Untitled
Category
Historic Services / Various
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood, glass, metal
Collection
Osterley Park and House, London
NT 774119
Summary
Counter and serving hatch in the Servants' Staircase and Lobby. Behind the door in the north west corner of the Entrance Hall is a counter and hatch in the lobby used by the serving staff bringing food to the Entrance Hall. From the Servants' Staircase and Lobby side: The timber surround of the hatch is mounted on a substantial timber panel on the south wall. In the hatch the glazed panel fills approximately 40% of the height of the hatch, the rest is open. The wooden counter is supported by a timber batten on the wall mounted panel on one side and on the top of the newel posts and a batten attached to the side of newel posts of the lobby balustrade (CMS 774118). The counter has a small (3cm) raised edge on the right-hand side and fills the space over the stairwell. From the Entrance Hall side: The serving hatch has solid timber bottom section with two panels with a small egg and dart moulding. There is a central metal finger pull at the top. This section was originally hung on two pulley cords. On the right hand side the panel over the weight access panel is missing, revealing the weight in situ, left cover is still in place. Behind this panelled bottom section there is plain wooden casing. The top of this section is at a level with the counter in the lobby. The hatch is open at the bottom. The top half of the hatch is filled with the glazed section of two panes of glass (as noted from the lobby). Above this there is a plain timber section complete to the height of the doorframe (not seen from the lobby side). There is a gully each side for the pulley cords and a small metal pulley inset in the channel on both sides. The glazed section may be a later addition. Without the glazed section the bottom panel could be raised to close the hatch when not in use. The substantial wooden panel (which is visible only from the lobby side) was presumably required to support the weight of the sliding panel on the Entrance Hall side. There is a metal catch for the door (CMS 773783) at the top of the fixed section.