Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

WEST ELEVATION

PHOTOGRAPH - VIEW OF PEYTON RANDOLPH HOUSE AS IT APPEARS SINCE IT WAS RESTORED. THERE WERE THREE DISTINCT PARTS, CONSISTING OF THE WEST UNIT, THE EAST WING AND THE CENTRAL UNIT.

THE ROOF FRAMING REVEALS PERIODICAL CHANGES MADE TO THE HOUSE

The roof of the Peyton Randolph House reflects its long history, with its enlargements and repairs made from time to time, over its two centuries of existence. One can trace the house changes by a study of its roof framing with as much enlightenment as by an examination of its foundations. As a matter of fact, the foundation and the roof supplement one another as sources for information. One discovers the west end of the house as oldest. Even to this oldest west end there were changes made to its roof, chimney and stairs. This architectural report will endeavor to record alterations where there are documents or physical evidence to establish the house features in their first and later appearance.

THE ROOF COVERING

There was a modern tin roof as covering for the house, at the time of preliminary study. As the investigation by the architects continued, an early type of saw tooth roof framing was revealed. This was found unaltered in the attic of the West Unit of the house. The nature of its framing was an indication of its early origin, not PHOTOGRAPH - THE ORIGINAL SQUARE WEST UNIT WAS BUILT WITH THIS ROOF. WOODEN MAINS RUN PARALLEL TO THE RIDGES. THE ROOF IN ITS CONSTRUCTION WAS FOUND TO BE SIMILAR TO THE ROOF OF THE CARTER-SAUNDERS HOUSE ON PALACE GREEN. 7 alone in material and notching of members but chiefly in its early rough hewn and primitive character.^*

The West Unit of the building was determined by research to be the earliest part of the entire structure. It had a hipped roof with an intermediate valley at the center and wood gutters. The receptacle nature of the roof suggests that it was undoubtedly in tended as a part of a water supply, and possibly, for early type of plumbing. The presence of a small amount of metal in a saw cut at the east end of the wood gutters indicated the probable existence of a storage tank. Beyond this, nothing could be definitely determined concerning the type of cistern or method of distribution of water collected from the roof.

SHINGLES

The old parts of the ancient roof were covered with square butt, hand split, cypress shingles. In the restoration of the house the old shingles were reproduced in size and surface texture by use of Mohawk asbestos cement shingles. The adoption of asbestos cement shingles was required by local regulations as a means of preventing fires from sparks that might fall on the roof.^** 8 See Architectural Records Files for full account of roofing materials and their substitutes.

DORMER WINDOWS

There are no dormer windows on the West Unit of the restored house since no evidence was found for their early existence.

CORNICE

Investigation proved that the existing cornice is old and possibly original. It was therefore retained with minor repairs. It is of a modillion type, with modillion brackets spaced approximately l8" on centers. Since the roof is of hip form, the cornice originally surrounded the square. In the restoration the cornice now occurs at front, rear and at the west end of the house.

GUTTER AND LEADER

The gutter and down spouting were removed from the house because they were modern and there was no evidence for their existence at the time when the house was first built.^*

In order to take care of roof water, a brick gutter was installed about the house at the ground line, next to the brick basement wall. Similar original gutters were found at the Governor's Palace, Dr. Barraud House and elsewhere in town. In order to make as permanent an installation as possible the ground level gutters were laid on a concrete slab. Since this slab was hidden, it was considered 9 sufficiently inconspicuous and a necessary precaution against water leakage into the basement. The gutter was sloped toward small, modern cast iron catch basins. These are unnoticeable and so were deemed permissible by the architects.

WALL SURFACE

The exterior face of the house is surfaced with weatherboards, following the pattern of old original ones. A fair percentage of the weatherboards were old, possibly not from before the time of the Revolution, but shaped in the manner of eighteenth century work. The weatherboards on the West Elevation were repaired with sane replacements made by use of antique weatherboards from the North and South Elevations. This was done because this was the smallest of the elevations and the number of existing antique weatherboards was limited.

CORNER BOARDS

The corner boards were old and considered original but were in a state of deterioration. They were therefore replaced with new pieces the same size and contour as the old ones.

