The Baronial Halls, and Ancient Picturesque Edifices of England; Vol. 2 of 2 — John Shaqi
The Baronial Halls, and Ancient Picturesque Edifices of England; Vol. 2 of 2Hall, S. C. (Samuel Carter)
History
The Baronial Halls, and Ancient Picturesque Edifices of England; Vol. 2 of 2
Hall, S. C. (Samuel Carter)
Historic buildings -- England
The “garden at Haddon” has been time out of mind a treasure-store of the
English landscape-painter; one of the most favourite “bits” being
“Dorothy Vernon’s walk,” with the door out of which tradition describes
her as escaping to meet her lover, Sir John Manners, with whom she
eloped.[15]
“All these rooms, except the gallery, were hung with loose arras, a
great part of which still remains; and the doors were concealed
everywhere behind the hangings, so that the tapestry was to be lifted up
to pass in or out; only for convenience there were great iron hooks
(many of which are still in their places), by means whereof it might
occasionally be held back. Few of these doors fit close, and wooden
bolts, rude bars, and iron hasps, are in general their best and only
fastenings. Besides the gallery, the dining-room, and these three
apartments, there were only two others, and those but small ones, which
could be said to belong at all to the principal suite. One of these
apartments, however, is very remarkable; having an odd cornice, with a
deep quadruple frieze, three or four feet in depth, if not more, formed
of plaster, and adorned with a running foliage of leaves and flowers, in
four compartments, like bands, or fillets, one above another. The room
is hung with arras, as the others are; but from a quaint sort of
neatness appearing in the whole of it more than in them (we quote again
from Mr. King), “I am much inclined to call it _my lady’s chamber_.
There is, behind the tapestry, the door I mentioned, leading to a steep
flight of narrow steps, which descend into the great court, not far from
the arch belonging to the chapel, and which gave her an opportunity of
going thither rather a nearer way than the rest of the family, and
without crossing so much of the great court. All the rest of this great
pile of building (containing another large square court besides that we
have been speaking of) is filled with small trifling apartments, not one
of which deserves description, but which formed a labyrinth almost as
inextricable as that of Crete, and which could be of no use but to lodge
a vast host of dependents, retainers, and servants.”
The Chapel is placed at the south-west corner of the Hall. It is of
great antiquity, and
[Illustration]
contains many objects of interest, although it is of comparatively small
size. It has a body and two aisles: the pulpit and reading-desk are on
the left side. The pews of the family are high, of rich old oak, which
was originally gilt. There is, also, a rich Gothic window, which
formerly contained much painted glass, of old date, part of which was
stolen some years ago. The roof was reconstructed in 1624 by Sir George
Manners. Part of the chapel is exhibited in the appended engraving.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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