Coving as picture rail?

[Feltwell]

Feltwell Towers is of the era when picture rails would have been a common feature in houses, but there is no evidence it ever had them - no marks on the plaster that I've seen. If it had had them then it's unlikely they would have been taken down - not much was touched here apart from basic decoration.

I was looking at the coving in the lounge and dining room today, and it occurred to me that the bottom part of the coving is of a shape where a picture rail hook could go over it. At 9'4" our ceilings aren't as high as some earlier Victorian houses - our place dates from 1899 - and the coving itself is around 10" in height, so whilst they're a bit high to hang pictures from they're not outrageously so.

Has anyone ever seen coving used to hang pictures from? I'm still not convinced that it would look right though.

 

[plasticpigeon]

I haven't but I have seen cornice poles just below ceiling height that are used to hang pictures. I just found this site looking for curtain pole brackets. Looks like it has some good stuff at good prices.

http://www.j-shiner.co.uk/main.asp

 

[88v8]

Plaster coving?
I think it would break. And look odd, especially to you and others who know it's wrong.

Removed picture rails do usually leave a footprint, if it was softwood the paint or stain mark on the wall, perhaps paperhanger's pencil marks that stop short of the ceiling, and of course the infilled holes left by the cut nails.

9'4" is pretty high. Whether it looks 'right' with no rails depends on the decoration and proportions of the rooms. A small room with no rail can look overly vertical. A deep cornice may of course help in that regard.

As PP says, poles can be used to hang pictures, or brass rails.

Ivor

 

[Penners]

Plaster coving?
I think it would break.

I agree with Ivor. I think it's unlikely that a plaster moulding would be used for hanging pictures.

 

[Feltwell]

It's actually a timber moulding, for the lower part at least - as I discovered when I, ahem, got my aim slightly out whilst drilling a hole for an alarm cable through a wall Luckily not much damage done. The top part must be plaster.

I'm not convinced it would look right anyway so I've parked this idea - I was just curious if anyone had seen this done elsewhere, looks like a "No"!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Definitely no!!!!! The Greeks invented the architectural order long ago, and mucking about with it looks wrong. Dividing large spaces into thirds is just elegant. My previous owner put a picture rail in the bedroom, I love it though it isn't Georgian. It looked weird without any cornice though so we added that.

I'd probably add them if I had your house Feltwell!