The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1895-02-07
WINDSOR IN WINTER.
How the Queens Home is Lighted
in Winter.
SHE HAS A PREFERENCE FOR WOOD.
No Gas or OIL Used In Her Najesty's Apart
ments.-Candles Are Good Enough
for Britain's Ruler.

For lighting the castle four methods
are available, all of which are more
or less in operation, viz, gas. oil. can
dies and the electric light, while for
warming and cooking, wood, coal and
gas are used. During the residence of
the Court some hundreds of persons are
in the castle besides the royal family
and the visitors, consequently the ade-
quate provision of all these processes is
of somewhat gigantic nature, keeping
many servants constantly employed.
For the general lighting and heating,
gas and coal are adopted, but this is
not so in the Queens own rooms, nor in
many other of the royal apartments.
In the matter of fires for her own
rooms the Queen strictly banishes coal.
She has confirmed preference for
wood only. Special supplies of wood
have to be obtained for this purpose
from the thickly timbered hills a few
miles up the river, above Windsor,
were number of workmen are regu-
larly employed on this task The tim
Der, when felled and roughly trimmed
on the spot, is brought down to wharf
on the riverside, where it is dressed
and cut up into blocks of fixed sizes.
1t is then stacked to get seasoned, and
as required supplies are brought down
to the castle for consumption in the
Queens rooms.
Gas and oil are excluded from her
Majesty's apartments. Here light is
provided by means of wax candles, all
Of one special pattern, their daily re-
moval being the duty of special off
cial. In some of the other apartments
gas is utilized, and in other parts oil
lamps are burned, gas supplying the
quarters of the staff generally. More
over, although the Queen bars all but
candles for her own private use, she
has permitted the introduction of an
electric light plant. This is placed
underneath the north terrace, and is in
charge of special engineer, under the
general supervision Of a prominent
electrician. This plant has never been
largely used, but the light has been led
into and applied to the main corridors,
to one or two of the roy al apartments
and to the library. A year or so ago
the original plant was replaced by
newer and more powerful machinery,
which would probably suffice to light
the whole of the castle if the Queen SO
willed, but this has not yet occurred,
nor is she likely to sanction it, Eiec-
trio bells and telephones abound
throughout the castle, but electric light
is allowed very limited play.
The coal required for Windsor Castle
chiefly comes from certain collieries in
North Wales, brought in trainloads of
perhaps 800 tons at time. From the
station it is carted to the castle, in
various parts of which are deep and
spacious cellars into which it is tipped.
Thence it is conveyed as required to the
different rooms and offices, numbering
some hundreds.
, Lifts are almost unknown in the
castle, consequently the coal has to be
holsted from the cavernous cellars and
carried hither and thither by coal por.
tiers. The replenishing of the fires is
carried out upon most careful and
efficient plan, footmen and other higher
servants receiving the coal from the
porters and passing it on to the royal
apartments at intervals throughout the
day.
Each official connected with heating
and lighting the castle has his allotted
duties and recognized position, and thus
the residence of the highest lady in the
land is lighted and warmed in efficient
manner by many and various processes.
London News