Just curious

[Michelle73]

Does anyone know why a house would have 2 doors leading into a sitting room - both doors being on the same wall?

I've just read Property of the Month October 2005 and theres a photo showing exactly what I mean.
Our sitting room once had 2 doors but on the wall opposite the fire (if that makes a difference) and we've always been curious about it.
The neighbour still has both doors but there seems no obvious reason as to why this would have been done.

???

 

[JoceAndChris]

In the Property of the Month October 2005 could it be that those two doors simply have cupboard space behind?

Not sure about you situation without seeing it, could it be that you are now missing a partition wall and at one time those two doors lead to different spaces behind? So the sitting room could be accessed from maybe a hall, and a dining room?

I've seen dining rooms accessed by different doors on the same wall.

What period is your house again?

 

[Moo]

I think that Joce has covered the only two logical explanations: we've lived in two houses where adjacent living rooms, each with their own door to the hall, have been knocked through into one. Often one of the doorways is blocked in (and it always turns out to have been the wrong one).
And in our present house we have two rooms which have matching doors either side of the chimney-breast: one is a proper doorway, while the other contains a shallow cupboard. It gives a certain symmetry to the wall in question.

 

[Michelle73]

I have though that perhaps it was once 2 rooms but it would mean that one of them would be windowless
We also have the shallow recessed pantry cupboard / book shelf space on one side of the fireplace and have replicated this ourselves on the opposite side to balance the wall out.

'Working from home' today, obviously too much time on my hands to sit and wonder!! Joiner & roofer due any moment, tres excited!

Joce, aren't you supposed to be up a ladder doing filler type stuff? No slacking off now !!

 

[Moo]

How do you know she isn't? Multi-tasker is her middle name, doncherknow.

 

[Flyfisher]

In & Out ?

Ladies & Gentlemen ?

 

[Michelle73]

would seem a bit grand for a 2 up 2 down terrace tho I guess it could be..

I just found a lovely black and white, aerial photo from 1953 showing our village. No cars on the roads, lots more open fields and common land.
If anyone else is interested in searching for old photos of Scottish buildings/places try :
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/99929/details/lauder+rotten+row+general/

 

[Flyfisher]

In a similar vein, I've found interesting old photos at: http://www.francisfrith.com/

 

[JoceAndChris]

How do you know she isn't? Multi-tasker is her middle name, doncherknow.

:lol: Flattering, but erroneous.

Nice website there, FF. I keep looking in vain for a photo of the view of the town from my hill. One day I'll find it.

Back to the original question, this business of room layout often vexes me too. I go round and round, looking for the outlines of old walls etc and wondering and wondering what it was like in 1780 or whenever it was built. It's a real puzzle - the bathroom seems to have been created in the 30s, using space on the ground floor that is surely too small to have been a room. Was a third of the dining room stolen to make a bathroom? And yet this seems unlikely as the dining room's coving looks original to the house, and is complete (it's the same as what's in the drawing room and hallway),and, there's this shelf thing all the way round that also looks really old.

Did they have bathrooms in Georgian times?

Your windowless room Michelle - no way a window has been blocked up somewhere in there? If you post a load of pics of your house, we'll happily try to make it out! (you understand this has nothing to do with nosiness...)

 

[Michelle73]

Oooo like house detectives, I like!!

Ok Miss Marple and friends....I am curious about the floor tiles by my front door. Is there anything interesting about them or are they just common bog standard floor tiles laid down sometime in the last 10 years or so?

I have no idea, just thought I'd ask in case they are incredibly rare and worth millions 8)

 

[Feltwell]

Bit of a small picture, but looks like a strip of Victorian geometric dust pressed tiles to me. How old is your house?

Quite common in Victorian times, now if you have a complete hallway they are a much prized original feature. Alas my Victorian abode has much plainer tiles....

Minton was one of the best known manufacturers, but there were plenty in the day. Craven Dunnill are still going, and if you're ever in Shropshire then the Jackfield tile museum will tell you all you ever need to know about them - oh and Craven Dunnill still make tiles there, so you can empty your wallet with amazing ease on a few beautiful tiles in the shop:-

http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/our_attractions/jackfield_tile_museum/

And the Craven Dunnill site shows geometric tiles:-

http://www.cravendunnill-jackfield.co.uk/geo.html

As well as some gorgeous encaustic tiles, which I shall have at least few of for my fireplace hearths (the 6 coloured ones can be £50 for a single 6" tile!!! :shock: )

http://www.cravendunnill-jackfield.co.uk/enc.html

 

[Penners]

Did they have bathrooms in Georgian times?

Well this company sells a "Georgian Bathroom Suite", so they must have done.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.victorianbathrooms4u.com/images/Georgian%2520Lifestyle%2520Lo%2520Res.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.victorianbathrooms4u.com/Bathroom%2BSuites.17/Traditional%2BEnglish%2BBathrooms.832/Georgian%2BBathroom%2BSuites.582/&usg=__vsj8RHeKZeUueudF8rV73AB24yk=&h=309&w=600&sz=40&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=x1yYHiLoKIFUKM:&tbnh=70&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgeorgian%2Bbathroom%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG




:roll:

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol:

Did anyone else catch that Radio 4 programme: A History of Private Life http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mvfb7, Every Man's Home is his Castle, on yesterday and today (and still available as podcast)? The popularity and necessity of the closet was much mentioned, as a private space, and I suppose answers my own question. That little bathroom of mine must have been a closet, where ablutions, prayer or storage took place - there's no other explanation.

 

[Ushy M]

In a similar vein, I've found interesting old photos at: http://www.francisfrith.com/

I'm a fan of these too- managed to find a photo of our house from 1964 when it was still two cottages (we don't know when it was coverted into one - they must have been tiny before), plus pix of other houses in the village. Amazing how few cars there are on the street in the mid-sixties!

 

[Penners]

Amazing how few cars there are on the street in the mid-sixties!

Ah yes, I remember it well (sung in a French accent).

I can remember standing on a bridge over the M1, waiting for the next car to come along. :shock: