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blue like the original paint of Prussian blue pigment, white lead and linseed oil, and glazed
with two coats of varnish to create a glossy surface which would reflect the light as well
as last longer and be easier to clean.
The dentils and fireplace surround are picked out in an ochre color and the chairrail
and doors are grained to simulate mahogany. The graining of the doors is highly figured
with imitation string inlay. This graining was copied from surviving graining at Hampton
with the colors matched to small original chips viewed under a powerful stereomicroscope,
as were the paint colors. Graining during this period was more fanciful than that of the
later 19th century and was intended to delight the eye. Like the "fancy" furniture of the
time, such decoration was generally a prerogative of the wealthy, very fashionable and
"modem" in taste.
Parlour
The Parlour at Hampton was utilized in much the same way we use our family room
today. It was reserved for less formal entertaining of family and friends and would have
been considered "cozier" than the Drawing Room. Immediately to the left as one enters
the Great Hall on the north side, the Parlour was easily accessible from the upstairs or
from the kitchen and east hyphen entries.
In the second quarter of the 19th century, the Dining Room and Parlour were reversed.
As customs changed and the family spent more time together, it was important to maximize
the light and warmth available in such a room. Therefore, the southeast chamber became
the family parlour. The view of the garden from the south windows also added to the room's
appeal.
The Dining Room, once transferred to the north side, is remembered by surviving family
members as a very cold room. It is said that the only person who was warm was the person
at the head of the table, the master of the house. He sat with his back close to the fire
while the children, who (when they were present) sat at the foot of the table, became
extremely cold in the winter months. This was more of a problem for later generations
of Ridgelys, who spent most of the year at Hampton.
First Story Stairhall
The stairhall in the first story provided direct access to the east hyphen, the kitchen
wing and to the upper stories. Because parts of the second story were also used for recep-
tion areas, the staircase is generous in size and detail, designed for use by guests as well
as family and servants.
The turned balusters of the staircase are walnut, and are dovetailed into the stair treads.
The handrail and the scrollwork on the strings, as well as the newel posts and turned
drops, are also walnut. The turned drops as details are specifically mentioned in carpen-
try bills submitted to Charles Ridgely during the Mansion's construction.
Seen through the glass barrier door to the east hyphen are a set of brass and iron servant
bells. A bell system was installed when the Mansion was constructed, and the system was
repaired and renovated several times in the 19th century. Each room had a bell pull, and
each bell had a special sound so that the servants would know in which room they were
needed, an important communications device in a house the size of Hampton.
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