent Lodge and the background. Amazon River basin is Coniston Water. (I have no doubts about this and I would be quite happy to swear on a bible to the fact that AR used Tent Lodge as Beckfoot. I used the contours given on the English maps to compare the heights of the hills in the Tent Lodge sketches and then compared the shapes to what AR drew in PM.
5. We know where the chimneys are (PM)
6. We know there is a landing (PM)
7. We know there is a hallway (PM and PP)
8. We know there is a front door near CF's room (PM)
9. We know there is a garden door leading out onto an area that was flattened for sports (PM) I can find no evidence that the Garden Door is not the one shown in WH with Nancy's room.
10. We know that Cook was crossing from the kitchen to the ???? with a set of crockery when the bell rang and she dropped them. But it was not the dining room and I do not have my PP close so could you check that for me Ed please. This establishes the fact that there is a hall in the kitchen area at the back.
11. We know there is a larder and a pantry (PP and PM) Ed ??? I am sure this is correct but could you double check. Again off the hall in the kitchen.
12. Teh kitchen block is attached to the main house we can see that from the Joly's picture of the gathering in PM and from the WH shot. This is confirmed to my satisfaction in the lake view photograph of Tent Lodge.
13. We can calculate the size of the kitchen block from the roof geometry and heights from the PM shot of Joly's group. The kitchen is visible behind the pidgeon loft and the garage. (PM)
14. We know there is a box room. (PM)
15. We know there is a dining room (PM, PP)
16. We know there is a drawing room. (PM)
17. We know CF had a study that is on the same side of the house as the girl's room and in the diagonally opposite corner. (PM)
18. We know that the Spare room is either above CF's study or in the diagonally opposite corner (The arrangment of the Bed in the shot of Nancy finishing the pirate picture gives us this detail). (PM)
19. At this point we run into a decision as to where is the Spare room. AR says in PM that the noise of cleaning in the spare room could be heard in the dining room. But that Dorothy smelt the new mown hay and Dick heard the owl. The prevailing wind in England is westerly (In fact, the westerly winds blowing across the Atlantic dominate the British climate.= from a web site on the English Maritime Climate) so the spare room could be in either corner, but Dick heard the Owl and as he was sleeping in CF's room I am suggesting that the CF's room is in the SW corner and is the closest bedroom to the kitchen area. The spare room is in the NE corner. That also suggests that the stairs has its upper end at the east and the lower end at the west.
20. In Pidgeon Post Nancy climbs the trellis and is heard descending the stairs and then coming out the garden door with no mention of runnign along the hall. The foot of the stairs is near the garden door and the kitchen is suggested from these two observations. AR wrote as he heard it in his mind, he did that to many times to overcome his newspaper training (like Frederick Forsythe) so I stick to my opinions that the observations be taken as written.
Finally if you go to the AutoCAD web site and do a search on Volo View Express and then download this file I can send anyone Autocad drawing files that you can mark up with your thoughts. The program is easy to use and is designed for this sort of purpose.
I also enclose a web site that shows a nautical compass. I looked for one after reading the article in MM about SW and the mapping. I personally think the Author is wrong and that a compentent student could use a nautical compass to map and Island. (Of course I may have to prove this but then what else is there to do in life but enjoy oneself.
Swallows and Amazon's Forever.
John Nichols.