Talk:Bow window
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[edit] Wrong definition
<A bow window, whether at White's or in Sherlock Holmes's apartment, is not a bay window. A bow window is a rectangular one with an arched section of wedge-shaped panes on top: "bow" as in "rainbow." They were often featured in Palladian architecture, and periods following, until the Victorian age replaced them with sash windows topped with separate fan lights for a similar effect.>
This was the definition for an arch window. All definitions I have looked up after seeing this article define a bow window as a curved bay window.
"White's Club, St. James's Street, London. The famous bow window is visible (center, bottom), but the present facade dates from 1852" [1] The bow window is the one on the ground floor, not the "towering" arch window above it.
"The earliest records date from 1763, when White's moved back into its premises, rebuilt after the fire...In 1811, the bow window was constructed by a chap named Martindale and set into the middle of the club's facade, the front door being moved to the left." [2] "Left" appears to mean as seen from inside, as shown by the photographs in this and the preceding reference. "Whilst everyone who passed the window could be seen by this group, so could they, in turn, be seen by the passersby." I.e. it was on the ground floor.
"Its large bow window, looking down into St. James’s Street" [3] "Looking down" refers to the floor being higher than the ground outside, requiring the steps seen in the photograph in the preceding reference.
"The present house dates from 1755, but the famous 'bow-window at White's,' in which the fashionables sat to show themselves off and to quiz the passers-by, was not added until 1811." [4] This means they must have sat on the ground floor, as there is no suggestion that they had to shout from upstairs.
David, 24 July 2006.