BRICKWORK OF FOUNDATION AND WALLS

The brick foundation on investigation proved to be original at this end of the house. It was retained with only minor repairs and patches (see working drawing accompanying this report). New brick needed for patching was made by hand, specially burned to match the old brick in size, texture and color. This new brickwork and repaired old brickwork were laid with joints to match the old undisturbed work.

Brick nogging, an eighteenth century method of insulating and weatherproofing a wall, was found to extend from the foundation level of the first floor to the bottom of the second floor. The mortar consisted mostly of clay, mixed with a small quantity of 10 oyster shell lime.^*

WEST DOORWAY

Examination of the original framing, in the vicinity of the west doorway, revealed that an old doorway existed at an early date. Rough jambs were found notched at a height of about 7'-0" from the floor line to receive a rough head piece or lintel. Thus, the width and height of the opening into which was originally fitted a solid molded door frame was established. The moldings of frame were similar to existing moldings from the original parts of the building. The panel mold for the door was adopted from a door on a known eighteenth century example, namely, from Captain Orr's Dwelling on Duke of Gloucester Street.

WEST STOOP

Archaeological excavations beneath the west door revealed definite fragments and footings from a stoop. The north and south ends of this stoop lined up with vertical scratches on the original brick work. Scratches of this sort seem to have been an eighteenth century practice far indicating for the builder the location of openings and other intended details of work to be done. These foundations, however, did not center exactly under the door. Nevertheless, after the required number of steps from the grade were taken out of the north end of the long dimension, the platform was found to center exactly on the door. The details of handrailing, parts, etc., are adaptations of typical eighteenth century Virginia examples.

SECOND FLOOR WINDOWS

The frames, sills and interior trim were original and, except for necessary repairs and patches, were retained. The exterior trim, 11 shutter stops and shutters proved on investigation to be of a late date, possibly of the early nineteenth century. The removal of the shutter stops revealed definite paint marks which accommodated a "backband" of the same size and shape as found on windows in other locations on the building. The frames also showed the locations of the original pindle hinges for the shutters.^*

These windows revealed a feature of much interest, namely, a small rebate, in the center of the customary rebate, for the sash to be joined to the jamb frames. Some of these rebates held a small worn piece of wood, indicating its use as a "parting strip" for the two sashes. This type of parting strip is used today in modern wood construction. Here was an early experimentation in anticipation of a later practice. The use of these strips as parting devices was further substantiated by the presence of slots, for two pulley wheels and a hole for an axle for both wheels in the upper part of the jamb. This seemed of interest and the fact that in all of the antique frames of the West Unit, the rebates for the upper sash extended through to the cell or box. This is an early if not the first known conclusive eighteenth century Williamsburg example of this sort of detail to have come to the attention of the Department 12 of Architecture to the date of this writing, says Mr. A. E. Kendrew.^*

This wood parting strip was renewed in these windows; the pulley blocks, where possible, were reused. New pulley blocks were made and used only where necessary, following the design of the old ones. A strip of wood, filling the rebate below the upper sash, was found to have been fastened to the frame with antique nails similar to the finish nails in the paneling of the interior. Since this paneling is of the period contemporary with the time of the early restoration of this building, this method of fixing the upper sash of the window was retained.

Both the upper and lower sash of the central and south windows and the upper sash of the north window were found to be old and, while probably not the original ones, they were retained with minor patches and repairs. The lower sash of the north window was made to match the old upper sash.

Concealed copper flashing was installed to make these openings watertight. An understanding of the method of protection against leakage may be gained by a review of the architectural working drawings and specifications.

A principle of restoration followed by Colonial Williamsburg was and is: 13

"that all work exposed to the eye should appear as authentic as possible, while in concealed locations, such as would be the case below grade, or within the thickness of a wall... the best quality of modern building practice should be employed."

Note: The west doorway gave access to the West Stairhall and must have been an entrance of considerable importance in its day.

FIRST FLOOR WINDOWS

These were found to be similar to those on the second floor and so the same procedure was followed in their replacement; the major exception being that both the upper and lower sash were made to operate much as they did originally.

The sash themselves were found to be antique and were retained and used as models for all necessary replacements in other parts of the West Unit.

