The Last Post - Jacobite Room and Attic

Hello followers (if any of you are still here!)   I haven't gone off grid.   I stalled with this property and got carried away with another one.   Recently though, I have been finishing off the final two spaces, one of which I really struggled with.   I also wanted something I hadn't done before which added to the delay in progress.   I have now completed it and the adjoining little space.

As part of the Marsh Hall story, the owner is a fervent collector of Jacobite artefacts and has dedicated a room to his collection.   A lot of the items have meaning.

The room is a relatively small space measuring 12" (30.48 cms) deep by 11" (27.94cms) wide.

On the back wall, along with the two Scottish landscape paintings are a shield (Targe) and Basket Hilted swords.   Below, on the sideboard stand a vase of roses, a display of butterflies and a vase of sunflowers. The roses symbolised the exiled King James, the butterflies represented the hope of Scotland reverting to the Stuarts and the sunflowers represented loyal Jacobites.

A painting of Bonnie Prince Charlie is hung on the right of the room with a blue bonnet and cockade displayed below.

The central table shows a tray with decanter and Jacobite drinking glasses (these were engraved with code) and a book containing a secret......

In the left hand corner of this room stand the oars used by Flora Macdonald to take Bonnie Prince Charlie "....over the sea to Skye"

In the right hand corner stands the Jacobite flag.

The finished room.

And finally...........

The attic space is a triangular room at the top of the swing out section of this property.   Given that these projects are never truly finished, I'm sure bits will be added as and when.

The End.

Thank you all for following the Marsh Hall Journey

Some progress - at last!

I was quite taken aback, when I looked at this blog, to see that my last post was June last year.    That was a bit of a shock, I can tell you!    I've been working away on this in between playing with another property so it seems as if I should have more to show you all.

Work started on a Bathroom in the roof space.    Not really historically correct for the time - 1850 - but I do like having a bathroom in my properties and as there are three spaces in the roof to be dealt with, why not?

This is what there is to work with in the roof space.    The Bathroom is on the left, Upper Hall in the centre and something else on the right - no idea what yet. 

 

Work started in the bathroom by adding a false wall at the back to take a cabinet and leave a recess for the loo.    Annoyingly, I didn't take any pictures at the start.    The cabinet was a barewood piece that has been painted and varnished, shelves lined and trimmed and lace added to the inner door.   The loo was a piece I already had.

Lots of bathroom accessories to be added

The wallpaper is a Susan Bembridge design and the panelling was created from self-adhesive flooring

The fancy washstand is a little table kit from Alison Davies which has been painted, varnished, gold detail and a "marble" top added

The Victorian towel rail was a kit purchased from Arjen Spinhoven

Maddeningly, I got as far as working on the door when it dawned on me I couldn't get any further with the Bathroom until the Hall had been completed, purely by the order of jobs to be done so that was left aside and wall panelling was ordered.   I had also completely forgotten that I wouldn't be able to route the wiring through the back because my false wall was already fixed in place so it had to go out via the Hall before the toilet was installed.

I've called it the Upper Hall (purely because I couldn't think of anything else) and it's quite a sparse little space.     The Hall chairs and candle holders are again kits by Arjen Spinhoven.

I hope you are all keeping well and we don't have to remain housebound for too long.    Stay safe everyone and happy mini-ing!

Beds and Brains

Hello followers!   I know it's been some time since I last posted an updated on this property and Miniatura and the York Fair have come and gone but I was able to attend both fairs and managed to collect quite a few accessories for all three properties on the go at the moment.

I can at last show you the completed Bedroom.    (Some photos have to be taken with the flash as the room is situated behind a pull-out section and that blocks any natural light).

With flash -

Without flash -

The lady of the house has her slippers by the side of the bed and at the end of the four poster is a kist (Scottish chest) which will, hopefully in time, be filled with items as yet to be thought of!

The photo below shows the decorated fourth wall with the door leading into The Study (the Snuggery)

On closer inspection, you can see a furry friend making it's way in.......

and finally, the sleeping cap shown below was made for me by Jonquil    I've had this sitting in my stash for quite some time and was just waiting on the exact spot for it.    I just hope you didn't think I'd forgotten about it Jonquil!    It's such a lovely and unusual piece - I'm very pleased to have it in my collection.

