Miller's Court Demolition Photo

[richardh]

"Was the house built for weavers?"
Well the huge windows over the front of 26 would let a lot of light in, for sure.

How does the central staircase (going along the partition wall) stand up to the testimony transcript in the Liz Roberts murder trial, regarding how the witnesses describe the 1st floor landing/passage/partition/doors/storeroom/stairs?

Also:
Would the stair configuration for the ground-to-1st-floor match the floors above (1st-to-2nd-floor)? In other words, is there a single stair-well for the whole house?



I know I'm slow but it only just occurred to me that they would need a door inside the archway (prater door) for the house residents to exit/enter when using the water pump and privy to save them using the front door. Why have I only just thought of that?

Just lost another reply. Grrr!

Suspect the staircase was for more than Prater's room.

Her testimony is curious.
13 had lining boards and the passageway door nailed shut.
Thought there would be a wall behind the boards.
Yet the partition was thin?

Was the house built for weavers?
Dorset Street looks like it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fournier_Street#/media/File:23_Fournier_Street,_London.jpg

I'd go for another central staircase mid house.

Still working on it.

[DJA]

It was built as a townhouse for rich owners.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fournier_Street

Quite possibly later purchased by Master Silk Weavers.

Don't underestimate the staircases and luxury layout.
Miller's Court was once the garden.

Prater's staircase would have had a landing as most return staircases do.

Suspect due to the era and now being a slum,people mistook lining boards or fine wooden panelling for partitions.

[richardh]

What are these holes?

I can match the window marked with a yellow arrow with a contemporary sketch but the red arrowed 'opening' is not on any sketches of MC

[Wickerman]

In the fab high def image we can clearly see the court is derelict and in the process of being demolished. Why are the chimney pots smoking?

Richard.

I drew a yellow line across what seems to me to be a fence. Vertical boards can be seen below this line, but not above. The fence has a brace at mid height, and angled supports can be seen at various intervals.



Above the yellow line we can see the house wall of room 13 and the wall is still whitewashed to a point.
This fence seems to me to be sectioning the court off from the demolition, which must indicate people were still living in No.26 - hence the chimney smoke.

[MysterySinger]

Can't fathom out how to delete my message - someone beat me to the point I was going to make!!

[Joshua Rogan]

Thank you, Simon!

I count 9(?) chimneys, would this mean that there are 9 rooms inside of No. 26? And, with the chimneys being along that far wall in the photo, does that indicate all of the rooms were situated along that far wall too? (Wondering if I have to rethink the placement of the staircase)

The Goad map shows that the chimneys from no.26 are in a wall shared with no.25, so as Dave says one or more of the chimney pots could be from there. No.25 is shown as a stable with dwelling above.

[Joshua Rogan]

In the fab high def image we can clearly see the court is derelict and in the process of being demolished. Why are the chimney pots smoking?

Matters mentions a "dreadful-looking slattern" still living there when he took his photo, who swore at him.

[richardh]

Still need an answer on this one:

What are these holes?

I can match the window marked with a yellow arrow with a contemporary sketch but the red arrowed 'opening' is not on any sketches of MC

[Jon Guy]

Still need an answer on this one:

What are these holes?

I can match the window marked with a yellow arrow with a contemporary sketch but the red arrowed 'opening' is not on any sketches of MC

The red arrowed opening is Mrs Prater`s cat flap.

[Debra A]

Still need an answer on this one:

What are these holes?

I can match the window marked with a yellow arrow with a contemporary sketch but the red arrowed 'opening' is not on any sketches of MC

Could the red opening be hidden by (or even covered over completely) by the sloping 'lean to' roof of No. 26, whereas the window marked with a yellow line belongs to No 27, is over the passage and the extension in that area under the window on #27 has a flat roof, level with the bottom of the window? The roof of the extension in the demolition photograph looks to e minus roof tiles and so the roof is slightly lower than it would have been, showing the opening?

[richardh]

I'd agree with that, Debra, and my model works with that yellow arrowed window. But why is that 'window' (red arrow) even there? does that signify that rooms 19 and 13 (the lean-to) were added AFTER the main Dorset street house was built?

Could the red opening be hidden by (or even covered over completely) by the sloping 'lean to' roof of No. 26, whereas the window marked with a yellow line belongs to No 27, is over the passage and the extension in that area under the window on #27 has a flat roof, level with the bottom of the window? The roof of the extension in the demolition photograph looks to e minus roof tiles and so the roof is slightly lower than it would have been, showing the opening?

[GUT]

I'd agree with that, Debra, and my model works with that yellow arrowed window. But why is that 'window' (red arrow) even there? does that signify that rooms 19 and 13 (the lean-to) were added AFTER the main Dorset street house was built?

I had been contemplating the same thing, that the lean too was added later.

[richardh]

And would this mean that IF the lean-to was added later, then so was the arch extension that hovers over Mary's door? And IF these were added after the main house then what about the court cottages seeing as the left cottages are a continuation of the extra archway that is above the back window to 27's shop?

Those two windows (red/yellow arrowed) are curious indeed! Especially the one obscured by the lean-to roof.

I had been contemplating the same thing, that the lean too was added later.

[GUT]

And would this mean that IF the lean-to was added later, then so was the arch extension that hovers over Mary's door? And IF these were added after the main house then what about the court cottages seeing as the left cottages are a continuation of the extra archway that is above the back window to 27's shop?

Those two windows (red/yellow arrowed) are curious indeed! Especially the one obscured by the lean-to roof.

Part of the reason I’m still only at the contemplating stage.

[Debra A]

I'd agree with that, Debra, and my model works with that yellow arrowed window. But why is that 'window' (red arrow) even there? does that signify that rooms 19 and 13 (the lean-to) were added AFTER the main Dorset street house was built?

That would be my guess. The earlier Dorset St house has a later back extension to accommodate a change in taste, fashion, use by the previous owners etc.