"Peter Johnson" wrote in message
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On Thu, 17 Dec 2015 13:46:53 -0800 (PST), Murmansk
wrote:

The suggestion about the picture rail having been removed is interesting but my gut
feeling it's not that. This is however the kind of house that might have had a kind of
plate display shelf in the hall downstairs. I don't think it's the era for a picture
rail.

My parents' 1930s semi had picture rails, and cavity walls.

Indeed.

Years ago it was the fashion to paint the upper section of walls white
same as the ceiling, possibly to compensate for poor lighting. In houses
without picture rails the fashion was for dados. Patterned strips of paper
laid horizontally to cover the join between the wallpaper paper
and the white bit. IOW, picture rails so called, weren't necessarily
for hanging pictures.


michael adams

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