IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE HOUSES AND OTHER ERECTIONS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Walker, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Merchant, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE HOUSES AND OTHER
ERECTIONS."
Sealed the 13th April 1853, and dated the 19th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Walker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th November 1852.
I, ROBERT WALKER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE HOUSES AND
OTHER ERECTIONS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates especially to the construction of portable
dwellings or stores suitable for emigrants from wood and iron com-
bined. In building such houses a rectangular base frame is first
laid down, and upon this frame as a foundation the required number
of cast iron pillars is bolted down at the four corners, and at other
regular intervals, the spaces between such pillars being always so
proportioned and arranged that each four contiguous ones shall

page_text: comprehend an equal sided square area throughout the structure.
Every pillar is grooved or slotted vertically down four opposite sides,
so that suitable boards may be passed with their ends down such
grooves one above the other edgewise to form the walls and
partitions of the building. Such boards are tongued and grooved
like common flooring, the groove being always turned downwards in
order to prevent the lodging of rain therein. In this way a cheap
house is obtainable with little trouble, an order for such a house
being simply for a certain number of pillars and their corresponding
number of flooring boards, each pillar being exactly the same whilst
each board is the same length and cannot be transposed, variations
only occurring at doors and windows; and owing to the pillars
having four grooves the dimensions of the house may be extended
to any amount, and cross partitions inay be put in to subdivide the
rooms. The window frames are of cast iron, grooved all round
their outer edges in order that the ends of the contiguous boards
may be inserted therein. The doorways are also formed with a
similarly grooved frame, the two halves of the hinges being cast on
one side of the frame, and the lock staple on the other. The other
halves of the hinges are of wrought iron, and fast to the door, these
halves carrying the joint pins for insertion into the halves on the
doors. The roof is either of corrugated iron, angular or rounded, or
it may be made of thin flooring boards bent to the required arch
to stand without internal support, and screwed down at each end,
the weather covering being simply asphalted felt in sheets or layers
of waterproofed paper or canvass. Or various other coverings may
be adopted over the top of the boards or other support. Although
cast iron pillars are deemed preferable to timber ones, it is obvious
that timber ones similarly grooved may be used as the supports for
the boarding.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ROBERT WALKER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Walker, Her
special licence that I, the said Robert Walker, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Walker,
my executors, administrators, or 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 PORTABLE HOUSES
AND OTHER ERECTIONS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Robert Walker, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 Robert Walker, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereof, that is to say:
My said Invention relates especially to the construction of portable
dwellings or stores suitable for emigrants from wood and iron

page_text: combined. In building such houses a rectangular base frame is
first laid down, and upon this frame as a foundation the required
number of cast iron pillars is bolted down at the four corners, and
at other regular intervals, the spaces between such pillars being
always so proportioned and arranged that each four contiguous
ones shall comprehend an equal sided square area throughout the
structure. Every pillar is grooved or slotted vertically down four
opposite sides, so that suitable boards may be passed with their ends
down such grooves one above the other edgewise to form the walls
and partitions of the building. Such boards are tongued and grooved
like common flooring, the groove being always turned downwards
in order to prevent the lodging of rain therein. In this way a
cheap house is obtainable with little trouble, an order for such a
house being simply for a certain number of pillars and their corre-
sponding number of flooring boards, each pillar being exactly the
same whilst each board is of the same length and cannot be trans-
posed, variations only occurring at doors and windows; and owing to
the pillars having four grooves the dimensions of the house may be
extended to any amount, and cross partitions may be put in to
subdivide the rooms. The window frames are of cast iron, grooved
all round their outer edges in order that the ends and edges of
the contiguous boards may be inserted therein. The doorways are
also formed with a similarly grooved frame, the two halves of the
hinges being cast on one side of the frame, and the lock staple on
the other. The other halves of the hinges are of wrought iron, and
are fast to the door, these halves carrying the joint pins for inser-
tion into the halves on the frame. The roof is either of corrugated.
iron, angular or rounded, or it may be made of thin flooring boards
bent to the required arch, and screwed down at each end, the
weather covering being simply asphalted felt in sheets or layers of
waterproofed paper or canvas. Or various other coverings may be
adopted over the top of the boards or other support. Although
cast iron pillars are deemed preferable to timber ones; it is obvious
that timber ones similarly grooved may be used as the supports for
the boarding. The wooden walls or the side boarding of houses