WEST CHIMNEY

A careful study was made of the chimney which was modern above the roof and of its junction with the roof. There were, of course, changes made in the roof, possibly at two or more instances. These changes will be noted elsewhere. Investigation at the base of the existing chimney revealed the foundations for the original one. Marks on the original paneling of the interior helped to locate the position and the size of this chimney from first floor to roof and at the original roof;^* the framing indicated the size and shape of the chimney at this point. From an old photograph the approximate height above the roof could be determined as well as the general outline of the top. Thus, the exterior appearance of the upper part of the chimney could be accurately reconstructed.

S0UTH ELEVATI0N
(Including West Unit, Central Unit and East Wing)

This is the principal façade of the house. It is the view facing Nicholson Street and is seen from Court House Green. The house in its over-all length was the result of a growth frown the original square West Unit to a later house that is over three times the length of the original one - see discussion of the plan under Interior. Through research, archaeological and architectural, the existing building and site were determined to have originally been two separate and detached houses. These consisted of the present West Unit and the so-called East Wing. Sometime after John Randolph obtained both of the houses, or between 1729 and 1770, when, by reference to the house as the "Speakers," it seems to have been a two story building. The archaeology of the site indicates a building with four rooms to a floor, to which some alterations had been made. This four-room building in its plan and cluster of fireplaces 15 BASE PLAN OF PEYTON RANDOLPH HOUSE SHOWING CLUSTER OF CHIMNEYS AT CENTER. suggests and early eighteenth century house plan recently found among the papers of John Custis (Virginia Historical Society). It is a plan type that appears to have been frequently used by builders before the time of the Revolution. It was adopted at the Patrick Henry House at Scotchtown and again in an early scheme for Mount Vernon, as well as on the Peyton Randolph, Chiswell and Custis plans.

The foundations uncovered for the East Wing and the line on the brickwork of the East Elevation of the Central Unit gave conclusive evidence, according to the examining architects, for the very ear existence of the East Wing, as well as very definite lines to follow for reconstruction of this unit. For further information on the general analysis of the units, the reader is referred to the archaeological report of Francis Duke, dated September 1, 1939, and also progress photographs and measured drawings in the Architectural Records Files.

SHINGLES

• 1.Asbestos cement shingles used as substitutes for wood shingles. See discussion under West Elevation.
• 2.During actual restoration work on the roof a few handmade 16 round butt, cypress shingles were found in the attic space at the southeast corner of the West Unit. This would seem to indicate that at some time during the eighteenth century the building was covered with round butt shingles. However, other very definite evidence of square butt shingles, used for the west end, was accepted as a reason for their use throughout. It was recognized by the architects that wood shingles were exceedingly perishable, making it possible for the building to have had several sets of shingles during its life in the eighteenth century.^*

SHINGLES IN THE EAST WING

Recent research by the Architectural Department reveals the common type of hand split shingles to have been cypress with round butts. A type of shingle similar in color and texture as developed for the Wythe House restoration and used on this job. This was done for lack of any definite evidence and to express the fact that this unit was at one time a separate and detached building.

DORMER WINDOWS

There were no dormer windows on the West Unit and the Central Unit.

EAST WING DORMERS

The roof line indicated on the brickwork of the East Elevation of the Central Unit showed this building to have been a 1 ½ story building, on which dormer windows were the rule during the eighteenth century in this locality. The type of dormer developed for this building is similar to the original old dormers, as on Captain Orr's Dwelling and for the Bracken House.

CORNICE

The cornice on the main façade is a continuation of that on the west end. See under West Elevation for discussion of this feature. 17 The cornice of the East Wing is a simple type common in the eighteenth century in Tidewater Virginia. Examples of similar cornices on existing eighteenth century buildings are found on the Moody House on Francis Street and the John Blair House on Duke of Gloucester Street.

GUTTER AND LEADER

See West Elevation for discussion of this feature which was used the entire length of the house. Since eighteenth century buildings did not have gutters and leaders at the eaves, a base gutter similar to those used elsewhere on the building and as used at the Palace. See gutters under West Elevation.

WALL SURFACE

The belt board of the West and Central units was original and probably recalls the belt course as used on brick houses such as the Wythe or Allen-Byrd. This feature was retained with repairs and patches.

Some of the weatherboards of the South Elevation were deemed old. Those parts that were in sound condition were applied to the West Elevation. The old weatherboards were used as a model for the new ones, produced by the mill, for use on the front elevation.

