Lighting & Home

Footman’s Lighting A Long Forgotten Woe

Footman’s Lighting A Long Forgotten Woe

I have been fascinated by historic houses for many years.   There is one thing though that never escapes me, whether I’m accompanied or not – the lighting in these heritage properties.  I have been helping out at a local place that has reently opened up the basement area of the great pile.  This is to show the daily life of some of the servants that kept the place going through generations and generations.  Down in the butler’s pantry there are several service rooms on from his rather unlikely comfort.  The washroom/laundry is grim as is the 3rd footman’s duty room.  Very little light came in naturally through the ceiling height narrow windows.  Although electric lighting was introduced in the 1920s to replace the very dangerous candle and tallow lighting, the examples hanging up now just go to show how we take decent lighting for granted .  We rarely give it a thought even.