Course Description:
The Peyton Randolph House was the home of one of the most prominent families of colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The first part of the house was built in 1715; it was expanded in 1724. The class project will be a portion of the first floor parlor. The parlor is a fully paneled room with a fireplace on an angled wall. Students will make the complete walls containing the fireplace and the one to its right, having a door at the end. Students will also make portions of the 2 other walls, which will result in a space approximately 14" W x 10" D. Students will learn the composition of an 18th Century paneled wall—rails, stiles, and beveled panels and will rout these elements using an overhead shaper. They will also make the fireplace (including a plaster surround), mantle, and the paneled door. Some of the moldings in the room—door casing, molding around the fireplace surround, baseboard, chair rail, and cornice—will be made; others will be supplied. Students will also learn how to replicate an aged Southern pine floor.
The exterior of the structure will replicate the 18th Century house, with clapboard siding and a brick foundation. The room will not be electrified. The top will have an opening for glass to provide natural light.
Time: 36 hours. While completion is unlikely, students will go home with all the techniques and materials to finish on their own.
