What kind of building is this and where??

[Maggie.]

I don't know whether this has been mentioned before but can anybody see an open gate on the 'altar rail'.  There seem to be extra spindles visible on the right hand side - as though one half of a double gate is swung back flat against the fixed portion of the rail.  The right hand one could be open at 90 degrees - it couldn't open fully because of the presence of the bed.

[Rian]

I agree that the ceiling isn't glass (got carried away— silly idea), and now I see where the light comes from. How did we miss the light fitting in the centre?!

An idea — if you could find the address of the people it could have belonged to, possibly an enquiring letter with a copy of the photo could be sent to the present occupants (providing the house is still standing).

I like the idea of a governess's room — seems to fit with the decor.
Rian.

[martianuk]

Wow, thanks Maggie and Husband for the detailed analysis - really revealing! Also helped to clear quite a few queries people have put out.

With regards to the 'extra railings', we thought it looked like table legs situated behind the rails, but hadn't even considered the possibility of a gate.

Rian, believe me, if we knew a possible address we would be knocking on the door this minute! Other than assuming that the photo was taken in a place associated with the previous owners ancestors, we have absolutely no clue as to where in the world this room is! We should have a better idea when we see the envelope the negatives were found in, which hopefully will show the photographer's location. We're still waiting for it ourselves and we know it exists!

I'm still not sure about this light source - the shadows in the picture don't fit with the suggested single light source - as Denn previously suggested.

Hadyn and Kirsty

[Maggie.]

(12) appears to be a circular cast plaster ornamentation and maybe a possible light source.  (Looks like a vase!)

Maggie (and husband)   

I'm still not sure about this light source - the shadows in the picture don't fit with the suggested single light source - as Denn previously suggested.

Hadyn and Kirsty

Agreed - probably not light source used to illuminate the picture when it was taken but it could be an old redundant plaster fitting.  These things were Victorian ornamentations to lower the lighting, which was probably gas light.  The gas supply would be passed through the fitting and the shade or whatever then fitted at the base, thus lowered.

Maggie

[Lydart]

Gosh, Maggie10 ... thats a beautiful chained library, like the one in Hereford Cathedral or Wimborne Minster ... I'd like to visit that  !!

[Maggie.]

Sounds wonderful Lydart - can I come with you?

[dennford]

(12) appears to be a circular cast plaster ornamentation and maybe a possible light source.  (Looks like a vase!)

Maggie (and husband)   

I'm still not sure about this light source - the shadows in the picture don't fit with the suggested single light source - as Denn previously suggested.

Hadyn and Kirsty

Agreed - probably not light source used to illuminate the picture when it was taken but it could be an old redundant plaster fitting.  These things were Victorian ornamentations to lower the lighting, which was probably gas light.  The gas supply would be passed through the fitting and the shade or whatever then fitted at the base, thus lowered.

Maggie

Surely with this type of ceiling (plaster - groin vault) no one in thier right mind would deface or weaken the integrity with fittings: the shadow is probably no more than what in the old photographic darkroom trade would have been caused by chemical stagnation - this basically means that if a print is not adequately agitated while being processed we get areas of stagnant chemical that cause blotches.

                                                          Denn

[Aussie Karrob]

Wonders if one friend has photographed the other here.  There is obviously a bed in "our" side of the Altar rail device.  On the other side of the Altar rail, is the wrought iron head and foot frame of a second bed.  The shadow/ghost/Bishops cope etc etc seems to me to be a person sitting with their back to the camera, leaning forward reading/darning etc.

Somewhere past the far end of the nearer bed is a strong light source, with another light source over the "shadows" right shoulder, perhaps for reading/darning.

What is at the close right hand foreground in the corner of the picture?  Are they drawers, shelves or boxes?  In Maggie (and husband)'s architectural post, the "drawers" seem very shallow, as if they are there effect.  What say you lot?


Upstairs or downstairs or in your ladys chamber I dont really know.  It seems to me to be a twin shared room for servants/domestics

Regards
Robert & Karon    aka Aussie Karrob

[Lydart]

Someone commented on the fact that it looks as if there is a gate open in the rails ... so I dashed in the rain up to our parish church, Old Church, Penallt, nr Monmouth) took this photo, and here it is !

These are the altar rails, with the gate opened (now I'm wondering if I closed it again after taking the photo ?!)  You can see the height of the step too.

Is it any help ?

I am definitely coming round to the opinion that this is a photo of a theatre set, but using a church as the venue ... after all, lots of people use churches for such purposes even nowadays ... everything is positioned so that we, the audience can see them ... no genuine room would have all the photos pointing one way.   And the wall between the two back doors seems to me not to be 'real' ... can it be a painted board to cover up, for e.g. a window such as we have in our church ? 

Come on theatre buffs ... suggest a play this might be the set for ?