Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/828

 80 1< COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTURE. promote tidiness of person, and a piece of common carpet would add to the comfort of the room. The chairs and stools should be neat and substantial ; and a small case of well-chosen books should hang against the wall. 1699. The Store-closet should be dry and airy, and it should open conveniently into the still-room, in which the stores might be unpacked before they were put away, and given out as wanted by the housekeeper. The store-closet should be properly furnislied with shelves, drawers, and pegs, to receive all the stores and preserves, &c., under the housekeei)er's care, which should be arranged in proper order, so that every thing miglit be found immediately, when it happened to be wanted. It might be kept dry in winter by a small jiipe of hot air or water, from the still-room fireplace. 1 700. The China-closet. Where the collection of china is not large, a proper place might be made for it in the store-room ; but where a china-closet is required, it shovdd be near the houseket-'per's-room, and be furnished with shelves to receive the spare china and glass, and a table on which to place it when given out and returned. It should be a dry closet, and light. 1701. The Butler's Pantry. The next office to be considered is the butler's pantry. In the case of a large establishment, this should be a light spacious room, with a fireplace in it, or stove. The door and window-shutters shoidd be strong ; and the floor boarded. The furniture would consist of a strong table and some chairs ; a long sort of dresser, with several drawers under it : at one end a part of the top of the dresser should open to a sink, lined with lead, and supplied with water by a pipe. A wash-hand stand would be necessary, and pegs on which to hang hats, coats, aprons, &c., and a boot-jack and place for shoes and boots would be perhajis convenient. There should also be a stand in which to put away the trays, and a common tray-stand, and proper convenience for drain- ing decanters. A na])kin-press is generally found here, and under it a chest of drawers for tablecloths and napkins. Against the wall should be spacious closets for glass and china and lamps, di-awers for knives and forks ; the latter lined with baize. An indispensable requisite here is a roomy fire-proof plate closet, in the lower part of which would stand the chests of plate not in common use, and above should be shelves and conveniences lined with baize, to receive the silver articles used by the family. To this closet I would have double doors ; one of them of iron, to be closed and locked at night. The doors should have different locks, the key of the iron door to be in the sole keeping of the butler. As, for security, a man-servant often sleeps in the pantry, there should be for this purpose a closet bed complete : a round towel roller and pot closet would be also necessary. A plain lamp should hang from the ceiling, and a small looking-glass near the window against the wall. It would be convenient to place this pantry near the housekeeper's room, and out of the vi^ay of the back entrance to the house. 1 702. The Servants" Hall should be near the back entrance ; and so situated that strangers might pass to and from it without intruding upon the other offices. The size of the servants' hall will depend upon the nature of the establishment and the number of domestics kept. Here all the under servants woidd dine, and it would be the common sitting-room for the males. It should, therefore, be rather a large apartment, and I would have it, if possible, a cheerful and comfortable one, with plenty of light. It should have a stone floor, and a good large fireplace ; or jjcrhaps a stove would make it warmer, with less expense of fuel. The furniture of a servants' hall is very simple. It con- sists of a long stout oak table, generally placed rather on one side of the room, with strong benches on each side. Tliis table the servants use for dinner and their othsr meals. There is generally a large chair at one end, for the servant who presides. There should also be a sort of side-table, and a small movable table, a few chairs and small benches, A large high-backed settee, with drawers under the seat, near the fire, miglit be so placed as to screen the fireplace from the draught of air from the door. Against the wall should be rows of pegs for the servants' hats, &c., and there should also be a roomy closet, in which to keep the jugs, drinking-horns, knives and forks, and many other things used by the servants. A dial-clock would be useful, and a lam]) hanging from the ceiling, to light the room at night. In a conspicuous place upon the wall, the rules of the house to be observed by the servants are frequently hung iqi : there should also be a small case of useful and instructive books. A horse for brushing coats on, or to hang a great-coat upon to dry, would be usefiil in the servants' liall. 1 703. Men's Washing and Dressing Closet. Where many men-servants are kept, a neccs sary appendage is a small room, adjoining the servants" hall, for them to wash and dress in. It should have fixed washing-places, with a pipe to supply them with water, and a drain to convey away the dirty water. It should liave round towels, a small looking-glass or two, and a large press in which to put things away ; also a horse on which to brush clothes. In small establishments, a corner washing-stand, such as is described at page 292, might be placed in the servants' hall, with a cover to conceal it when not in use. It should be supplied with water by a pipe, so that it could be used at any time, and a t(nvel should