Belton's basement

The inventories are applied to a modern floor plan of Belton - from December 2015 for a fire alarm upgrade. The thick internal walls are load bearing for the floors above. The thinnest walls are probably later partitions. The numbering of the room names relates to the order written in the inventories. Often, but by no means always, the room numbers cluster physically together. For example, the pantry and beer and wine cellars. The order written down varies with each inventory, although Spaeth (2016) found appraisers typically began in the 'Hall' as happened here in 1698. Crucial to understanding the layout is the water supply,

28th March 1685, James Long making two wells in new house £3 3s 8d

If similar to the one by the Stables, then these wells were stone lined, 1 metre diameter, 5 metres deep. The locations of the well pumps in the House are identifiable in the 1698 and 1737 inventories. With a hot water copper in the Kitchen, one well was nearby, the other in the Pump Room (1737) between the Pantry and cellars.

Comments on 1688 plan

Stillroom

Inventories often give an idea of the sequence of rooms in a house, using phrases such as the chamber over. The inventories clearly state that the Blue Bedroom and its earlier incarnations, was over the Stillroom. Furthermore, James Wyatt's 1778 plans for that bedroom refers to it as over the Stillroom (Westwood 1987). The lady of the house, Alice Brownlow, would have had charge of this area with help from her daughters and stillroom maids. She would want access that avoided the servants domain.

That the east staircase leading down to the Stillroom was not just for servants use is the 1688 description,

In the East Stair case Seaven & Thirtie pikturs, & three Gold Gilt Skonces, in that passage two Silver Gilt Skonces.

Furthermore, a door led from those stairs onto a parterre and the Greate Pond, the ornamental canal running down to the haha. The Blue Bedroom Dressing Room adjacent to these stairs became the Sweetmeat closet by 1698. Sweetmeat preparation was another occupation for the ladies of the house.

No mention is made of a Housekeeper's room, and so the Steward's Hall is tentatively assigned an area suitable for the large quantity of furniture recorded, Seaven turkey worke chairs, two turkey worke Stools, one greene velvett Stoole, five turkey leather chairs, one longe table, one Eight Square table, one ovell table, one litle table with a drawer in it, one paire of Tables. Perhaps, unlikely to fit into the present day Steward's Room, or Stillhouse as was?

Dairy

A Dairy typically faced north for chilling and was interconnected with the Kitchen. A large room was necessary for Eight Shelves, one greate brass pann, Sixteene cheese fatts [wooden moulds to take the curds], foureteene pantions [pancheon - large shallow earthenware bowl to allow milk to stand], five piping potts, two Soes [wooden bucket with two ‘ears’ for a pole for carrying], three butter bowles [wooden bowls for working and washing butter], two Churnes [butter churn], foure pales & a Cheese presse [to compress the curds in the moulds].

Wet Larder

The wet larder held uncooked meats, usually connected to a kitchen. The 1688 wett larder had one greate Salting Tubb, & one greate Salting trough, two chopping blocks. Clearly, near the kitchen for water to soak meats in brine for preservation. Additionally, the bin for salt was in the Kitchen.

Pastry

In the paistrie two dressers, one flower Milne [flour mill], one brandreth [iron trivet], one Iron peele [long handled flat shovel for putting bread and pies into oven], two pastie peeles, two Iron oven lidds [to seal the oven], one Iron forke, one Iron coule [coal] rake, one Leaden Seysterne

There is a separate bakehouse recorded at the Offices across the West courtyard. Belton's baker ground half a ton of wheat a week to produce around 40 loaves of bread a day mainly for the workforce. The Pastry oven would have made pies and tarts for the family and maybe their own quality bread. The Pastry location was likely near the Kitchen for hot coals, charcoal or faggots to heat the oven for a few hours, but far enough away to need a water cistern rather than easy access to the kitchen well. It would require a window for ventilation. Hence, the chosen location. Sally Lunn's 1683 commercial bakery for Bath buns is not a large space.

1698 inventory

Follows the same colour & number coding as above. Taken 6 months after Young Sir John Brownlow's suicide on 16 July 1697. It includes his personal effects returned from Dorset,

His purse. And apparel and one Chesnut Gelding with sadle Bridle hulsters, pistols, hulster capps house in breastplate and Crupper.

Comments on 1698 inventory

Still house

Its closet is now in use, 1. large press & 1. little press 1. Table 2. forms 1. wooden peddiment, 1 sweet meat plate, 1. glass Limbeck [for distilling], 3 large glasses 6. Tinn bisket pans, 4 dozen of Tinn Custard panns, 2. plates of bastard China [Dutch porcelain that tended to crack with hot water].

Passage at the Chapel Door

1. water Engin 2 Chests with candles. A fire engine likely similar to this one at the Museum of London.

Butter Room

This room is now devoid of its butter and cheese making equipment. The dairy had moved to the Offices.

Beer Cellars

These encompassed the present-day Plate Room. There is now an additional small beer cellar.

Pump

The pump on the south side is identified.

1737 Inventory