CORNER BOARDS See West Elevation.

BRICK FOUNDATION See West Elevation.

BRICK NOGGING See West Elevation.

EAST WING DESIGN

Examination of the East Wing, assuming its date to be around mid-eighteenth century, gave a clue to the nature of the design and facing of this unit. It was assumed to be 1 ½ stories high with weatherboards beveled and beaded with approximately 6" to 7" to the weather. Cypress boards were used because typical for the period and for their durability.

SOUTH DOOR AND STOOP, CENTRAL UNIT

Examination of original framing in the vicinity of a modern door reveal the following: at the west side of a center of a heavy hand hewn post, mortised, tenoned and pegged into the second floor beam, was found. About 4 ½ feet east of this member, there was found a mate to it. Thus, the width of the opening was established and the nature of its framing. The height of the door opening was also established by notches in the original post on the west side of the door. The molded members of the frame were made similar to existing old moldings from original parts of the unit. The panel mold for the door was adopted from known eighteenth century examples.

Foundations of the original front steps at this door were also uncovered. Fragments of stonework which we believe came from the original steps were also discovered on the property. From these findings the size and shape of the original steps were established and restored. The small size of the platform precluded the possibility that a porch roof was supported on columns.

DOOR HOOD

The door hood was based upon parts of old framing timbers which evidently extended southward beyond the face of the house. Although these had been sawed off, the original tenon was left in the mortise with a heavy iron pin driven through it. This evidence indicated a structural condition intended to carry a considerable amount of weight. It was the thought of the architects that it must have held a hood of some sort over the door. The hood itself with width and height of it established by framing was guided by a similar type of hood found at Tuckahoe, near Richmond (Goochland County).

SOUTH DOOR AND STOOP, EAST WING

This door with the transom over it is an adaptation of a typical door of the Williamsburg locality. The Blair House, Allen-Byrd House 19 And Captain Orr's Dwelling are precedent for it. No Foundations of a stoop were discovered in this location; therefore, an extremely simple and inconspicuous type of stoop was adopted from one found at the Wythe House.

WINDOWS, SECOND FLOOR WEST UNIT

See West Elevation for all details except sash. Both upper and lower sash of these windows, while probably not the originals, were old and were retained, with needed patches and repairs. This was done partially because of the insistence of the life tenant. It was also felt that while there was variation in size and details, that these resulted in sufficient interest to warrant their being reused.

WINDOWS, SECOND FLOOR, CENTRAL UNIT

The frames, sills, and interior trim of the three windows east of the one over the door were original and except for necessary repairs and patches were retained. The exterior trim, shutter stops, and shutters proved on investigation to be of late date and were removed. The taking away of shutter stops showed here, as in the case of the west end, the paint mark which accommodated and bordered a "backband" of the same size and shape as found on the North Elevation. The frames of some of these windows also indicated the nail holes and paint marks of original HL hinges for shutters. The sash rebate for these windows was the usual type with off-set stopping at the bottom of meeting rail for top sash, the lower sash being the one that operated.

The sash for these windows were exceedingly old. While there were inconsistencies in muntin bars and in operation, they were reused. See West Elevation for reasons.

WINDOW OVER ENTRANCE

When the architects examined this window, it was found to be modern. Indications in the paneling of the interior and rough framing showed it to be the location of an original window and 20 presumably similar in all respects to the windows to the east.

See dormer windows of East Wing. Other windows are as follows:

SECOND FLOOR WINDOWS

West Unit is the same for second floor windows of West Elevation except for sash. Sash of west window were old, probably not original, but retained because of age.

The sash for the two windows east of the above were modern; therefore, they were replaced with sash similar in all design respects to the original sash in the north windows on the first floor, West Elevation.

Central Unit is the same for second floor, except for sash which was found to be modern and was replaced with sash similar in all respects to original second floor sash.

East Wing windows are new, but typical eighteenth century type, following precedent of the Moody House example.

EAST ELEVATION

SHINGLES No shingles are on this elevation.

DORMER WINDOWS None.

CORNICE None.

GUTTER AND LEADER None.

