House painter and decorator

A house painter and decorator is a tradesman responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator or house painter. The purpose of painting is to improve the aesthetic of a building and to protect it from damage by water, rust, corrosion, insects and mold.

History of the trade in England

In England, little is known of the trade and its structures before the late 13th century, at which paint guilds began to form, amongst them the Painters Company and the Stainers Company. These two guilds eventually merged with the consent of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1502, forming the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers. The guild standardised the craft and acted as a protector of the trade secrets. In 1599, the guild asked Parliament for protection, which was eventually granted in a bill of 1606, which granted the trade protection from outside competition such as plasterers.

The Act legislated for a seven-year apprenticeship, and also barred plasterers from painting, unless apprenticed to a painter, with the penalty for such painting being a fine of £5. The Act also enshrined a maximum daily fee of 16 old pence for their labour.

Ocean House, Rhode Island

Ocean House is a large, Victorian-style waterfront hotel originally constructed in 1868 on Bluff Avenue in the Watch Hill historic district of Westerly, Rhode Island.

The original 1868 hotel closed in 2003, was demolished in 2005 and a new facility in heavily revised form opened in 2010 on the same site, retaining much of the original structure's form as well as the original name. Both the original and its reconstruction are noted for a their rambling Victorian architecture and distinctive yellow siding.

At the time of its closing, the original Ocean House was the last waterfront Victorian Era hotel on mainland Rhode Island.

History

Originally built in 1868 the Ocean House was smaller compared to the other hotels located on Watch Hill, and over the years the hotel expanded with numerous. The original Ocean House was a central structure in the Watch Hill Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In March, 2004, Girouard Associates of New Canaan, Connecticut purchased the facility from heirs of the Louis D. Miller family, which had owned the hotel since 1938. Girouard Associates intended to raze Ocean House and build five large oceanfront homes. A protest ensued, a new buyer was ultimately found, and the spirit of the original building — if not the actual building in its entirety — was preserved.