The Stately Homes of EnglandJewitt, Llewellynn Frederick William
History
The Stately Homes of England
Jewitt, Llewellynn Frederick William
Historic buildings -- England
The first room usually shown to visitors is the so-called CHAPLAIN’S
ROOM, the first door on the right, after mounting the steps into the
lower court. In this small room, and in the closet attached to it,
several objects of interest are preserved. Among these are a pair of
remarkably fine fire-dogs, a warder’s horn, gigantic jack-Boots,
a thick leathern doublet, some matchlocks and some pewter dishes.
In this room, a few years ago, a remarkably curious and interesting
washing-tally, engraved and described in the “Reliquary,” was found
behind the wainscoting. The articles enumerated on this curious
relic are “ruffes,” “bandes,” “cuffes,” “handkercher,” “capps,”
“shirtes,” “halfshirts,” “boote hose,” “topps,” “sockes,” “sheetes,”
“pillowberes,” “tableclothes,” “napkins,” and “towells.” It is in the
possession of the Duke of Rutland.
The CHAPEL, which, after the so-called Chaplain’s Room, is the first
part of the interior of Haddon Hall shown to visitors, is, as will
be seen by reference to the ground-plan, at the south-east corner of
the building. It consists, at present, of a nave with side aisle and
a chancel, and is entered from the court-yard by an arched doorway
opening into a small ante-chapel, or vestibule, through which the
visitor passes. At the entrance is a _stoup_, or holy-water basin, and
from the ante-chapel a staircase leads up to the turret. The arches
and pillars of the nave are Norman; but the arches have been cut from
their original semicircular to their present arched form, and the
pillars cut and “shaved down,” and their capitals altered in character.
Sufficient of these capitals, however, remains to show what was their
original design. At the west end of the nave is a remarkably fine and
large vestment chest of very thick timber, having carved on its front
two shields of arms. At the opposite (east) end of the nave is a carved
corbel, and, on the floor, is the fine old altar-table of stone bearing
the usual five incised _crosses pattée_, emblematical of the five
wounds of our blessed Saviour.
Against one of the pillars is a massive circular Norman font, on which
is a curiously constructed cover. This font is engraved on the next
page, but unfortunately the artist has omitted the cover. The chancel
is raised a little above the nave; and on each side is a large high
pew, with open railings in their upper portions, which have been used
for the noble families who have inhabited the place; and the carved
panels, and the traces of gilding and colour they contain, show, along
with the remains of paintings on the walls, how magnificent must have
been this place of worship in its palmy days.
The chapel consists of a nave with two aisles of unequal width, and a
chancel. The entire length of the chapel is 49 feet, the chancel being
28 feet long, and the nave 21 feet. Each aisle has an arcade of two
pointed arches.
[Illustration: _Norman Font in the Chapel._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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