WALL SURFACE

At the time of investigation this brick wall showed a clear line of a vanished A roof. The line was shown by old plaster and irregularities on the brick surfaces above the second floor. This determined the cornice height and pitch of the roof for the East Wing. The brickwork of this wall, from the foundations to the top, was a very complex problem. This was in all probability due to the early builder's solution of the unusual problem of adding a two 22 story brick end to a 1 ½ story building. An analysis of this solution reveals the following:

• 1.Several courses of the foundations of the west wall of the existing building were removed and the building was then shored.
• 2.The new east wall of the Central Unit was built partially on these foundations and the remainder on the ground beyond. A break occurred at the start of this new wall and the bonding changed from common bond on the west wall of the existing building to Flemish bond in the new east wall of the Central Unit.
• 3.Another break to the west wall occurred in the new part, approximately beneath the first floor beams. The bond of the wall again changed from the Flemish bond to English bond.
• 4.This English bond extended to approximately the underside of the original plate where another break to the east occurred. Here again the bond changed. This time it was back to Flemish. The east wall face above this last break was the original west face of the existing east wing. This Flemish bond brickwork was retained with only minor patches and repairs. See West Elevation for general notes on brickwork. In a general way, the mixture of bonds, revealed here, resembles the east wall of the Wren Building in its patchwork of English, Flemish and Dutch bonding.

OTHER ITEMS OF BRICKWORK

There were other characteristic items of interest on this wall. They are as follows:

• 1.The east face of the wall from the first to the second floor was unplastered. This seems to indicate the presence of some sort of framing to have existed between the face of the brickwork and the interior finish of the space to the east of the wall.
• 23
• 2.The east face of the wall from the second floor to the line of the roof was plastered. However, the brickwork directly behind the plaster was of such a rough texture as to indicate the fact that the structure and finish of the original East Wing was left intact and that this brickwork was added to the west face at the time when the original East Wing had been demolished. This also explains the presence of plaster above the probable second floor ceiling line of the East Wing.

SECOND FLOOR WINDOWS

The two windows which existed on this elevation at the time of the architects' investigation were modern and so were removed. The life tenant, however, requested a window to the north for the convenience of a modern bath. That was added in a location hidden from the main views of the house. This window was made as small and inconspicuous as possible.

FIRST FLOOR WINDOWS

There are no windows on the first floor.

DOORS BETWEEN UNITS

Investigation showed that the East Wing and the Central Unit never had any interior connecting doors; but since this restoration was primarily an exterior one, two connecting doors were put in; one on the first and the other on the second floor. The fact that these joining doors occur in closet results in no jarring note of incongruity. See Interior for discussion of principal interior features.

RAKE BOARD OF CENTRAL UNIT

The existing rake board was found to be old but was in such a dilapidated condition as to require its removal and replacement with a new duplicate.

CORNICE END BOARDS

The end boards for the cornice had completely vanished; therefore, a typical end board was selected from the locality and was added as a feature of the house. This was a simple end board similar 24 to one of the Greenhow-Repiton Brick Office (Debtor's Prison).

CORNER BOARDS

The corner boards at time of investigation were of such a state as to warrant their replacement with new ones. These as restored are duplicates of the old, original boards.

Note: Following eighteenth century practice for 1 ½ story buildings with an interior chimney, a 5-light double hung sash was designed for the gable end of the East Elevation. This sash is similar in all respects to those on the South Elevation. It repeats the gable type sash of the Brush-Everard House on Palace Green.

NORTH ELEVATION
(The several parts, including the Porch Chamber)

SHINGLES Shingles, as treated under the South Elevation, East Wing.

DORMER WINDOWS See South Elevation, East Wing.

CORNICE As for South Elevation, East Wing.

WALL SURFACE See South Elevation, East Wing.

NORTH DOOR AND STOOP Same as south door and south door stop for East Wing.

FIRST FLOOR WINDOWS These are the same as for South Elevation, East Wing.

CORNER BOARDS See South Elevation, East Wing.

ROOF OF WEST UNIT (OLDEST PART)

During the construction of the roof for this portion of the house, there were found evidences for a unique type of roof. The vertical face of the east wall of the original roof was found to extend vertically beyond the top of the original roof. The east of this vertical wall was covered with hand split, beveled weather 26 boards (wainscoting) of oak. The north and south parts of the roof at this wall followed the pitch of the original roof giving a small gable to the east above the original cut off hipped roof.

