Finally finishing up with Proctor House

Weeks later...okay, it's only two weeks. Feels longer!

Here are many of the snapshots taken at Proctor House in Brighton, with Robin (who was more timely posting hers). I should note that the museum is open only during the summer, and it was Robin who went in to ask the woman selling theatre tickets if we could just step in. This older lady let us roam the entire house at will, and we made sure to leave donations in the box in thanks.

Construction on the house began around 1853, though there were subsequent modifications, additions, etc., as was typical. While I do love to explore old homes like this, I have no desire to be living in that era, without our modern conveniences. I have no desire to live in a house with the wallpaper of the time, either!

 

The entire dinner set was hand-painted by either a daughter or sister in the family. Two thoughts came to my mind when the woman who let us explore told us this: 1) The woman was very talented and patient and 2) There was little else for a woman of a certain status to do -- life would have been very confining and limited.

I do like that old fireplace.

 

Loved the winding staircase too, which apparently was a later addition, according to the museum web site.

 I wonder how many servants it took to maintain the home.

 The library...no doubt the man-cave!

Robin took a good pic of this hallway and what I suspect would have been a lovely sitting area at the end, by the window. That actually was my favourite spot in the house. You can just see the very steep steps on the far left leading up to the Belevedere/widow's walk (enclosed). We did go up, though I didn't realize Robin's fear of heights extended to enclosed spaces. I have no head for heights if the area is open, even an apartment balcony gives me the willies, but if I'm safely enclosed I'm okay. You'll see a couple of snaps from up top further down the page.

 Such an intricate fan. I'd love to have seen the ball gown that went with it!

I can't imagine having to be corseted so tightly as to fit a form this tiny. No wonder Victorian women were always fainting.

I don't know who the baby was, but I was struck by that little parasol, tucked away up high, safe.

 

 

 

 

The nanny's room, below (two snapshots), adjacent to the nursery.

 

  

Very rare for that time, indoor plumbing, of sorts (below). Pity the poor servant to had to clean out all the waste. This was on the second floor too, so what, everything just landed free-for-all on the ground (in the enclosed "shed" attached to the house)? I have no idea and it's probably better not to know. Anyway, seating was small, medium and large. LOL.

 A heavily cropped shot from the Belevedere. Great viewing point!

 I couldn't escape the reflections on the dirty windows, unfortunately.

 

 Coming down from the top, we then peeked into the master bedroom.

 

So would this have been a tea gown? Dinner gown? I do love looking at old clothes, which is odd since I have no sense of style and have no interest in curtain fashion.

A shot of the upper hallway from the far window (seen in one of the pics above), looking toward the stairs going down (centre) and the stairs up to the Belevedere (background, right).

 On the main level, part of the kitchen or maybe the pantry. Robin might remember.

The kitchen addition. Robin was in her glory here. I'd have been in raptures if there was an old stable, preserved as it had been at the time, and I could touch old harnesses, halters, bridles, etc. Maybe even touch a leftover piece of some horse's mane or tail. Alas, they didn't have that.

 That stove looked pretty sophisticated, actually.

 

 Old washing machine.

That washing machine must have been heaven to use compared to the old washboard, below. Can you imagine? We, as women, are very, very lucky to have most of our chores automated today, IMO.

The house has a theatre now, in an adjacent barn, and it's the sale of the tickets that pretty much maintains the house/museum.

So that's finally the end of the snapshots from my visit with Robin and Chuck. I'd love to return to Proctor House in the summer, when tours are offered, to get the history and to be able to ask questions. The plus to this, however, was that we got to take our time and take as many snapshots as we wanted, without anyone in the way.  :-)

Peace.