Also under the first floor drawing room, there was a somewhat larger space for the servants to gather for their meals, carry out small chores (cleaning knives, polishing candlesticks, removing spots from delicate linens, etc.), and wait to be summoned by the system of bells to serve the Tayloes and their guests. If the scene is reminiscent of Downton Abbey this is in fact how the Octagon and other great houses of the time operated. Servants’ halls were often found in homes of the wealthy in England but only a few American references are known.