PORCH CHAMBER OF WEST UNIT

Wall surface, belt board, corner boards are similar to antique ones existing on the house. Windows repeat old ones of West Unit, second floor.

NORTH STOOP

Archaeological excavations in this area (west end) revealed evidences of steps with wood nosing, from grade level to the basement.

BASEMENT ENTRANCE

The entrance to the basement was directly under the Porch Chamber. While open stairs to basements were not the eighteenth century rule, open exterior steps with wood nosings were a common eighteenth century feature as at the Palace of the Governors. With minor adjustments due to grade conditions, an open type of basement 27 stair was developed following eighteenth century models. For details such as arch and vault and basement door, examples from local buildings were followed. A simple wrought iron handrail was installed for practical reasons, as well as to carry out eighteenth century character and details for similar conditions.

WINDOWS, WEST END OF NORTH FA?ADE

The west window of the second floor was repaired and reused (see West Elevation). The east window of this façade is new, designed to fit into openings as indicated by interior paneling (of the room behind). The details are similar to existing old counterparts, found elsewhere in this West Unit.

WINDOWS, FIRST FLOOR OF WEST UNIT

East window of the West Unit is new, similar in all respects and details to existing antique windows, found elsewhere on this west façade.

WINDOWS OF CENTRAL UNIT, NORTH SIDE

The two easterly windows of the central part of the north façade, first floor, were repaired and reused. A third 15-light window was also repaired by making it similar to original antique sash found elsewhere in the Center Unit.

STAIRHALL WINDOW

The frame and head of this window were the only original parts of this unit, remaining for investigation. Original parts were repaired and reused. The necessary new parts, sash, sill, muntins, etc., were made similar in all respects to existing antique counter parts from elsewhere in this Center Unit.

FIRST FLOOR WINDOWS OF CENTRAL UNIT

The two easterly windows of this unit, first floor, were renewed with new sash similar in all respects to existing antique sash found elsewhere in this unit. The third window was new and made similar to the above. The precise location of this window was dictated by the paneling inside. See illustration of wall with weatherboarding removed.

NORTH PORCH OF CENTRAL UNIT

Investigation of original stud framing of the Central Unit revealed notches on the exterior face which clearly determined the location and pitch of the roof for an appendage of some sort extending to the north.

WALL SURFACE

West and Central Units have weatherboarding which is similar to all other weatherboarding; see South and West Elevations for a full discussion of wall surface. The corner boards are the same in size and detail as for the West Elevation.

BRICK FOUNDATIONS AND NOGGING

The exposed brickwork for foundations is the same for the West Elevation. Where nogging occurs within the wall (for insulation), its character was found to be the same throughout the building. See West Elevation for discussion.

EAST WING

See South Elevation.

PORCH CHAMBER OF WEST UNIT

Examination of old framing for the Porch Chamber, including the existing cornice, archaeological foundations, etc., revealed the following:

Framing : Several joists at the second floor had been sawed off, indicating that they had originally extended to the north. These joists occurred between large 5" x 8" studs, 8'-0" apart. They had a line of weathering about the center of the exterior face, indicating a possible vertical board on the inside of this line.

Cornice : The cornice above this area had been patched and there were indications at the ends of this area of a cornice similar to the main cornice having returned into it.

Archaeological Excavations : Adjacent and to the north of the above, excavations revealed several periods of foundations. The first period of these was a rectangular form 8'-0" along the building and projecting about 5'-2" to the north.

NORTH ELEVATION OF WEST UNIT OF THE PEYTON RANDOLPH HOUSE, SHOWING THE FACE OF THE EXTERIOR WALL PARTIALLY STRIPPED OF ITS WEATHERBOARDING. THE FRAME OF AN OLD HOUSE SUCH AS THIS HELD CLUES TO ITS ENTIRE HISTORY FROM THE TIME OF ITS ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION.

