Character 2 - Dunsmuir Servant Preview

An impressive estate such as Craigdarroch requires a well-staffed team of people to maintain both its interior and exterior, as well as wait on the Dunsmuirs. As a member of this team, your days are busy ones. You rise before the family to get everything ready for the day, running through a mental checklist of all that needs to be done.

Looking up the main staircase, you are still dizzied by the view, even after all the months you have worked here. Your eyes fall on the clock on the mantle, the red deer carvings perching nobly above the timepiece. A bit of dust has settled above the deer’s head, so you make a mental note to dust it when you have a moment. Moving on, you continue into the library.

ArtiFACT: the red deer mantle clock is original to the Castle. Mrs. Dunsmuir purchased it on a trip to Switzerland shortly after her husband’s death. She also purchased the similarly-crafted bear hallstand in the Garden Entrance on the same trip.

One of your tasks today is replenishing the coal in the library’s fireplace. As you shovel coal into its mouth, you note the ornately carved quote on the mantlepiece - “Reading maketh a full man.” Your gaze drifts higher to the opulent daisy window which sparkles in the morning light. Such an inlay requires the fireplace to have a bent flue, which snakes to the right of the window.

ArtiFACT: there are 17 fireplaces in total in the Castle. 3 of them have bent flues - the library fireplace, the dining room fireplace and the breakfast room fireplace. Keep an eye out for them during your visit!

Moving onto the drawing room, your task is to reposition the firescreens in front of the fireplaces. This will ensure that the Dunsmuirs and their guests can enjoy the cozy warmth of the fireplace without getting too hot. You position the rosewood embroidered firescreen at just the right angle to shield guests from its heat, taking a moment to admire its floral embroidery. Next, you position the adjustable firescreen next to it, decorated with an embroidered peacock, to protect the face from extra heat.

Your task in the dining room is to polish the Dunsmuir silver for tonight’s dinner. The silverware, designed with the art of the Palace of Versailles as inspiration, weighs heavy in your hand. You take extra care with the handles, making sure that the engraved Dunsmuir ‘D’ will be seen by anyone who uses it.

Moving up the stairs, you fondly recall the last party the Dunsmuirs threw. Hired musicians plucked away on finely tuned string instruments, the beautiful music reverberating throughout the entire house. The soundtrack of revelry was a beautiful one and you remember it each time you pass this landing.

Inside Mrs. Dunsmuir’s sitting room, you use the gas lighter to ignite the gas light burner on the ceiling lighting fixture. You use the metal opening at the end of the pole to turn the gas valve key on the fixture and light the adjustable cotton wick in the lighter using a match.The fixture flares to light, bathing the room in its glow.

ArtiFACT: can you find the gas lighter in this room? If you haven’t spotted it yet, look beside the window.

Now onto Jessie’s bedroom. Immediately, you set about emptying the toilet set next to the bed. You will need to take away the slop jar, which holds the dirty water from the basin, and empty it. Miss Dunsmuir must have wanted to wash her face when she woke up this morning.

ArtiFACT: 8-piece toilet sets, such as this one, are extremely rare. It is uncommon to find a slop jar with a strainer and rattan handle perfectly intact.

As you pass by the second landing, you give a wink to the salamander wrapped around the decorative post. Its job, according to Celtic mythology, is to prevent house fires and it has done a good job thus far.

Robert’s room is quiet now, as he had long been sent away to boarding school by his grandmother. You’ve heard Joan talk to her daughters over breakfast about how well Robert has been doing in school sporting competitions. After his premature death at age 23, the trophies won in these competitions will sit on the mantlepiece proudly and be polished with extra care.

Miss Dunsmuir has caught a bit of a chill recently, so you make sure to turn on her electric heater. It must be plugged into one of the ceiling light fixtures (there were no mounted wall outlets when the Dunsmuirs lived in the Castle). You situate it at the foot of her bed so that her blankets will be toasty warm for an afternoon nap.

ArtiFACT: this heater still functions perfectly today! It was made by the General Electric Company sometime between 1903 and 1915. When turned on, the heat emanates from the bulbs and is reflected off of the back panel.

The Dance Hall is quiet without the hustle and bustle of guests. Looking out the window over the South Lawn, you can see the tennis courts and man-made lake just beyond the grass. You might see the daughters there playing a game of tennis with their niece, Elizabeth.

Mrs. Dunsmuir has informed you that her youngest son, Alexander, will be coming to stay at the Castle. As it nears the time of his arrival, you draw a bath for him. You remember Alex requesting that his butler read him a telegram while in the bath during his previous visit, so you also place a chair next to the tub.

Returning to your bedroom, which you share with another staff member, you grab the radiator brushes from the top of the chest. These brushes are very useful for cleaning in between the slats on the radiator. You give the radiator in your room a once-over with them before continuing on to the rest.

ArtiFACT: these brushes were found in Craigdarroch’s attic by a Castle Society member in 1969 and may have been in the Castle during the Dunsmuirs’ occupancy.

Your next task is to open the curtains in the youngest daughter’s bedroom, letting light spill onto the blue walls. The intricate cotton lacework is breathtaking up close, with plain sheer woven areas filling the space in between stronger patterned areas.

ArtiFACT: this kind of curtain is especially rare due to gradual disintegration from exposure to intense ultraviolet radiation. When these curtains came into the Castle’s collection, they were in precarious condition and needed to be protected. A team of staff and volunteers created an envelope of tulle to hold the panels in position and lessen the strain on the lacework.

Notice the circular mouthpiece protruding from the wall to the left of the middle painting. This is a speaking tube - the Victorian equivalent of an intercom system. These tubes all led to the kitchen, where Dunsmuir staff could hear what the family members needed. As a Dunsmuir servant, you would have needed to keep a keen ear on these tubes whenever you were in the kitchen.

Next is the smoking room. You set about polishing the shovel, prongs, and poker in the fireplace set, taking extra care on its intricately carved handle. While there are no men who live in Craigdarroch Castle, the Dunsmuir daughters are known to be smokers and might use this room to engage in the traditionally masculine pastime. You are very familiar with tools like these in your upkeep of the home’s 17 fireplaces, which keep the family warm alongside the steam central heating system.

Finally, your last task is to prepare the silver tea and coffee set for breakfast. Making sure that the pots shine and that the cream and sugar dishes are full, you spoon mustard into the matching mustard pot and top up the pepper pot. Standing back, satisfied with your work, you take in the room one last time before exiting towards the kitchen to bring in breakfast.

ArtiFACT: this tea and coffee set originally was used at the home of Mary Jean Croft (nee Dunsmuir), Mount Adelaide. The silver set is emblazoned with the Croft family crest.

As your time in the Castle ends, we invite you to reflect on the experience you had today. We hope you have enjoyed stepping into the past!