page_text: of this class have perfect freedom of expansion and contraction
vertically.
Figure 1, on my Sheet of Drawings is a front external elevation
of one of my improved houses complete; Figure 2, is a horizontal
section or sectional plan of the same; Figure 3, is a horizontal section
through one of the window frames; Figure 4, is a side view of a
portion of such frame; Figure 5, is a horizontal section of the door-
way; Figure 6, is a side elevation of one of the pillar bases; Figure 7,
is a horizontal section of one of the pillars; Figure 8, is a side eleva-
tion of another arrangement of pillar and wall boarding; Figure 9,
is an elevation of a pillar with duplex grooves for internal air space
divisions; and Figure 10, is a horizontal section of the same. The
rectangular timber frame A, forms the base of the erection carrying
the four corner pillars B, and the intermediate pillars C, eleven
pillars being required in this particular example. Each pillar is
grooved or slotted longitudinally on all the four sides as at D, to
receive the wall boards E, which are tongued and grooved to joint
to each other. Boards so prepared are passed into the grooves of
the pillars from the tops of the latter before the roof is on, the board
to form the base of the wall being first passed down with its ends in
the grooves of two neighbouring pillars. This board is passed
down to the bottom, and it is followed by a succession of others,
until the wall space is filled up to the eaves. And in order to
render the insertion of the boarding of easy accomplishment,
whether the roof or upper frame is on or off, the tops of the pillar
grooves are left open laterally to the breadth of a single board, so
that the boards can be passed in from the side. The cast iron
window frames F, are grooved all round as at G, to receive the ends
of the boards in which the windows are placed, and each internal
wooden frame H, in which the glass is placed, is retained in position
when closed up vertically by the back and front flanges I, J. on the
cast iron holding frames. On each side of the wooden frame is a
pivot K, capable of oscillation in the eye L, on the iron frame, a
button or fastener being fitted at M, to hold the window up against
its frame bearings when closed. And to add a little effect to the

page_text: window, cach is surmounted by an outside cornice N, of wood. The
cast iron door frame O, in the main front or external wall is
similarly grooved on the top and two sides to hold the ends of the
boards, the two halves P, of the hinges being cast on the frame on
one side, whilst the other side is cast with the lock staple Q, upon
it. The corresponding halves R, of the hinges are of wrought iron,
and are screwed or otherwise attached to the wooden door S. The
door is also surmounted by a simple ornamental cornice like the
windows.
In my Drawings the main external walls have five windows in the
aggregate. The entrance door S, opens into a large living or
common room T, from which two doors U, V, on the left open into
two separate apartments W, X. These apartments are formed on
precisely the same principle as the main walls already described,
and it is for the purpose of forming such minor divisions that the
pillars are all cast with four opposite grooves, so that boarding may
be placed to radiate on all four sides of the pillars, if required. And
by this means houses of this kind can be remodelled at any time by
When all the necessary
transposing or adding partition walls.
boards are put in, as I have explained, a top frame Y, of timber is
laid on the pillars, the finish at this part being produced by an
ornamental strip Z. Upon the two parallel sides of this frame Y,
are laid edge boards a, convex on their upper edges to suit the
convexity of the tongued and grooved boarding b, forming the roof.
This roof consists simply of a set of boards bent to the required
curve, and screwed or otherwise fastened down at their ends c, and
along the pieces a, and down to cross joists, the finish at the extreme
upper edges being by the ornamental boardings d. Instead of ar-
ranging the pillars with narrow grooves as I have described, wider
ones as at A, in Figure 8, may be used. In such case plain boards
B, are inserted in the grooves and passed down angularly, one resting
upon the other, and forming a firm wall, nails or pins being passed
transversely through the contiguous edges to bind the boards
together laterally. This arrangement allows of the whole wall
moving by expansion and contraction vertically, and thus prevents

page_text: injury from splitting or tearing. When internal partitions are
adopted, the pillars are cast with additional narrow grooves C, to
receive thin boarding as indicated by the dotted lines. Such lining
leaves a space between it and the outer main wall, so as to form a
non-conducting air space, preserving the house at an equable tempe-
rature, warmer in winter and cooler in summer than when a single
wall only is used. And although I have described my improved
erections as being made of boards in combination with iron or wood
or wood pillars, I wish it to be understood that other materials, as.
iron or composition material, may be used instead of such boards.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of
my Invention, and in what manner the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I
have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may
be made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main
features of my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of portable houses
and erections as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of constructing houses and erections
by means of boards or sheets of other material entered into retain-
ing grooves in pillars as herein-before described.
Third, the application and use of pillars grooved on all four sides
for building houses and erections.
Fourth, the system or mode of constructing the roofs of buildings
by means of tongued and grooved boards bent to a curve.
Fifth, the system or mode of fitting in the window and door fraines
of portable houses by means of an external groove.
Sixth, the system or mode of constructing the door frames with
part of the hinge and the staple thereon in one piece.
Seventh, the system or mode of constructing houses and erections
by means of angularly overlapping boards entered into pillar re-
taining grooves as delineated in Figure 8, on my Sheet of Drawings.

page_text: Eighth, the system or mode of constructing houses with an
internal wall or division entered into special grooves in the pillars
as represented in Figures 9, and 10, on my Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Walker, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
ROBT. WALKER. (L.S.)