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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard

"Richard Tobin" wrote in message ...

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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard


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

On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 23:02:10 +0100, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"Richard Tobin" wrote in message
...

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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard


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.

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.



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

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

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

On 27/08/2016 08:19, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 21:57:14 +0000 (UTC),
(Richard Tobin) 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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard

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

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


Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Richard Tobin" wrote in message
...
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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard

I think these are mostly dummies though.

I wonder if there was a speaking tube as well?
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Andrew Mawson" wrote in message
...
"Richard Tobin" wrote in message
...

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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard


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

On 26/08/16 22:57, Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard

used to be for summoning the servants IIRC


--
€œit should be clear by now to everyone that activist environmentalism
(or environmental activism) is becoming a general ideology about humans,
about their freedom, about the relationship between the individual and
the state, and about the manipulation of people under the guise of a
'noble' idea. It is not an honest pursuit of 'sustainable development,'
a matter of elementary environmental protection, or a search for
rational mechanisms designed to achieve a healthy environment. Yet
things do occur that make you shake your head and remind yourself that
you live neither in Joseph Stalins Communist era, nor in the Orwellian
utopia of 1984.€�

Vaclav Klaus

"Andrew Mawson" Wrote in
message:
"Richard Tobin" wrote in message ...

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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard


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



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%


----Android NewsGroup Reader----
http://usenet.sinaapp.com/

Robin Wrote in message:
On 27/08/2016 08:19, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 21:57:14 +0000 (UTC),
(Richard Tobin) 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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard

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*.



Public school?
--
Jim K


----Android NewsGroup Reader----
http://usenet.sinaapp.com/

On Friday, 26 August 2016 23:00:03 UTC+1, Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard

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.

In article ,
Chris Hogg 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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

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

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

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/serv...dle_item_14937

On my wall only the fixed central knobs survive.

-- Richard

In article ,
harry wrote:
On Friday, 26 August 2016 23:00:03 UTC+1, Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...Aliceroom3.jpg

-- Richard

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.

my parents' 1939 house had electric bells installed

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

In article ,
says...

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...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.

In article ,
Sam Plusnet wrote:
In article ,
says...

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...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.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

Richard Tobin wrote:
There's a knob -

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

Tim

--
Trolls AND TROLL FEEDERS all go in my kill file

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

Tim+ wrote in :

Richard Tobin 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?

In message , at 20:35:42 on Sat,
27 Aug 2016, Sam Plusnet remarked:
The fireplace in Alice Through The Looking Glass has similar ones:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...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

charles wrote:
In article ,
Sam Plusnet wrote:
In article ,
says...

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...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.

Why does he have a beel and she a bell

On 28/08/16 09:47, F Murtz wrote:
charles wrote:
In article ,
Sam Plusnet wrote:
In article ,
says...

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...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.

Why does he have a beel and she a bell

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


--
€œit should be clear by now to everyone that activist environmentalism
(or environmental activism) is becoming a general ideology about humans,
about their freedom, about the relationship between the individual and
the state, and about the manipulation of people under the guise of a
'noble' idea. It is not an honest pursuit of 'sustainable development,'
a matter of elementary environmental protection, or a search for
rational mechanisms designed to achieve a healthy environment. Yet
things do occur that make you shake your head and remind yourself that
you live neither in Joseph Stalins Communist era, nor in the Orwellian
utopia of 1984.€�

Vaclav Klaus

On Sun, 28 Aug 2016 18:47:06 +1000, F Murtz
wrote:

charles wrote:
In article ,
Sam Plusnet wrote:
In article ,
says...

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...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.

Why does he have a beel and she a bell

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



--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

In article ,
says...

In article ,
Sam Plusnet wrote:
In article ,
says...

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...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?

On 28/08/2016 19:52, Sam Plusnet wrote:
In article ,
says...

In article ,
Sam Plusnet wrote:
In article ,
says...

In article ,
Richard Tobin 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/wikiped...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?

No, that's what poor relations were for.

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

On 26/08/2016 23:02, Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Richard Tobin" wrote in message ...
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/wikiped...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...s/DSCF4260.jpg

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/B8WTFY/clos...dor-B8WTFY.jpg

On Monday, 29 August 2016 12:18:42 UTC+1, soup wrote:
On 26/08/2016 23:02, Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Richard Tobin" wrote in message ...
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/wikiped...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...s/DSCF4260.jpg

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/B8WTFY/clos...dor-B8WTFY.jpg

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


NT

On Monday, 29 August 2016 12:18:42 UTC+1, soup wrote:
On 26/08/2016 23:02, Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Richard Tobin" wrote in message ...
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/wikiped...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...s/DSCF4260.jpg

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/B8WTFY/clos...dor-B8WTFY.jpg

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


NT

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

High-fidelity true analogue audio output too.

Owain