THE BROOKING NATIONAL ARCHITECTURAL MUSEUM
Registered Charity Number 1155363
Devising the dado three examples of 18th century dado profiles (below) show: (top)
Hand-carved example circa 1750’s, from a grand town house in South Audley Street,
London; (centre) Dado rail from a terraced house in Great Titchfield Street, circa
1793. The central decorative band is made of gesso sections glued into place; (bottom)
Gesso decorated design used as a door transom moulding beneath fanlight, Great Titchfield
Street, London.
The complex evolution of architraves, skirting, dado rails and picture rails up to
the 1960’s is covered by thousands of profile sections taken from the original mouldings.
There is considerable demand for exact information relating to period mouldings from
architects, historians, students and builders. This unique library of sections contains
several thousand examples, and is constantly consulted.
Detail of hand-carved oak bolection moulding (right) from Hoe Place, Old Woking,
Surrey, circa 1678-80. This architrave was relocated to the kitchen wing around the
1780’s, when the house was updated. Acquired in 1987.
Section of classically-inspired architrave (left) from Southlands College, Wimbledon,
South London, circa 1865. Note the 19th-century surviving paint finish. A good example
of an early Victorian architrave profile.
Bow belle window architrave (above) with hand-carved enrichment, from ground floor
bow-fronted room at 49 Portland Place, London. Built 1785, part of the Adam Brothers’
development.
Architrave architecture (near right) Classical example from a high-status first floor
bedroom at Stoke Park Mansion, Stoke Park, Guildford, Surrey, circa 1758-65. Recovered
1977. (centre) Section, shown half-stripped, from a high status ground floor room
at 49 Portland Place, London, later the Chinese Embassy. Developed by Adam Brothers
in 1785, it was acquired in 1980. (far right) Reeded section with plaster lion’s
mask, circa 1809. From principal room, Charlwood Park near Crawley, Sussex – demolished
for Gatwick Airport expansion in 1981. A fine example of a popular Regency architrave
form.
