Miller's Court Demolition Photo

[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.

[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.

[MysterySinger]

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

[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.

[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

[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]

"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/Fourni...et,_London.jpg

I'd go for another central staircase mid house.

Still working on it.

[DJA]

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/Fourni...et,_London.jpg

I'd go for another central staircase mid house.

Still working on it.

[richardh]

Yes, it would seem like it might be a mistake.
I have a few (dozen) more questions regarding that hi-def image but I have to wait til i'm home to annotate the image with my queries. Also I'm reviewing and remodelling my 3D model due to the errors I have made in light of this hi-def shot. My roof and attic and a few other areas were way off.

This model is in constant state of flux at the minute!

Onward!

PS: Dave, what's your current opinion on the stairs in 26?

Well they look pretty high

Prolly still had tenants in the main house.

Incidentally , the 3 floors on the Goad map is most likely a clerical mistake.

[DJA]

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?

Well they look pretty high

Prolly still had tenants in the main house.

Incidentally , the 3 floors on the Goad map is most likely a clerical mistake.

[DJA]

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 8 chimneys suggest that 10 x 12 feet might be a standard room size.
Reckon the ninth is next door.

The front door on Dorset Street and the one nailed shut in 13 Miller's Court implies a passage through the whole house,so the staircase would be offset by at least 5 feet.

Thanks for the 'photo Simon. It also places that pesky lamp post.

[richardh]

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?

[Robert St Devil]

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)

[jmenges]

To me, this looks to be wrong for Dorset Street, even possibly wrong for London. Paris maybe?

Adam Wood and others located landmarks proving this is Dorset Street when the photo was first posted 14 years ago.



There are many threads here on Casebook discussing it.
Here are just a couple of them.

http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=1755&page=2
http://www.casebook.org/forum/messages/4921/9875.html

JM

[Simon Wood]

Hi Richard,

Sorry, that photo is all I have in my Millers Court collection. Apart from the Leonard Matters photos and the well-known one of the window.

Regards,

Simon