Wikipedia:WikiProject Architecture/Peer review/Belcourt Castle

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[edit] Belcourt Castle

Hi everyone;

I have been editing and expanding the Belcourt Castle article for a very long time, slowly adding and refining information as I come across it. I was wondering what general changes or improvements can be made to promote the grade of the article to a higher class and what information (comparable to other structures) can be added to promote the understanding of the castle and its rich social and architectural history.

Also, I am wondering what elements of the article would be better served by being sourced or cited. Citing is not one of my major strengths, so help is appreciated. I have a fair sized volume of material on the castle in my architecture collections. I am also concerned that there may not be symmetry in how the history of the castle is presented. I imagine that some sections are heavy on details while others are not. Additionally, should more or different photographs be utilized? Help in the form of comments or contributions are greatly appreciated! Charles 20:45, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

This is a nice article. You are not far from GA-status. Some comments in random order:

  • The lead section is rather short.
  • I think the standard for thousand separators is a comma, i.e. 50,000 square foot.
  • Footnotes are supposed to follow the punctuation.
  • I would prefer to have the image captions be more descriptive of the image. For example Alva Belmont initiated renovations that greatly changed the configuration of the courtyard and the interior of the castle doesn't tell me whether the image is from before or after the renovations.
  • Several of the citations refer to the official website. This is ok, but I think you should at least fill in the "publisher=" field.
  • The tone of the article seems to have a slight touch of tour guide and a little copyediting would help. Examples:
    • A myriad of formal rooms now open onto one another... Could "now" be removed?
    • ...who, in splashy displays of wealth, built ostentatious mansions... "Splashy" and "ostentatious" are saying more or less the same thing.
    • Ascending the Grand Staircase, [...], guests reached Belmont's second floor Grand Hall. This could be shortened to something like Above the Grand Staircase, [...], is the second floor Grand Hall.
    • The luminous treasure hangs a few feet... How about "It hangs..." ?
    • , with alterations to the gates to make them the tallest in Newport. It is a bit unclear to me if the purpose of the alterations was to make them the tallest?
    • Of the 60 rooms at Belcourt, over a dozen may be viewed on tour. Tours at Belcourt include... The "tour. Tours" construction isn't perfect. Maybe the two sentences should be merged.
  • More citations would be nice, especially from independent sources. I didn't find any statements that was particularly needing one, so my best advice, which may be of no help at all, is to cite the facts that aren't in every other article on the subject. (The harder it is for you to find a reference on something, the more useful the citation will be to someone else.) You could also start at the costs of the construction and the repairs and at the sentences that mention someones opinion or motivation (such as ..., as Perry allegedly had no great love for her. and Belmont had disdain for the nouveau riche...)
  • The pictures are fine, but another colour photograph would be nice, if you have one. Maybe a present-day shot for comparison with one of the historical ones? And if you have too many pictures for the article, you can always create a gallery page on commons.

I hope this is helpful. Regards, Hemmingsen 07:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Hi Hemmingsen;
A lot of that material slowly got past me as the article was the subject of some bizarre editing and vandalism for a while. I agree, a lot of what has found its way into the article sounds sort of strange. It is early in the morning where I am and I have a lot of non-Wikipedia things to do so I will most likely hit this tonight or on the weekend. I will call the owner of the castle and ask if she has any images that she may wish to release and I will also go through my archives and contact some people. I agree with all of your comments so far. Charles 11:43, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I have made further changes and am still looking into some of my sources for more information or citations. I am still looking for appropriate or striking images that would best suit the article. Charles 14:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Finding more images has come to a stand-still at the moment, but I am still interested in expanding the article and am seeking comment on the changes I have made so far. Charles 19:58, 5 May 2007 (UTC)
Hi again, Charles. I think the changes you've made so far are looking great. The only non-small issue that remains is the relatively few references, and the one minor thing I've spotted is that the caption of the last picture -- the ballroom one -- doesn't mention whether it's from before or after the renovation. If you are looking for things to expand on, then maybe the materials-section could have some more information on how the materials are used. For example, is the oak and marble decorative or part of the load-bearing system? Are any of the material used in an innovative or otherwise interesting way? But then again, maybe only an engineer-nerd like me would ask about these things :) Hemmingsen 12:21, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
Hi Hemmingsen, thanks for commenting back. I am an engineer nerd myself, second year engineering student. I will expand more on the article after a good night's rest. It is 3 am where I live and I must be getting to sleep. I will also look over the various materials I have available to me and then report back here after I've made some changes. Charles 06:02, 7 May 2007 (UTC)