LIVING ROOM, FIRST FLOOR, CENTER UNIT, EAST WALL SHOWN. THE PANELING AND WALNUT DOORS ARE ORIGINAL. THE SEVERELY SIMPLE AND STRIKING CHIMNEY PIECE IS OF MARBLE AND IS ALSO ORIGINAL. THE JAMB PIECES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FIREPLACE OPENING ARE OF MARBLE. THE HEARTH WAS FOUND TO BE OF MODERN CEMENT. IT WAS REPLACED WITH ONE OF SOAPSTONE. THE FIREPLACE ITSELF WAS LINED WITH BRICK RUBBED DOWN TO A SMOOTH SURFACE AND LAID WITH THIN MORTAR JOINTS.

With this evidence, a tower or porch chamber was designed as a restoration. This feature, as is well known, was a common seventeenth and early eighteenth century feature as at Bacon's Castle and Christ Cross, both within thirty miles or so of Williamsburg.

SHINGLES

The shingles on this roof are the same as were discussed under West Elevation and South Elevation.

DORMER WINDOWS There are none.

CORNICE

This is entirely new, designed to correspond with cornice of the south and west façades. See discussion under West Elevation.

GUTTER AND LEADER See West Elevation.

NORTH PORCH

Archaeological excavations uncovered foundations directly under the stud notches. This porch was found to be rectangular in form, about 6'-3" to the north and 8'-1" east to west.

The porch was reconstructed over the indicated foundation area and within the limits of the stud notching.

BULKHEAD

The archaeological diggings adjacent to the east side of the above porch showed clearly indications of a typical eighteenth century stairway to the basement, with brick steps and wood nosings. Within the limits of the old foundation, a simple frame and doors of colonial type were installed.

NORTH DOOR

At the time when the architects undertook investigation of the house (north façade), a modern door existed within the area discussed. Examination of the antique stud framing revealed this to be the precise location of the original door. This view was supported by the framing indications and by the paneling of the interior. The molded members of the architraves were made similar 31 to those from elsewhere in the house. The molding for the panels was made similar to those of the exterior doors.

WEST UNIT ROOF

Evidence for the same type of roof as was shown on the West Elevation. See West Elevation for discussion.

West Unit - see West Elevation.

SHINGLES

Central Unit - see South Elevation.
East Wing - see South Elevation.
West Unit - none.

DORMER WINDOWS

Central Unit - none.
East Wing - see South Elevation.
West Unit - see West Elevation and Porch Chamber.

CORNICE

Central Unit - see West Elevation.
East Wing - see South Elevation.
West Unit - see South Elevation.

GUTTER AND LEADER

Central Unit - see South Elevation.
East Wing - see South Elevation.

WALL SURFACE

For West and Central Units, the belt board is as discussed under South Elevation; weatherboards as under south Elevation.

CENTER SECTION, NORTH ELEVATION, SHOWING A FILLING OF BRICK BETWEEN STUDS AND WITHIN THE WALL. THIS WAS KNOWN AS "BRICK NOGGING." THE ABOVE ILLUSTRATION SHOWS THE LOOSE NATURE OF THIS NOGGING WHICH UNDOUBTLY ADDED TO ITS INSULATION VALUE. THE HEAVY UPRIGHT TIMBERS ON EITHER SIDE OF WINDOW OPENINGS RECALLS AN EARLY FRAMING PRACTICE WITH MORTISES AND WOOD PINS. THE BRACING AT LEFT INDICATES AN EARLY ANGLE-WALL. BRICKWORK FOR THE EAST END OF THE CENTER SECTION IS VISIBLE BETWEEN THE UPRIGHTS AND BELOW THE DIAGONAL BRACE.

PLAN OF THE SECOND FLOOR. THE PRINCIPAL BEDROOMS CAN BE REACHED FROM THE MAIN STAIRHALL. THE ROOMS OF THE WEST UNIT ARE ALSO ACCESSIBLE BY WAY OF THE WEST STAIRHALL. THE EAST WING HAS ITS OWN CENTER HALL.

EAST WING

The restoration of all the units was exterior. This was particularly true for this section which had to be built entirely new on the lines of the existing old foundations. The interior here was primarily arranged for convenience of living. The general lines of the apparent original plan were, however, held without noteworthy alteration. A main deviation was in the omission of restoration of some fireplaces.

