Facing the street, with wide porches and garden, is what the people walking past would see. The face of the manor so to speak.

Behind was a different story. One of the long back buildings was the kitchen, store rooms, laundry, and up above the hot rooms were quarters for enslaved house workers. Fires below were always burning, and we have tropical weather most of the year. The second floor must have horrid.

I visit the back side here once in a while to get a different perspective and lighting based on the time of year. Almost always shot in monochrome / black and white.

Above is the work building behind the Aiken-Rhett home in Charleston, South Carolina.

The photographs below are taken walking from the first open door, on through each of the available rooms. They have not been renovated and remain as they were 200 years ago.

Plaster still remains on most of the walls even after numerous hurricanes, earthquakes, and a great fire. Oh yeah, there was a war in town once too.

Above is the main kitchen though some things were cooked out in the courtyard.

Below is looking out through an open door, across the courtyard into the stable area.

There’s only the ambient light through the open doors on the first floor. Based on the time of year we visit is just how much we can photograph. The second floor living quarters is even darker.

A good, wide, prime lens helps shooting here. It’s dark so images can be very grainy from high ISO. However, this is an incredible historical location to shoot.

Aiken-Rhett House, King Street, Charleston, South Carolina.