Yep, it's the same here as it is all over UK today. One of the things I haven't been doing is mowing the lawn. I'm in DIY mode, so hope it lasts until I finish the job in hand (the mode I mean - not the snow). We are expecting (hoping) that two special guests will be coming to stay over the Easter weekend so I've been (am) decorating the spare bedroom. The first job was clearing the stuff out and vaccying up the revelation of dust accumulation from behind two heavy wardrobes. There's a fire grate on the east wall, long boarded up to conserve the minuscule bit of heat from the central heating radiator. We took the boarding away:-
The black leaded grate hasn't seen the light of day for a few years. Isn't it fascinating when you find things like this, still intact. It had been bricked up just above the hearth, to stop the logs burning away too quickly.
View when I aimed my camera up the chimney. Every spring the rooks used to build or attempt to build their nests at the top of the chimneys. We had to cover them over with wire mesh to try to stop them. They don't any more - the barn conversions next door saw them off two or three years ago. Those twigs look as if they've been there a while. We counted and calculated another eight fire grates (all boarded up) in various rooms around the house. Imagine what it was like for the farm labourers sawing all that firewood by hand and the maids having to black lead and clean out all those grates to keep the fires glowing.
.jpg)
Among the treasures we found, were a pile of old black and white photographs. We believe this one was the wedding day of our old neighbour who lived here, taken outside our house four generations ago.
Wonder who'll be here after we've gone. Hope it doesn't all fall to pieces.
It is very fascinating to find those sort of things. I would not have liked to have been a maid during those times. Too many stairs, never mind the grates. The folks in old pictures always appear to be so somber.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! no snow here, just cold winds.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the bride didn't exactly take pride of place in that photo did she?
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to uncover history in your own house.
And she still had her veil over her face - it never occurred to me until we had a really good look at the picture.
DeleteWhat treasures you have found. I especially love the picture. You can thank your company next week for spurring you on to uncover these wonderful finds.
ReplyDeleteCompany have just phoned to say they won't be coming until after Easter, but I really did need the spurring - got it all done now.
DeleteLovely to find the photos. I presume the grate will be boarded up once again. Do we get to see the guest room once finished.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the snow doesn't last too long. We are STILL in a drought down here.
Still snowing here :(
DeleteLovely little fireplace. There's nothing nicer in winter, when you're ill in bed, than a proper fire in the bedroom.
ReplyDeletep.s. Did he marry the dog?
Deletethe dog did seem to have pride of place - never noticed, until you mentioned it.
DeleteI like fire grates when they are nicely maintained, very pretty to look at, but not very functional when it comes to warming a room unless they are kept burning night and day. I wouldn't have liked being a maid back then, even in these easier times, I don't like cleaning stuff too much. Once or twice a year, that'll do, where's my book?
ReplyDeleteI have a job, being Molly Maid, myself.
DeleteI LOVE finding old photographs!! There's something so neat about that.
ReplyDeleteInteresting finds and a bonus that you know who the people are in the wedding group. It's an evocative image of the period. Usually we would be sorting out our spare room, but we haven't any guests coming and stopping over this Easter holidays.
ReplyDeleteLove that little range, there is something quite unique about it x
ReplyDeleteoh my! how very interesting! love the photo!!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't look a very happy wedding!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the title of this post I thought you'd been naughty.
Yes it does look a bit like National No Smiling Day. Too tired to be naughty:(
DeleteSuch an enjoyable and interesting post, Molly. I think you've had even more snow than we have and I just hope we don't get any more.
ReplyDeleteYour super fireplace photos remind me of the big Edwardian vicarage we lived in for 3 years. It had three floors and all the eight rooms on the first two floors had fireplaces except for the kitchen which had had a range at some point. All but one of the chimneys had been blocked off so the fireplaces were for show only and looked very like yours. The attic bedrooms where the maids would have slept didn't have fireplaces. Brr!
I just love the leg o'mutton sleeves in the wedding photo. :-)
I worked as a cleaner at a vicarage, when my daughter was two. The place was massive and very, very draughty.
DeleteAre you restoring any of the fireplaces? I love open fires but I probably wouldn’t be quite so keen to do the necessary to keep them going.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm too old - needs to be somebody else's job now.
DeleteThat looks like quite a job! It'll be fun to see it shape up.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, don't think you'll be doing any lawn mowing for a while yet Molly.....
ReplyDeleteWhat fun uncovering hidden treasures.
After our stinking hot Summer, I am so ready for a 3 months sitting by the wood heater.
Wood is stacked in the shed just waiting for temps to drop a bit more.
Hope your special guests made it for the weekend and you had a lovely visit with them.
Claire x
When I read 'Molly' and 'Chimney' in the same blog post -
ReplyDeleteone song comes to mind - The Singing Postman!
"Molly Windley, she smokes like a chimney" - not that you do of course. :)
Do you remember this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtS61PESUWY
Cheers.....B xx
I've just played it :) will be singing it all night. Never smoked but I put some logs to dry out in the Rayburn oven and when I opened the door a whoosh of black smoke came out and I had to transfer them outside sharpish. Have a good week Uncle B.
ReplyDeleteHope you've gotten some sunshine. Love the photo you posted!
ReplyDelete