Featherstone Hall Hotel Part 24 - The Final Part

I’m feeling quite damp around the eyes, after two years and 24 parts; this is the last Featherstone Hall article! It’s quite appropriate really, as for a small room there’s a lot of water sloshing about!

The kitchen scullery was traditionally for washing up dishes and laundering clothes, and so would contain sinks, drains and possibly a ‘copper’ to boil water. As I mentioned in the kitchen articles, trying to squeeze everything in was a bit like stuffing an elephant into a sock, so I had to compromise. I simply did not have room for a ‘copper’ - although I did manage to shoehorn quite a lot of other things in!

I had already decided to split the room with ‘dishes’ on one side and laundry on the other when I first started to work out what would fit into the kitchen as a whole.

My original plan was to put the scullery area where the butchers block ended up in the kitchen and use what would be the scullery as a pantry for stores with a possible wine section. However after considering the potential for adding a bit of life to the scene, I decided that it would be best to bring the scullery to the fore.

The Sinks

With the room divided into laundry and dishes, I chose a Belfast sink on brick columns for the laundry, and a double-drainer ceramic sink for the dishes side.

I decided to dress the sinks first and then position them, and started with the double drainer. I glued the scullery maid doll to the sink so that her hands were in the bowl. I melted down some Scenic Water (mixed with a tiny bit of blue Scenic Water colouring to give that greeny tap water look) and mixed in a little iridescent glitter and some tiny clear glass balls to look like soap suds. I spooned this into the sink – taking care to get some over her hands, then added a pie dish (which I had wiped the inside around with chocolate coloured enamel paint to look like burnt gravy) and spooned some more water mix over the top of it. 

When all this had set, I glued a pine bedside cabinet to the end of the sink, and added a wooden draining board over the top. This was then stacked with clean dishes (as if they had just been washed) and the other side of the drainer was stacked high with dirty dishes (like the pie dish, wiped with different food-coloured enamel to suggest meal remnants). 

The sink unit was then glued in position, and a strip of Plastruct put on top of the splash back to make a small shelf. A single row of white tiles (dark blue ones spray painted because I didn’t have white to hand!) backed the shelf and were topped with a plate rack unit I had previously glued the contents into. 

I made the Belfast sink unit from a bought sink on a brick plinth, added to a pine bedside cabinet, and a black hand pump (made from a cast metal kit and painted satin black) the only thing missing was the water.

I filled the Belfast sink with tap water coloured Scenic Water and while it was setting, made a stream of tap water to come out of the pump head.

I used plain scenic water mixed with tiny glass balls, and spooned the mixture onto a strip of acetate. While the mixture was still ‘movable’ but not runny, I piled up the mixture into a thick strip about the diametre of the end of the tap. When it was dry I peeled it off, cut it to the length required and glued it to the pump head and to the filled sink surface. I also glued a smaller piece at the ‘point of entry’ to form disturbance on the surface of the water. 

Finishing Touches

With the Belfast sink fixed in position and John in place pumping away, I filled the available space with appropriate accessories. I had wanted to get a mangle in, but just couldn’t, so I made do with a wash dolly and tub! I also filled a basket with scraps of cloth, topped it with a spare gentleman’s jacket, and filled a bucket with Scenic Water (after checking it was waterproof – once bitten twice shy!)

I hung a folded flat clothes airer frame on the wall and above it, a hanging airer which could be lowered for access. This was made from a kit, and then completed with folded strips of cloth.

I had a little chuckle to myself as I hung the ironing board on the wall. I took a flat iron, dipped it in a little black paint and lightly stamped it onto the board a couple of times to make burnt patches – Just like one I had years ago! I made the folding board by breaking one which was fixed in the open position and gluing it flat before sticking it to the wall.

And Finally

I started work on Featherstone Hall in June 2009, it was finished in November 2010, and here in the January issue of 2012 is the last installment of the story. But not quite, I will be working away on the hall over the next few months; doing all the things I didn’t have time to do because of the Dolls House and Miniature Scene 200th issue deadline. With those done I will add them to my series to create a Featherstone Hall Hotel book which should be published in 2013.

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I’d like to say thank you to the Dolls House and Miniature Scene readers who have become avid followers of the Hall, making it such a success. It’s been a pleasure to hear from you all and I look forward to your comments on my book!

Enjoyed the Featherstone series? Sign in to the Featherstone Hall Hotel visitor’s book, and leave a comment, visit: www.dee-dawdesigns.com/page16.htm if you have any questions about the project, please e-mail Julie at [email protected]