Knob next to fireplace

[Richard Tobin]

There's a knob - like a doorknob - attached to the wall on each side
of the fireplace in my Victorian house. Anyone know what they were
for? Attaching a fireguard perhaps?

The fireplace in Alice Through The Looking Glass has similar ones:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard

[Andrew Mawson]

"Richard Tobin" wrote in message news:npqdvq$24hb$1...@macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk...

It would ring a bell in the servants quarters. Usually wire operated via
'bell cranks' . Bell would be mounted on a snail shaped spring so that it
rang for a few seconds.

Andrew

[Bob Eager]

We actually bought some years ago but never got round to using them. I
still have two brand new bells, pulleys and a 'pull'. From CH Byron, who
now seem to have been subsumed into 'Smartwares' and don't do much of
that any more.

Instead, we now use a conventional doorbell push which pulls an input on
an Arduino, which in turn sends a signal to a daemon on the Asterisk box,
which then queues immediate calls to ring all the phones in the house
with a special cadence. Optionally, it can ring a bell in the garden
(controlled by a star code). It's also possible to limit doorbell calls
to the two teenagers' rooms for a fixed time (default 30 minutes) so that
the 2 a.m. pizza deliveries don't wake us up.

I wouldn't have dreamed of this when we bought the mechanical bells in a
fit of enthusiasm.



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[charles]

In article <npqdvq$24hb$1...@macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk>,

a bell pull (wire operated) to call for a servant.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

[Robin]

On 27/08/2016 08:19, Chris Hogg wrote:

> I'm tempted to suggest that you try pulling your knob to see what
> happens, but such a suggestion might be misconstrued...
>

But be gentle! Some of them only respond when *turned*.


--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

[Brian Gaff]

Maybe some kind of spoof cupboards were fitted in some houses to look like
the place is bigger?


Brian

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"Richard Tobin" <ric...@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:npqdvq$24hb$1...@macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk...

[Brian Gaff]

I think these are mostly dummies though.

I wonder if there was a speaking tube as well?

Brian

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"Andrew Mawson" <andrew@please_remove_me.mawson.org.uk> wrote in message
news:npqe9a$ko3$1...@dont-email.me...

[The Natural Philosopher]

used to be for summoning the servants IIRC


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[Graham.]

"Andrew Mawson" <andrew@please_remove_me.mawson.org.uk> Wrote in
message:

Precisely what my paternal grandparents had in their Edinburgh flat.
Better than that, there were six brass knobs, one for each flat
by the front door, and a big brass lever on each landing that
lifted the latch downstairs.

--

%Profound_observation%


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[jim]

Robin <rb...@hotmail.com> Wrote in message:

Public school?
--
Jim K

[harry]

To summon your man servant.
Or the maid.
Might be electrical or mechanical in operation.
Before WW2 even quite small houses had some sort of servant.

[Richard Tobin]

In article <cmf2sbd9019i0sf7c...@4ax.com>,

>I'm tempted to suggest that you try pulling your knob to see what
>happens, but such a suggestion might be misconstrued...

Sadly, it no longer has any moving parts.

-- Richard

[Richard Tobin]

In article <npqdvq$24hb$1...@macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk>,
Richard Tobin <ric...@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> wrote:

Thanks for everyone's replies.

Now I know what it is, I can find photos of more complete examples, e.g.

http://www.englishsalvage.co.uk/servants-bell-handle_item_14937

On my wall only the fixed central knobs survive.

-- Richard

[charles]

In article <bc2ab559-2f55-4029...@googlegroups.com>,

my parents' 1939 house had electric bells installed

[Sam Plusnet]

In article <55b6178f...@candehope.me.uk>,
cha...@candehope.me.uk says...

Probably, although having two of them, only a few feet
apart, seems like serious overkill.

[charles]

In article <MPG.322bfbe...@news.plus.net>,

no, a "his" beel and a "her" bell.

[Tim+]

Richard Tobin <ric...@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
> There's a knob -

That'll be Harry pointing out how inefficient it is at attracting
subsidies...

