Improvements in the Construction of Artizans' Dwellings or Workmen's Cottages.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Artizans' Dwellings or
Workmen's Cottages.
I, THOMAS HUGHES, of 38 Stamford Road, Handsworth, in the County, of
Stafford, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
My invention relates to the manner in which I construct and arrange the rooms
and the building generally when erécting inexpensive dwellings for artizans, and
cottages for workpeople, whereby I am enabled to obtain a more thorough and
efficient system of light and ventilation, together with a more convenient grouping
of the rooms than is at present possible with the existing systems of constructing
such houses and dwellings.
In carrying my invention into effect I construct an artizans house or workman's
cottage with the ordinary building materials, but I arrange my walls, partitions,
stairs passages and rooms in a peculiar manner for the purpose of obviating the
trouble, inconvenience and discomfort which arises from the present system of
back to back house arrangement, in which, one house or dwelling is provided having
only a back entrance and being devoid of a through system of ventilation; and
the companion or front portion of such double or divided house having only a front
entrance and the same defective system of ventilation. I also provide a larger
living or general room and a more healthy and private arrangement of bedrooms
than is possible with the present systems of construction as now adopted.
When building my improved dwellings in rows or blocks each containing four
houses I prefer to arrange a central passage between each pair of houses, running
right through from back to front for the convenience and ready access to either
side or entrance to each house. Upon the ground floor 1 arrange the rooms upon
each plan or within each single dwelling in an alternate manner, by constructing
the living room of one house at the front and a passage leading from this room to
the back door as well as providing an entrance from the front door; while the
companion house built alongside of the other I arrange with the living room at
the back having a passage leading from the front door and an entrance also direct
to the room by a back door.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood I append hereunto
one sheet of explanatory drawings in which Eigure is the ground plan of my
improved artizans dwelling, and Figure 2 is a plan of the first floor or bedroom
floor of the same dwelling. A is the passage running through the building for
convenience of communication with the back and front of each dwelling. B is the
dwelling room in one house and B₁ is the corresponding alternate dwelling room
of the other house. C is the dividing wall which serves each house and D D' are
the staircases serving each house separately; E is a pantry and scullery provided
in the back of the one house, and E¹ is a similar and corresponding scullery
provided at the front of the other house. F is the passage communicating
from the living room to the outer back door G, and F¹ is the corresponding passage
communicating with the front door H. The back door G of the other house
opening into the passage F while the front door H is arranged to open into the living
room B.
The bedrooms K K' and L L', I arrange also upon the alternate plan,, one house
having the room K at the front and another having the same large bedroom K¹
at the back; each bedroom being quite separate and distinct from the other and
having a separate entrance to each by doors P P R R¹ I am also enabled to

page_text: provide houses with varying sizes of bedrooms when built within the same block
or row of dwellings similarly arranged, such as MO in Figure 2.
By this my improved system of causing the division wall C of the houses as
illustrated and herein described I am enabled to vary the sizes of the rooms
provided in any dwelling by altering the extent of the overlap of the wall one
upon or against the other. I am also able to accommodate the height of the
building and the number of the floors to suit any particular requirements without
departing from the essential features of my invention. I may also provide external
staircases to suit lofty buildings when applying my system of building workman's
rooms and dwellings to very large blocks containing many floors and many separate
tenements upon each floor.
I do not limit the application of my. invention to any peculiar system of
external elevation or to any style of architecture, neither do I limit the application
of my invention to any particular form of building material but I apply my
improvements to the ordinary building materials, and to any usual style of elevation
or exterior and to any system of architecture.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1891.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Artizans' Dwellings or
Workmen's Cottages.
I, THOMAS HUGHES, of 38 Stamford Road, Handsworth, in the County of
Stafford, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the manner in which I construct and arrange the
rooms, and the building generally, when erecting inexpensive dwellings for
artizans', and cottages for work-people, whereby I am enabled to obtain a more
thorough and efficient system of light and ventilation, together with a more con-
venient grouping of the rooms than is at present possible with the existing systems
of constructing such houses and dwellings.
