Ceiling Joists and Attic Access.
The ceiling joists of the retail room (left) are better finished than those
of the merchant's counting room (top right half). As a public space, the retail room ceiling was visible to Thomas James's customers, which explains the carefully planed joists and ceiling boards.
By contrast, the joists in the merchant's office show hewn and pit-sawn marks,
and the ceiling boards are
rough. More commonly, the superior room was the merchant’s,
often finished in lathe and lime plaster. Thomas James would not have
wasted time or money for labor to plane and finish timbers and boards if the
room was to be plastered. But there is no trace it ever was.
At the center of the photo is the framed panel to access the attic
(from the counting room). It is unclear if one gained access by
stairs or a simple ladder. No evidence suggests that the attic
ever served as a bedchamber
—often the case
in similar period stores.
