A BERRINGTON DAY OUT

Having been drenched the previous day, on Tuesday 15^th 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 3^rd 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.

 

Berrington Hall, showing the ha-ha

Harley was destined not to beget an heir, but Anne, his second daughter, married George, 2^nd Baron Rodney, the son of Admiral George Brydges Rodney, celebrated naval commander of the 18^th 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 7^th 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.

 

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 2^nd 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.

 

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!

 

Parkland and lake

 

 

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!

 

Georgian gown

 

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!

 

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.

 

The Library

 

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 1^st Earl of Oxford, creator of one of the finest collections of books in Britain, and his grandfather, the 2^nd Earl, a friend of Pope’s, Thomas Harley also owned a fine library. This was unfortunately sold by the 7^th 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 7^th 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 19^th 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.

 

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 19^th 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.

 

Stables

 

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!

 

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 3^rd Lord Rodney and his wife Charlotte.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this mini tour. Susana, Roxy and I certainly enjoyed our day!

 

 

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HORSES IN ART ~ THE RECKONING

Continuing my series on famous equestrian paintings, in this article I look at one of George Morland’s best works. An oil on canvas, it was painted circa 1783 – 1804 and measures 29¼ x 39 inches (74 x 99cm). It hangs in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Morland lived from 1763 – 1804.

The Reckoning, by George Morland

Morland excelled at painting animals and also depicting scenes of rural life. This picture, in itself a social comment by the artist, is rich with detail of an unfolding drama. Paintings of this style, which tell a story, were later dubbed ‘problem pictures’. Morland made his name producing such studies of everyday folk going about their normal business, and although his tendency towards drunkenness and profligacy meant he often had to paint ‘potboilers’ in order to stave off his creditors, works such as The Reckoning open a window on country life in eighteenth century England.


Set in the stable of a probable country inn, a young boy is seeking payment from a farmer. A second man looks on from the doorway, while the ostler (in the buff-coloured smock) is watching the confrontation. The saddle appears too far back on the horse, begging the question, has the girth not yet been fastened? If not, then why, and has this something to do with the disagreement?

The attitudes and expressions of the characters reveal much. The farmer is frowning, clearly displeased with the boy’s request and while his hand is delving into his breeches pocket, he appears reluctant to ‘cough up the readies’. The boy is holding a jug or tankard and is wearing an apron. Whatever the service he has performed, he is bravely holding his ground before a man socially his superior. The farmer is tall and well-built, eats well and is obviously a mean-tempered individual; these factors, plus his ownership of the horse, give him control of the situation. Even though the beast is no more than a rough cart-horse, he confers power on his master, because in the eighteenth century, the horse was transport and capital, much as the car is today.

So the painting is demonstrating social order. The farmer is the ‘big cheese’; the man in the doorway is showing, by his relaxed demeanour, that he is secure in his position, both as a bystander and in the hierarchy, with the ostler and the boy both below him. The two latter, being low servants, were, at that time, subject to the often cruel and petty decisions of such men as the farmer, for they were deemed of less worth than an old cart-horse. In fact, to a lesser degree, certain employers in the equestrian world maintain a similar attitude into the twenty-first century!

Nevertheless, in spite of all the implied intrigues and undercurrents of the picture, the animals are what make it worthy of a longer look. The grey cart-horse, the spaniel and the two bull mastiffs are finely drawn and beautifully executed. You can feel the mastiffs’ interest in the human conflict and the spaniel’s excitement in the scent he or she has discovered. Meanwhile, the horse waits with the patience of his like, almost dozing, indeed, as if secure in the expectation of a corn feed and a rack of hay on his return, whether or nay the poor lackeys go hungry…

Picture courtesy Wikipedia Commons