Every morning, in the chill of winter, Emily crept down the back stairs to the basement. She was up before dawn to fire up the coal furnace that heated the "House of All Sorts". One of the more unpleasant tasks Emily performed to appease her tenants.
It was here in the basement where Emily was actually struck by a tenant, causing her to tumble back onto the pile of coal. The irrate tenant had earlier declared the house was 'unfit to live in' due to a frozen tap located in the bathroom of the Doll's House.
For a short time, while she rented out her studio, Emily lived in one of the small rooms in the basement.
The basement provided a place of refuge for sickly dogs and new born pups. It was also used to store Emily's 'Indian' paintings and the uncemented, dirt floor provided "Punk", one of Emily's bobtails, a place to store his bones.
Today, the basement no longer has a coal furnace. It is still, however, used as a storage area for tenants.
