Hidden passageways

Here's another posting for the 'clever things' part of the blog. I've long been interested in the concept of illusion - magic tricks, gimmicked boxes, hidden doorways and the like. I did a lot of research on 18th century liquor smuggling, and in the process came across a few neat things I thought I'd share. The first is an excellent book that is now in the public domain, which means you can read it on line for free. It's called Secret Chambers and Hiding Places and is available at…

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Lock up your valuables or hide yourself from annoying house guests with any of these hidden rooms and secret passageways.

Our project displaying a true arch design stained alder wood double door built-in bookcase with additional features.

A tiny keyhole in the wood paneling turned out to be a portal to Britain's history — a passage created 360 years ago for the coronation of Charles II.

If there's one dream that unites all bookish folks (aside from, you know, universal literacy) it's the dream of having a secret passageway hidden

Hidden stairwell in library to safe room

It must take some real guts to go crawling around deep bellow your house without knowing where it goes or what could be down there.

My first encounter with jib doors ( known only as secret doors at the time) was as I perused the pages of Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew books. I read them voraciously and it seem like there was always a hidden room behind a secret door. Remember The Hidden Staircase? These mysterious doors have since fascinated me as they have others throughout the history of mankind. These wonderful portals of my childhood did actually serve a much needed purpose. European castles and palaces often had jib…