Gregor has just sent me these images of the new plaster-boarding in what we call "the gentleman's dressing room". The name is well-chosen as this room would have been the dressing room for David Lyon who had the castle built in 1860.
The original fireplace in here has a spectacular draw, so it is the room of choice for retiring to in the evening with friends. There is also something indefinable about the room which makes it particularly pleasant to gather in, and there's no doubt that David Lyon would also have spent time in here with his acquaintances.
The down-side is that the room has no ceiling i.e. we rebuilt the floor but not the ceiling so heat from the fire escapes into the room above. In winter, we find ourselves huddling as close to the fire as possible. With the simple expediency of a ceiling, the whole room could easily become toasty with just the fireplace and no other source of heating.
Anyhow, Gregor has just finished repairing missing and damaged areas of lath-and-plaster with plasterboard - this includes the whole ceiling of course and large areas of the walls. We put modern insulation behind the repaired areas. I expect the thermodynamics of the space have been revolutionised, and I can't wait to spend a winter's evening in here again with a glowing hearth and the best of company.
 |
| new ceiling - for years you could see floor joists |
 |
| new wall - Gregor has left a rectangle of old wall above the fireplace |
 |
| plasterboard patched-in round the windows - rare winter sunshine in evidence |
Now a warmer place during cold spells. Bravo!
ReplyDelete