Servants' Hall - Art and Architecture
Clearly, we are still on the servants side of the house. This is the Servants Hall. It is plain and undecorated. There are quoins on the corners to protect the walls. The stairs lead down to where the laundry was done and up to where the servant bedrooms were located. A set of stairs dedicated for servant use was designed to separate the servants from the family.
The exterior doors to the house also served the same function as they are just as stratified as Victorian society. As previously mentioned, Henry and Cremora's social equals only came in through the front door and the servants and deliveries only came in through the back kitchen door. The door located in this hall was used by middle class men - Henry Rogers’ business associates, foremen from his companies, and the like. They could enter here without disrupting the house.
They could directly enter the library as there was most likely a door originally located where the curtain is now. This door was changed after the house was completed. If you recall, the light switch in the Library was all the way in the corner on this side of the room. This makes sense only if there is a doorway here. It is also clear that the bookcases in the Library were hurriedly constructed and probably not created by Van Strattum. A doorway here would also have mirrored the door into the dining room. Interior symmetry was an important aspect of the design of Victorian homes.
