cabinet
Basilica Museum
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| Object Name: | cabinet |
| Classification: | man-made artefact |
| Category: | building furnishings |
| Sub-category: | furniture |
| Discipline: | church history local history material culture |
| Material: | oak metal |
| Technique: | carved handcrafted |
| Accession Number: | Noaccession05 |
| Origin-Country: | England ? |
| Origin-Continent: | Europe ? |
| Use-Province: | Pre-Confederation Newfoundland |
| Use-Country: | Dominion of Newfoundland |
| Culture: | English ? |
| Cultural Context: | personal use |
| Earliest Production Date: | c 1850's |
| Period: | mid 19th century |
| Description: | This wine cabinet has been stained dark brown, and looking down at the cabinet from above, it has a diamond shape, as the front of the cabinet is flat, and is connected to two small sides that extend away from the center of the cabinet. Those two small sides are connected to two long sides that make up the back of cabinet in the shape of a V. The flat front of the cabinet is made up of a door that opens to reveal a storage area, and above this, attached to the cabinet's table top, is a smaller storage area that is shaped the same as the larger area. A rectangular area has been carved into both doors, with the larger having two shapes similar to the letter Y and an octagon carved into them, with round knobs installed in the center of the octagons. The rectangular area on the smaller door has shapes similar to the letter H carved into it, but does not contain any knobs. Additionally, spindle-like pieces of wood have been attached to the front of the cabinet in various places to add detail. |
| Narrative: | While not a part of the same set as the Archbishop's oak table and chairs, this wine cabinet was always kept in the Archbishop's dining room along with that furniture. This wine cabinet was most-likely imported from England, as the original owner, Lord Morris, was from England. In 1919, Bishop Edward Patrick Roche was diagnosed with tuberculosis, so Lord Morris offered his summer house, known locally as Beaconsfield, to Bishop Roche after Bishop Roche's residence at the time burned down. The land this house was built on is now near the center of St. John's, however, in 1919, the house was considered outside the city limits. The property was far enough away from the heavy amounts of soot and ash generated within St. John's by the coal that was used for heat, that the air was considered clean enough for Bishop Roche to breathe easier. In 1921 however, the summer house burned down, and this wine cabinet was among several pieces of furniture rescued from the fire. Bishop Roche brought them with him when he bought Lord Morris' house for his permanent residence. In 1923, the summer house was rebuilt as a Priest's Residence, and is now located near Beaconsfield Junior High on Topsail Road, St. John's. |
| History of Use: | This wine cabinet was owned by Archbishop Edward Patrick Roche and was kept in his dining room to store port wines and sherries. |
| Height: | 144.9 |
| Width: | 99.4 |
| Depth: | 69.9 |
| Unit-Linear: | cm |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Number of Components: | 1 |
| Component Part Names: | cabinet doors |
| Additional Associations: | see also table and chairs |
| Subject/Image: | furniture wine cabinet |
| Institution: | Basilica Museum |
| Institution City: | St. John's |
| Institution Province: | Newfoundland & Labrador |
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