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A ROOM FOR EVERYTHING

The floor plan shows the ground floor but Kylemore has three floors
and over 70 rooms in total. Let us look a little closer at some of the
main rooms on the ground floor. Can you spot each of them on the
plan?

Kitchen: A busy space where all the food was prepared. Solid fuel stoves were used for cooking and heating
water. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper were the main meals, but the family
could ring a bell at any time of day or night if they fancied a snack, such as a cold meat sandwich or a toasted
crumpet!

Dining Room: This was a very beautiful room where the main meals of the day were taken. The Head Butler
had the job of making sure everything ran smoothly and he checked every dish in the Serving Room before
it was brought through on silver platters to the table.

Drawing Room: This was a beautiful room designed especially for relaxation and entertainment. This was
a place where the ladies could play the piano, sew and write in the afternoons, and the whole family would
‘withdraw’ there after dinner if they were not having entertainment in the Ballroom.

Billiard Room: Billiards were games that were fashionable for gentlemen in the 1800s. The Billiard Room
had a high ceiling, which was useful, as the men liked to drink brandy and smoke smelly cigars. They also
played card games, backgammon or chess. 19th-century ladies would not have spent time in the Billiard
room. Do you think this is fair?
The Housemaids Morning

“The morning is very hectic making sure we get all the fires lit in the
bedrooms and hot water ready for all the ladies and gentlemen to wash with
before they stir a toe out of bed! Then, I rush downstairs to set the fires in
the breakfast room, morning room and library, and I see that everything is
dusted down and tidy for the family. As soon as the family comes down for
breakfast, we scoot back upstairs to make the beds, clean the rooms, take
away the washing things and, empty all the chamber pots. Mornings are so
busy that they fly by and there is just time for a quick cup of tea and a slice of
fried bread before setting to work again.”

Kate Egan, Age 17, housemaid 1901

Over To You

• Imagine: you are the one who must do all the jobs in your home. Make a list of every job
that needs to be done every day and the jobs that need to be done from time to time. Who
usually does all these jobs? Do you think the work is shared fairly in your home?

• Draw a floor plan of your home: by imagining that you took the roof off and that you are
looking down from up above. Look at the Kylemore Castle floor plan to see how they illustrated corridors,
windows and doors. Label each room to show what it is used for, e.g. eating, sleeping, cooking etc.

• Draw a floor plan of your imaginary home: remember that the shape of your floor plan will affect how
your home will look from the outside. You could also draw a floorplan for the castle you designed in section
one.

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