PLAN OF EAST WING

The original central chimney probably contained five fireplaces, distributed as follows: one in the basement, two on the first and two on the second floors. The other changes from the original being the installation of a modern bath room and a kitchen on the first floor, also a bath on the second floor. Since this East Wing was necessarily less of an interior restoration than the rest of the building, the items as set out below are those of most importance and explain that, while an accurate interior restoration was not attempted, an interior of eighteenth century character was produced.

ROOF CONSTRUCTION (WEST UNIT) PEYTON RANDOLPH HOUSE

After the roof of the Peyton Randolph House was partially dismantled, an unusual roof construction was revealed. The overall roof itself is square, with a surrounding hipped border, that leaves a square center. Within the square there was a secondary roof, which in section resembled the letter W. There were slots at the lowest part of the letter W through which water, accumulated by the roof, was gathered in a gutter and thence conveyed to a cistern. A piece of log gutter appeared to have been used since fragments of a gutter of elm wood were found in the attic, attached to the framing. An investigation of the pieces were made in September, 1933 by Walter Macomber, restoration architect of that date and by Rutherfoord Goodwin of the Curator's Department of Colonial Williamsburg. It was decided that the gutter was used to convey roof water gathered within the valleys to a roof tank or cistern. Pieces of lead were found to support the theory of an attic tank. It is probable that after years of use the roof was in need of extensive repair and that a decision was then made to cover the center part with a protective roof, as shown on the accompanying drawing.

Mr. Macomber remarks that from the presence of the original wall of weatherboarding that dams up the ends of these valleys (at the bottom of which were the log gutters) it became evident that the same sort of arrangement was tried as was used at the Carter-Saunders House. It too had a hipped roof with framing very much the same as for the Peyton Randolph and it also had been given a subsequent roof covering at some early date. In the latter case 64 ROOF PLAN it was thought that the cistern was located in the basement of one of the side passages.

Ampthill had a roof that consisted of a grouping of slopes. It, however, differed in not having a perpendicular end wall as in the two cases cited for Williamsburg.

ROOF FRAMING, WITH INDICATION OF HIP ROOF CONSTRUCTION SURROUNDING A CENTER AREA THAT WAS ORIGINALLY SLOPED SO AS TO COLLECT WATER THAT DRAINED INTO AN ATTIC CISTERN, SEE PHOTOGRAPH ON PAGE 6.

Statements made by Mrs. Ball
at a conference with
Mr. Kendrew and Mr. Reed
at the
PEYTON RANDOLPH HOUSE

July 12, 1938

Excavation

Trenches were dug down to hardpan over the area north and east of the present house. Ground between the trenches was probed.

Foundations discovered constitute three areas: the old east wing and two groups of outbuildings which are divided by a marl walk running north from the main house.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE, BASED ON REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND RECORD
July 26, 1938

SOURCES

• 1.Fragments:
  Few fragments, and none of importance, were found among the outbuildings. The east wing excavation yielded some china fragments in unusually good preservation, some of them being almost whole pieces. But nothing was found of particular architectural interest. Fragments were consigned to the Educational Department (Archaeology).
• 2.Photographs:

  5818	Wine-cellar from east
  5819	Southeast kitchen addition from south
  5820	Close-up of kitchens from southwest
  5821	North kitchen chimneys from north
  5822	Wine-cellar steps from north
  5823	"Storehouse" from northwest
  5824	"Shed" from south
  5825	"Shed" from northwest
  5901	"Storehouse" from southwest
  5902	North kitchen chimneys from south
  5903	Forge and chimneys from northwest
  5904	Service entrance foundations from northeast
  5905	South chimney from north
  5906	Service entrance foundations from west
  5907	East wing basement stair from southwest
  5908	East wing chimney from south
  5909	Southwest corner of east wing, from south
  5910	East wing basement stair from northwest
  5911	Basement stair east of service entrance foundations, from north

  Points from which photographs were taken are indicated on Archaeological Survey Drawing. Prints may be found in record books in offices of Colonial Williamsburg.
• 3.Archaeological Field Notes
  In separate file
• 4.Archaeological Survey Drawing
  A print is filed with the original of this report.
• 5.Research Report, "Randolph-Peachy House," July 26, 1938
  A copy is filed with the original of this report.
• 6.Report of Conference, July 12, 1938, between Mrs. Ball and Messrs. Kendrew and Reed

A copy is filed with the original of this report.