In carrying my invention into effect, I construct an artizan's house or workman's
cottage with the ordinary building materials, but I arrange my walls, partitions,
stairs, passages and rooms in a peculiar manner for the purpose of obviating the
trouble, inconvenience and discomfort, which arises from the present system of
back to back house arrangement, in which one house or dwelling is constructed
having a back entrance only and being devoid of a through system of ventilation ;
while the companion or front portion of such double or divided house is provided
with a front entrance only, and has the same defective system of ventilation. I
also provide a larger living or general room, and a more healthy and private
arrangement of bedrooms than is possible with the present systems of construction
now adopted for such purposes.
When building my improved dwellings in rows or blocks each containing four
houses, I prefer to arrange a central passage between each pair of houses, running
right through from back to front, for the convenience and ready access to either
side or entrance to each house. Upon the ground floor I arrange the rooms upon
each plan or within each single dwelling, in an alternate manner, by constructing
the living room of one house at the front and a passage leading from this room to
the back door as well as providing an entrance from the front door; while the
companion house which I build alongside of the other I arrange with the living
room at the back, having a passage leading from the front door, and an entrance
also direct to the room by a back door.

page_text: In order that my invention may be more readily understood I have deposited
one sheet of explanatory drawings with my Provisional Specification in which
Figure 1 is the ground plan of my improved artizan's dwelling, and Figure 2 is
a plan of the first floor or bedroom floor of the same dwelling.
A is the passage running through the building for convenience of communication
with the back and front of each dwelling. B is the dwelling room in one house
and B' is the corresponding alternate dwelling room of the other house. C is the
dividing wall which serves each house, and D, D' are the staircases serving each
house separately; E is a pantry and scullery provided in the back of the one
house, and E' is a similar and corresponding scullery provided at the front of the
other house. F is the passage communicating from the living room to the outer
back door G, and F' is the corresponding passage communicating with the front
door H. The back door G of the other house opening into the passage F, while
the front door H is arranged to open into the living room B.
I sometimes build my improved dwellings with a through system of ventilation
provided for, by means of a back door and a front window, or a front door and a
back window, instead of having a passage running through the house and a front
and back entrance to the same. By this arrangement I am enabled to provide a
larger pantry or ante room to the dwelling, seeing that the passage through it to an
outer door is dispensed with.
The bedrooms K, K' and L, L'I arrange also upon the alternate plan, one
house having the room K at the front, and another having the same large
bedroom K1, K2 at the back; each bedroom being quite separate and distinct from
the other, and each having a separate entrance by doors P, P, R, R'. I am also
enabled to provide houses with varying sizes of bedrooms when built within the
same block or row of dwellings similarly arranged, such as M, O, in Figure 2.
By this my improved system of arranging the division wall C of the houses as
illustrated and herein described, I am enabled to vary the sizes and combinations
of the rooms provided in any dwelling by altering the extent of the overlap of the
wall one upon or against the other. I am also able to cause the height of the
building and the number of the floors to suit any particular requirement without
departing from the essential features of my invention.
I sometimes provide external staircases to suit lofty buildings when applying
my system of buildings workmans rooms and dwellings to very large blocks con-
taining many floors and many separate tenements upon each floor.
I do not limit the application of my invention to any peculiar system of external
elevation or to any style of architecture; neither do I limit the application of my
invention to any particular form of building material, but I apply my improvements
to the ordinary building materials, and to any usual style of elevation or exterior,
and to any system of architecture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what. I
claim is:-
(1) The construction and arrangement of cottages and dwellings for artizans
and workmen, having a dividing wall arranged in the manner substantially as and
for the purposes herein described, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(2) The construction of cottages and dwellings for artizans and workmen,
having a separate back and front entrance to each house, arranged substantially in
the manner and for the purposes herein described, and as set forth in the accom-
panying drawings.
(3) The construction and arrangement of cottages for artizans and workmen
having alternate back and front large living rooms, substantially as herein described,
and as set forth in the accompanying drawings.
(4) The construction and arrangement of cottages for artizans and workmen,
having alternate back and front large bedrooms, substantially as hereinbefore
described and as set forth in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: (5) The construction and arrangement of cottages for artizans and workmen,
having through ventilation provided for by back and front windows, or combination
of windows and doors, substantially as herein described and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1891.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.