Plan.
The building contains upwards of forty rooms; the basement is very large, and contains considerable accommodation. The mere enumeration of these would require every letter in the alphabet to point them out in an engraving, but as it is desirable to show how closely a large establishment of servants can be packed together, the basement plan is given. a is the kitchen, b the scullery, and c the larder. The kitchen is provided with a lift f, and a small service window; d is the pastry-room, and e the still-room, with the lift; g is the dairy, h the washhouse, i the laundry, j the butler’s pantry, k the steward’s room with its strong closet; l is the housekeeper’s, with the cook’s room between it and the still-room, m is the servants’ hall, n the men’s sleeping room; o o are wine-cellars, p the butler’s wine-cellar, q the footman’s stairs under the principal staircase, r the warm-water furnace, by the steward’s room, placed at the back of his strong closet; s is the stable, containing eight stalls, one loose box, and a harness-room; t t t are cart-sheds, u is the cowhouse, v the dung-pit, w the coach-house, x x two of the three coal-cellars, y the dust-pit, and z z z are the closets. The carriage-road to the side entrance is formed over the cart-sheds and coal-cellars. These are arched over in brick and covered with a thick layer of Brown’s metallic lava, and are provided with proper drainage. The boot-cleaning place and that for lamps are between the coach-house and the cart-sheds.
The exterior of the building has been censured on account of the Gothic outline being too flat, the roofs too low, and all the windows having common sash
frames. With regard to the latter, it may be considered very probable that if the Gothic race of architects had continued with us to the present day, they would have adopted plate glass for their windows, and put aside their lead-lights and small panes of common glass. One of the greatest improvements that could be made in our cathedrals, not excepting even St. Paul’s, would be the reglazing the windows in the modern style.
Half-elevation and section of bell-turret.