IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TERRACE DWELLING Hangve
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Palliser, of No. 1, Earl's Court Square,
South Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TERRACE DWELLING
Hangve"
Sealed the 28th January 1876, and dated the 3rd November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Palliser at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd November 1875.
I, WILLIAM PALLISER, of No. 1, Earl's Court Square, South
Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TERRACE
DWELLING HOUSES," to be as follows:-
or houses built on a confined
My Invention relates to "terrace houses"
space, having an entrance hall on one side of the dwelling room or
rooms on the ground floor. In such houses it is usual to carry up the
staircase in a space formed by widening out the hall at the back part of

page_text: the house, so that the drawing room on the first floor if, made to extend
the whole depth of the house, has a large rectangular corner taken out
of it for the staircase, thus reducing the size of the room and giving it
an unsightly appearance.
Now according to my Invention I obviate this defect by constructing
and arranging the staircase in the following manner :-At the back of the
house I erect a "lean-to," forming a continuation of the hall, making it
of such size as to form a well for the staircase. I start the stair in the
hall as near the entrance door as will admit of sufficient head room
under the drawing room floor, and I carry it up in a straight flight
along the party wall to the back of the "lean-to," whence turning to
the right or left, as the case may be, it rises in well form to a landing
on the first floor level, giving access to the drawing room. By this
means the drawing room can be made to extend over the entire area of
the house from back to front without any of its space being encroached
upon by the staircase. From the first-floor landing the staircase rises
in the well of the "lean-to" to the upper floors, in each of which a
corresponding gain of space is effected.
In cases where the building is extended back behind the staircase,
this construction allows sufficient headway beneath the stairs on the
ground floor for a door of full height leading from the hall into a
billiard room or other apartment at the back, and it farther admits of
this apartment being made of the full height of the dining room.
Further, if a boudoir be constructed on the first floor in the back
building, it can be entered from the drawing-room landing, which forms
a straight passage, giving an uninterrupted view from the one room into
the other.
Another advantage of this construction is that the staircase being
thrown back considerably farther than staircases of ordinary con-
struction, the dining room can be extended in length backwards,
retaining its full width, sufficient space being still provided in the hall
at the side of the staircase for the passage leading to the basement stairs
and to the billiard or other back room.
If desired, a servants' staircase may be conveniently constructed at
the back of the principal staircase, communicating with the latter at the
several landings.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Palliser in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PALLISER, of No. 1, Earl's Court Square, South Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Palliser, Her special
license, that I, the said William Palliser, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Palliser,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all; times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TERRACE DWELLING HOUSES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Palliser, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Palliser, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :--
My Invention relates to "terrace houses," or houses built on a
confined space, having an entrance hall on one side of the dwelling
In such houses it is usual to carry
room or rooms on the ground floor.
up the staircase in a space formed by widening out the hall at the back.

page_text: part of the house, so that the drawing room on the first floor if made
to extend the whole depth of the house has a large rectangular corner
taken out of it for the staircase, thus reducing the size of the room and
giving it an unsightly appearance.
-
Now, according to my Invention, I obviate this defect by constructing
and arranging the staircase in the following manner :-At the back of
the house I erect a "lean-to," forming a continuation of the hall,
making it of such size as to form a well for the staircase. I start the
stair in the hall as near the entrance door as will admit of sufficient
head room under the drawing room floor, and I carry it up in a straight
flight along the party wall to the back of the "lean-to," whence turn-
ing to the right or left, as the case may be, it rises in well form to a
landing on the first-floor level, giving access to the drawing room. By
this means the drawing room can be made to extend over the entire
area of the house from back to front without any of its space being
encroached upon by the staircase. From the first-floor landing the
staircase either rises in the well of the "lean-to" to the upper floors, in
each of which a corresponding gain of space would be effected, or when
it has risen past the drawing room, it can be brought back again into

page_text: If desired, a servants' staircase may be conveniently constructed at
the back of the principal staircase, communicating with the latter at
the several landings.
Fig. 1 shows a plan of the gro
Fig. 2, a plan of the first floor.
And Figs. 3 and 4 shew vertical sections respectively on the lines
X, X, and Y, Y, through the hall and staircase of a house constructed
according to my Invention.
Beyond the usual end wall A of the house I erect a " lean-to " B,
forming a continuation of the hall C, and constituting a well for the
staircase D, which starts from the hall as near the entrance door as will
admit of sufficient headroom under the drawing-room floor at E, as shown
at Fig. 3. The stairs rise in a straight flight to the back of the
"lean-to," where they turn to the left and rise to the landing F on the
first floor, from which the drawing room G is entered through the
door H. The drawing room G can thus be made to extend over
the entire area of the house, as shewn, instead of having a large
rectangular space taken out of it for the well of the staircase, as at I.,
Fig. 5, which represents the drawing-room floor of a house of ordinary
construction.
I am aware that drawing rooms have been made the full size of the
house, but this has been effected by starting the staircase at the back of
the house, and carrying it a considerable distance to the rear, thereby
necessitating great depth for the building and entailing considerablo
expense in construction, without affording the other advantages herein
mentioned.
If an extension is built at the back of the staircase for a billiard or
other room K on the ground floor, and boudoir L on the first floor, it
will be seen that access to the latter is gained from the landing F, while
the staircase will rise to a sufficient height at the back of the well to
admit of a door M of full height leading to the room K from the hall,
as shewn at Figs. 3 and 4. The library N at the back of the dining
room (or it may be made an extension of the latter) will also be of
greater width than in the ordinary construction, as at Fig. 5. It will

page_text: thus be seen that according to my Invention the staircase starts inside
the main body of the house, that it then rises in a well outside the
house until it has risen past the drawing room, when it can be brought
back again into the house.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I claim, constructing terrace
houses with a "lean-to" at the back forming the well of the staircase,
which staircase starting from the hall inside the house rises in a straight
flight along the partition wall to the back of the "lean-to," wherein it
turns to the right or to the left, according as the house is right or left,
until it reaches the drawing-room floor, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Palliser, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.