Having been drenched the previous day, on Tuesday 15th
September Susana Ellis, my dog Roxy and I went for a day out to Berrington
Hall, near Leominster (pronounced Lemster) in Herefordshire.
Berrington Hall is a grand Georgian residence, built from
red sandstone in about 1775 for London banker Thomas Harley, younger son of the
3rd Earl of Oxford, who had family connections in Herefordshire. The
house was designed by Henry Holland, son-in-law of ‘Capability’ Brown, who was
given the responsibility of landscaping the park. Spectacular views can be
enjoyed towards Wales and the Black Mountains from the house’s magnificent
setting.
All photographs © Heather
King and may not be copied or reproduced without the expressed permission of
the copyright holder.
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| Berrington Hall, showing the ha-ha |
Harley was destined not to beget an heir, but Anne, his
second daughter, married George, 2nd Baron Rodney, the son of Admiral
George Brydges Rodney, celebrated naval commander of the 18th
Century. In the Dining Room hang four paintings depicting two of Admiral
Rodney’s renowned victories at sea in the American War of Independence.
Thomas Harley died in 1804 and was succeeded by the
Rodney family, who continued to live in the house for almost a century. The 7th
Baron, also George, sold many of the family’s treasures, including excellent
Gainsborough portraits, to fund a predilection for gambling which had already
accounted for his inheritance. He eventually found himself constrained to sell
the estate in 1901.
Berrington passed into the hands of Lancashire cotton
magnate, Frederick Cawley M.P., who in time became the inaugurate Lord Cawley.
Cawley refurbished Berrington with a sympathetic eye, removing hideous fire
grates introduced in the Victorian age and replacing them with Georgian ones
which were far more in keeping.
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| Fireplace in the Drawing Room |
Henry Holland’s original, beautiful design was left
mostly untouched, to Lord Cawley’s eternal credit. Following the death of the 2nd
Lord Cawley, in 1957 the estate then came into the hands of the National Trust,
who do a fabulous job of managing both house and gardens. Lady Cawley, his
widow, continued to live in the house until her death in 1978, having reached
her own century.
It remains a ‘scene of elegance and refinement’ to this
day, as declared by Lord Torrington in 1784, and indeed, his description of ‘commanding
beautiful views [and] a fine piece of water’ has not changed in all those
years.
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| The yew 'balls' on the approach from the gatehouse |
When we first arrived, Roxy and I left Susana to tour the
house and went for a walk round the park. Little girls are far happier snoozing
in the car when they have had a ‘leg stretch’ first! We can vouch for the
beauty of the views and the lake!
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| Parkland and lake |
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| The lake and boathouse |
Having ensconced Roxy in the car with a marrow bone, I
headed off to join Susana in the house. We were really lucky that our visit
coincided with an exhibition of costumes featured in television productions of Jane
Austen’s works, such as ‘Emma’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’, as well as some
beautiful Georgian fashions, including a collection of surviving garments from
the era!
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| Georgian gown |
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| Costume worn by Billie Piper in 'Emma' |
There are several rooms open
to the public at Berrington, including the stunning Staircase Hall, which is a
masterpiece of light and space. The staircase follows three walls of this
secondary hall, rising beneath the spectacular domed skylight which dramatically
illuminates the ironwork balustrades of bronzed lyres, the wall tapestries and
the York slate/stone floor. The first time the visitor passes from the shadowed
Entrance Hall into the Staircase Hall, it takes the breath away, believe you
me!
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| Skylight |
I love the Drawing and Dining
Rooms at Berrington, but I think (surprise, surprise!) my favourite room is the
Library. The bookcases are fashioned to represent pediments and columns of
classical architecture and the furniture, although not belonging to the house,
seem to fit perfectly. It is easy to imagine Mr. Darcy and Lizzie sitting
reading in here.
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| The Library |
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| The Library |
Sadly, my photograph of the
bookcases is too dark, but there is a matching pediment over the fireplace. Possibly
inspired by his great-grandfather, Robert Harley, the 1st Earl of
Oxford, creator of one of the finest collections of books in Britain, and his
grandfather, the 2nd Earl, a friend of Pope’s, Thomas Harley also
owned a fine library. This was unfortunately sold by the 7th Lord
Rodney and the library was henceforth used by him as a billiards room.
After a tour of upstairs,
including the Georgian fashions, White Dressing Room, Oval Room – dedicated to
Sir Frederick and Lady Cawley’s three sons who were killed in the First World
War – and the Corner Dressing Room and Bedroom, which celebrate the 7th
Lord Rodney and his bride Corisande following their honeymoon, the visitor steps
down the Back Stairs and with a peek in at an ancient lavatory, can view the
butler’s rooms on the way out. The laundry is now housed in a secondary
kitchen, moved there in all likelihood in the late 19th Century and
is Victorian in nature. The dairy, beautifully decorated in fine Louis XVI
style by Henry Holland, has survived virtually unchanged since the 1780s. It
has a classical Greek feel to it and contains niches too – not for statues, but
bowls of cream to stand while separating.
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| Dairy |
Of course, for a horse-mad
girl like me, no visit to Berrington would be complete without a good snoop
around the stable. The Regency stable block no longer exists, but the Victorian
stables, situated in the former Steward’s House beside the carriage arch into
the rear courtyard, combine my two great passions, because they are now home to
the Book Shop!!
Stabling changed very little
during the 19th Century, so the Regency author can still get a feel
of equine comfort. To the far left of the picture is a loose box, while chains would
have hung from the heel posts of the stalls to prevent occupants from ‘backing
up’. Horses would wear a headstall, to which was attached a rope that passed
through a hole in the manger and was fastened to a weight, thus keeping the
rope taut. The horse therefore had a measure of movement and could lie down without getting entangled in the rope.
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| Stables |
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| Walled garden |
After a picnic lunch, Susana
and I went for a wander around the Walled Garden. On previous visits, Paws had
not been admitted, but on this occasion, Roxy could come into the original
kitchen garden and I was really excited when I discovered the old apple trees.
When researching A Sense of the
Ridiculous, I came across the ‘Ribston Pippin’, which hails from Little
Ribston, the village where Harry attends a ‘mill’ (boxing match). Lo and
behold, there in the garden was a Ribston Pippin tree!
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| Ribston Pippin |
It was the perfect end to
what had been a wonderful day. Berrington Hall is a fabulous place for a day
out and for the Regency author it provides a real feel of the era, too. My
short story The Middle of the Day, is
set here and features the 3rd Lord Rodney and his wife Charlotte.
I hope you have enjoyed this
mini tour. Susana, Roxy and I certainly enjoyed our day!
