The Baronial Halls, and Ancient Picturesque Edifices of England; Vol. 2 of 2Hall, S. C. (Samuel Carter)
History
The Baronial Halls, and Ancient Picturesque Edifices of England; Vol. 2 of 2
Hall, S. C. (Samuel Carter)
Historic buildings -- England
The provision made in the adjoining offices for the convenience and
attendance of the several servants of the household is very curious. On
the left hand of the great door of entrance, directly behind the hall
screen, are four large doorways, with high pointed arches, extending, in
a row, the whole length of the hall, and facing the upper end. The first
of these still retains its ancient door of strong oak, with a little
wicket in the middle, just big enough to put a trencher in or out, and
was clearly the butler’s station; for the room within still retains a
vast old chest of oak, with divisions for bread, a large old cupboard
for cheese, and a number of shelves for butter. “Besides, out of this
apartment (which is itself spacious, and separate from the rest of the
house) is a passage, down steps, to a large vaulted room, arched with
stone, and supported by pillars, like the crypt of a church, which,
though very light and airy, was cool, and manifestly designed for the
beer-cellar, there being still remains of a raised low benching of
stonework all round, sufficient to hold a prodigious number of casks,
and a neat stone drain all along before it, underneath, to carry away
any droppings. Through this great arched room is also another passage to
what was obviously the brewhouse and bakehouse, where are remains of
places for vast coppers, coolers, and ovens. Near adjoining are
store-rooms for corn and malt, and a communication from thence with the
outside of the building for bringing in of stores. But in other respects
this whole suite of offices was quite unconnected with the other
offices, and had no kind of communication either with them or with the
rest of the mansion, except by the door of entrance near the hall, in
which is the little wicket.”
The second pointed arch--next to the buttery, and facing the hall in
like manner--is the entrance of a long, narrow passage, leading, with a
continued descent, to the great kitchen, and having in the midway an
half door, or hatch, with a broad shelf on the top of it, whereupon to
place dishes; to which, and no further, the servants in waiting were to
have access. “The next, being the third of the great pointed arches,
behind the screen, at the bottom of the hall, opens merely into one very
small vaulted room, unconnected with any other: that was clearly the
wine-cellar; which (according to the frugality and ideas of early times,
when wine was considered merely as a cordial and dram) needed to be but
small.” The fourth great arch is at the bottom of a great steep
staircase, quite distinct from the grand staircase of the house, and
leading up to a prodigious variety of small apartments, which seem to
have been designed for the reception of guests and numerous retainers,
there being others, of a still inferior sort, in other parts of the
house, for servants; especially in the range of building opposite to the
great door of the hall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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