It was considered dÃ©classÃ© to refer to one's own townhouses, estates or villas (or those of friends) as mansions and modern etiquette books still advise that the terms house, big house or great house be used instead.
Waste weir. A waste weir on a navigable canal is a slatted gate on each canal level or pound, to remove excess water and to drain the canal for repairs or for the winter shutdown.
Waste weirs were often located near feeders that might carry flood waters into the canal, and they often emptied into existing streams. This waste weir was located in the town of Sweden, near Brockport. Similar to a dam, the central section of this waste weir is a three-part spillway with a towpath running above it.