This Renfrew County clock shelf is a rustic classic
By Gary Walchuk, photo by Roger Yip, illustration by Len Churchill
The original shelf was built in 1850
TERMS OF UPPER CANADA Backsplat - Central vertical member in the back of a chair Bosses - Small rounded ornaments used in metal or wood Cricket table - A small three-legged table Drugget - Inexpensive woven carpet Feather painting - Use of a feather to create elaborate imitation wood grain Fustic - Yellow dye made from West Indian mulberry wood Ironstone - Hard white pottery, often also called graniteware Linsey-woolsey - Fabric made from linen and wool, used in making winter sheets Muntin bars - Dividing bars in window frames that hold panes of glass Palliasse - Mattress made of old quilts Patera - Rounded disc decoration Press - A tall cupboard for storing linen, clothes and kitchen utensils Tester - A framework for bed curtains Trompe l'oeil A painting that creates the illusion of reality Settle - A high-backed bench often placed at right angles to a fireplace Vermilion - Bright red colour made by grinding cinnabar What-not - An ornamental open shelf Zommo A small bedside stand made to contain a chamber pot
