The interior of the house some sixty or seventy years ago was somewhat altered to meet the requirements of two families of farm tenants; but as originally built, it contained the dining-hall—which was also the usual living room of the family—out of this opened the withdrawing room. These two rooms occupied the whole of one wing, and were accessible from the main entrance through a vestibule or small hall, lighted by a quaint little window on the right, and entirely shut off from the big staircase. The dining-hall was a spacious room, lighted by a pair of four-light windows, now converted into modern sash lights.
“Above, to support the floor of the upper storey are massive oak beams about 16 ins. deep by 14 ins. wide. On the left is a very fine segmental arch over the entrance to the staircase; it has a span of 4 ft., and its depth from front to back is 4 ft. 1 in., being deeply splayed on the outer side. Altogether the design is striking, and if the old window lighting the staircase behind it were but opened out, the effect would be distinctly quaint and picturesque.”
Another archway leads to the kitchen, and at the top of the hall was the original great fireplace and a door, which led into the withdrawing room. The same kind of beams cross the ceiling of this room, though in a different direction to those of the hall, and it is lighted by similar windows. All the rooms at Bradshaw are exceptionally lofty, and the windows, which have not been tampered with,
“are beautifully proportioned examples of the plain mullioned and transomed type. An especial feature of Bradshaw is that all the door jambs have been splayed off. The direction always follows the line of general traffic, and the idea evidently was to cut off the corners, and especially in the case of the kitchens, no doubt to facilitate the carriage of the heavily laden trenchers to the dining hall.”
The kitchen and offices formed the other wing.
“The massive staircase is about 4 ft. in width, and consists of solid oak steps; it is supported by the ancient chimney stack, and opens into a small landing on the first floor, from which access is given to various bedrooms, and through them to others. This landing, which was originally lighted by the usual four-light window, now partially built up, has a remarkable ceiling, cornice, and frieze, in plaster work. Around the latter in raised letters is the following verse:—
LOVE GOD BVT NOT GOLD. A MAN
WITHOVT MERCY OF MERCY SHALL
MISS BVT HE SHALL HAVE MERCY
THAT MERCYFVL IS.”