Tim

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[spuorg...@gowanhill.com]

On Saturday, 27 August 2016 20:50:57 UTC+1, charles wrote:
> > Probably, although having two of them, only a few feet
> > apart, seems like serious overkill.
> no, a "his" beel and a "her" bell.

If sufficiently grand, they might be separate bells for Footman or Parlour-Maid.

In a bedroom Valet or Lady's-Maid, although that would be more common in hotels.

Owain

[DerbyBorn]

Tim+ <tim.d...@gmail.com> wrote in news:npsr49$bc9$1...@dont-email.me:

> Richard Tobin <ric...@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
>> There's a knob -
>
> That'll be Harry pointing out how inefficient it is at attracting
> subsidies...
>
> Tim
>

Is it just possible they could be controls for a damper device in the flue?

[Roland Perry]

In message <MPG.322bfbe...@news.plus.net>, at 20:35:42 on Sat,
27 Aug 2016, Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> remarked:

>> > The fireplace in Alice Through The Looking Glass has similar ones:
>>
>> > https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Aliceroom3.jpg
>>
>> a bell pull (wire operated) to call for a servant.
>
>Probably, although having two of them, only a few feet
>apart, seems like serious overkill.

One is on the "normal" side of the fireplace, the other on the "mirror
image" side.
--
Roland Perry

[F Murtz]

Why does he have a beel and she a bell :)

[The Natural Philosopher]

I could tell you, but then Id have to kill you

[Graham.]

On Sun, 28 Aug 2016 18:47:06 +1000, F Murtz <hag...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

An affectation he acquired after the 2nd Boer War. Trust you to
mention it!



--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

[Sam Plusnet]

In article <55b65a53...@candehope.me.uk>,

cha...@candehope.me.uk says...
>
> In article <MPG.322bfbe...@news.plus.net>,
> Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> wrote:
> > In article <55b6178f...@candehope.me.uk>,
> > cha...@candehope.me.uk says...
> > >
> > > In article <npqdvq$24hb$1...@macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk>,
> > > Richard Tobin <ric...@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
> > > > There's a knob - like a doorknob - attached to the wall on each side
> > > > of the fireplace in my Victorian house. Anyone know what they were
> > > > for? Attaching a fireguard perhaps?
> > >
> > > > The fireplace in Alice Through The Looking Glass has similar ones:
> > >
> > > > https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Aliceroom3.jpg
> > >
> > > a bell pull (wire operated) to call for a servant.
>
> > Probably, although having two of them, only a few feet
> > apart, seems like serious overkill.
>
> no, a "his" beel and a "her" bell.

You mean they have to do their own summoning of servants!

Shirley they should have a servant to do that for them?

[Robin]

No, that's what poor relations were for.

[soup]

On 26/08/2016 23:02, Andrew Mawson wrote:
> "Richard Tobin" wrote in message news:npqdvq$24hb$1...@macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk...
>> There's a knob - like a doorknob - attached to the wall on each side
>> of the fireplace in my Victorian house. Anyone know what they were
>> for? Attaching a fireguard perhaps?
>> The fireplace in Alice Through The Looking Glass has similar ones:
>> https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Aliceroom3.jpg

> It would ring a bell in the servants quarters. Usually wire operated via
> 'bell cranks' . Bell would be mounted on a snail shaped spring so that
> it rang for a few seconds.

A la :-

http://cdn-da.destinasian.com/travel/wp-content/uploads/DSCF4260.jpg

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/B8WTFY/close-view-of-the-servants-bells-with-room-names-above-in-the-corridor-B8WTFY.jpg

[tabb...@gmail.com]

That logic gate implementation is clever. Kilve bell rings porch room 1, but porch 1 does not ring kilve.


NT

[tabb...@gmail.com]

On Monday, 29 August 2016 12:18:42 UTC+1, soup wrote:

The 10+ bit memory also isn't bad, with swinging weights.


NT

[spuorg...@gowanhill.com]

On Monday, 29 August 2016 14:48:19 UTC+1, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:
> The 10+ bit memory also isn't bad, with swinging weights.

High-fidelity true analogue audio output too.

Owain