Victoria's Regencies
  • Welcome
  • About Me
  • News and Events
  • Victoria's Vibes -- a blog
  • My Books
    • An Ideal Match
    • Ask Jane
    • Cordelia's Corinthian
    • Miss Milford's Mistake
    • Miss Parker's Ponies
    • The Eligible Miss Elliott
    • The Fontainebleau Fan
    • The Tables Turned
    • BirthRights: a Dangerous Brew, Chapter One

Kedleston Hall: Elegance in Stone

7/28/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Above, the north front of Kedleston Hall from The National Trust.
Picture
I was saving my energy for seeing the house and gardens, so I  did not walk far enough way to get the whole edifice, so thanks, NT!
Picture
I suppose the sheep follow their own inclinations, but they certainly seemed to be attractively arrayed across the park.
Picture
The South Front of the center structure was re-designed after architect Robert Adam replaced the original architect Matthew Brettingham. Adam brought a Neo-Classical approach to alter the former plans, such as the inspiration for this facade being Rome's Arch of Constantine. 
Picture
Brettingham's plan shows a central pavilion flanked by four wings. But only two were actually built. In the photo below from the website, on the left is the kitchen  and the church. The right-hand wing is the family residence.
Picture
Eventually only two of the side buildings were constructed, as shown in this aerial photo taken from the south,.
Picture

Picture

This drawing from the NT Kedleston Guidebook, illustrates how the central pavilion is designed for entertainment: a vast hall for large gatherings ends in a dramatic  rotunda for display. The circuit of rooms on the sides include a library, drawing room, dining parlor, music room, and state bedroom. 
Picture
The Marble Hall, above and below, boasts twenty 25-foot high columns of Derbyshire alabaster, actually not marble at all.
Picture
Below, the Rotunda or Saloon, modeled by Adam after Rome's pantheon,  with an oculus at the center top.
Picture
Artworks are displayed high on  the walls., both paintings of Ancient Rome and carved friezes.
Picture
Picture
The alcoves are decorated with urns on plinths.
Picture
The sun shining through the oculus moves across the room throughout the day.
Picture
The library.
Picture
The Drawing Room was designed by James Paine before Adam took control of the house. The Marble Fireplace Surround was designed by Michael Sprang and the four priceless sofas by John Linnell of London in the mid-18th c. The Waterford chandelier was hung in 1770.
Picture
Picture
The Music Room contains both a harpsichord and an organ.
Picture
The Dining Room decor is relatively restrained in comparison with the adjacent magnificence.
Picture
In the alcove in the dining room, you see a collection of serving pieces once used on formal occasions. 
Picture
The Wardrobe, a part of the State Apartment
Picture
The State Bed is one of those exuberant creations by Adam that defy one's imagination. Below, one of Adam's other such beds at Osterley Park. Certainly fit for a monarch!
Picture
Back at Kedleston, we wandered through the many displays devoted to the family, especially to the 1st Marquess Curzon and his wife, the American-born Mary Leiter of Chicago and Lake Geneva, WI, who served as Viceroy and Vicereine of India in 1899-1905.
Mary, Lady Curzon, died at the early age of 35. She was the mother of three daughters, said to be the models for the character of Cora, Lady Grantham, and her daughters in Downton Abbey. The Curzons are buried and memorialized in All Saints Church at the Hall. Below. the marble effigies are watched over by a pair of angels, as scupted by Australian artist Sir Bertram Mackennal.
Picture
The Garden provides many lovely vistas. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
A copy of the Medicean Lion by Joseph Wilson, on a plinth designed by Robert Adam,, c. 1765.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Victoria Hinshaw, Author


    Here I will share some of my articles on favorite topics, such as English Country Houses, the Regency Royals, Jane Austen, and the like. Some of these articles have been published elsewhere, probably on the blog I share with Kristine Hughes and Louisa
    ​Cornell:  numberonelondon.net

    Archives

    March 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Photo from amandabhslater