The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-20
WINDSOR PALACE.
The Methods of Heating and Lighting
the Royal Building.


For lighting Windsor Castle four meth
DDS are available, all of which are more or
less in operation, viz: Gas, oil, candles
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 be-
sides the royal family and the visitors
consequently the adequate provision of all
these processes is of somewhat gigantic
nature, keeping many persons 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 a confirmed pref
erence for wood only. Special supplies of
wood have to be obtained for this purpose
from the thickly timbered hills few miles
up the river above Windsor, where num-
Der of workmen are regularly employed on
this task. The timber, when felled and
roughly trimmed on spot, is brought down
to wharf on the river side, where it is
dressed and cut up into blocks CT fixed
sizes; it 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
Maiesty's apartments. Here light is pro-
vided by means of wax candles, all of one
special pattern, their daily removal being
the duty of a special official. In some of
the other apartments gas is utilized, and
in other parts oil lamps are burned, gas
supplying the quarters of the staff gem
orally. Moreover, 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
general supervision of prominent cleo
trician. 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 royal apartments, and to the
library. A year or so ago the original
plant was replaced by newer and more
powerful machinery, which would prob
ably 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. Electric 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 train loads of
perhaps 500 tons at a time. From the sta
ton it is carted to the castle, in various
parts of which are deep and spacious eel
lars into which it is tipped Thence it is
conveyed as required to the different
rooms and offices, numbering some hun
dreds.
Lifts are almost unknown in the castle.
Consequently the coal has to be hoisted
from the cayernous cellars and carried
hither and thither by coal porters. The
replenishing of the fires is carried out upon
a most careful and efficient plan, footmen
and other high 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 resi-
dence of the highest lady in the land is
lighted and warmed in efficient manner
by many and various processes.-London
Paper.