"Phrenology" - (according to Wikipedia)  

was a faculty psychology, theory of brain and science of character reading, what the nineteenth century phrenologists called "the only true science of mind".   Phrenology was derived from the theories of the idiosyncratic Viennese physician Franz Joseph Gall (1758 - 1828).

For some time now I've been searching for a Phrenology head.   I decided that the Master of Marsh Hall, being an educated Victorian individual, was keen on the study of Phrenology so of course he had to have a head.   This proved really tricky but I eventually got one made (in fact the maker gave me two - adult and baby), tracked down some images and added the relevant lines so I can now place them in the Snuggery along with the poster I already had.

These are the images I used as reference - the baby looks a bit scary!

At last, I can finally say that The Snuggery is complete.

At last, the Parlour Sofa

Thank you for your lovely comments regarding my last post.   The Bedroom hasn't moved forward at all since then and now, with only a week to go, I'm holding off buying anything or doing anything to it until after my trip to Miniatura next weekend where I'm hoping to find lots of lovely minis and accessories.

So, until then, I thought I'd better do something with my very swanky sofa in the Parlour.   This sofa has been sitting there in it's naked state since I last posted about that particular room.    It's a John Hodgson piece (in the raw) and I was so chuffed at having found it.   It's signed on the bottom and everything!

Using Crafter's Acrylic paint I gave the body of the sofa three coats of green and the wooden framework received two coats of mahogany.   A touch of gold on the castors and it was job done.

Ta da!

I also gave the whole piece a coat of matt sealant.

Bedroom Update

I've just done a very silly thing - prepared this post, added photos and posted it all to the wrong blog!  That's what happens when I don't pay attention.    All sorted out now and I can go ahead and show you the stage I'm at with the Bedroom.   I'll give more detail on where I bought what once all the accessories are in place.

Below is the "fourth wall" with the door leading into the Laird's study (the extending section on this property)

The screen below is from Art of Mini.   I replaced the decorative paper panels provided  with very thin leather.

Unusual for a Laird and his lady wife to share a room in 1850 but this is the Scottish Highlands and it can be very cold!

As you can see below, there is a decorative ceiling rose.    I decided that something had to be added to that space but there isn't enough room to include the drop of a light fitting.   It wouldn't be unusual to have no form of lighting there and I like to think it has given the room some atmosphere.

The little accessories that bring the room to life have all still to be added so until then, I'd like to wish all my followers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Bedroom 1

Work is progressing on the Marsh Hall bedroom and to date (and to let you know I haven't forgotten about this property) I have just completed dressing a four poster bed.

    The bed was purchased quite some time ago from Ashwood Designs*

 

*Picture courtesy of Ashwood Designs' website.

I had bought it for another property but unfortunately, given the size of the room I was working on at the time, it was too wide so I replaced it with a single bed of the same design leaving me with this one which worked out really well as I think it's ideal for Marsh Hall.

In my head, Marsh Hall is a baronial property situated in the Highlands of Scotland round about 1850.   High fashion didn't reach the Highlands for quite some time so what may have been cutting edge design in 1850 London (or even Edinburgh) wasn't seen for a while (if at all, even for low gentry) unless of course there was plenty money to hand or you were Queen Victoria and living at Balmoral. 

The style it has been dressed in is pretty plain with no unnecessary cushions or frills.   That wasn't the Scottish way (although it was tempting to add a couple of cushions - I remained firm!)

So, and while I carry on decorating the main room, here is my Baronial bed.

The Oak Gallery

I know it's been a little while since I last posted here but I have been busy - mini busy.    The only task left to do in the Parlour of Marsh Hall is to paint the sofa and I'll let you see that when it's done.

I've been working on The Oak Gallery.    A small space measuring 5.5" (13.91 cms) wide by 16" (40.64 cms) deep by 9" (22.86 cms) high.   Firstly, a colour scheme had to be chosen:- 

Paint and fabric to the right were selected and work got started.   As I had already taken the decision to remove all staircases from this build, the impression had to be given that there was some form of access to the upper floors and so a door at the end of the Hall was installed, with very worn stone steps.

Next, lighting -

and a baronial looking screen -

after that came the cornice and panelling -

a couple of ornate Halberds - 

some suitable artwork -

and finally, the whole Gallery.

Next, The Bedroom.