Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
Surprisingly, since we once lived quite near, we had never visited Newby Hall. The reality matched our pre-conceptions. It is one of England’s renowned Adam houses, and justifiably so, and a really exceptional example of 18th century interior decoration. Designed (but not visited) in the 1690s by Sir Christopher Wren the house was later enlarged and adapted by John Carr (of York of course) and subsequently Robert Adam. The first views of the house are magnificent. We must return when the double herbaceous borders are at their best, probably next July. We had chance before our tour of the house to stroll the length of the borders down to the riverside and the two charming pavilions there........ ........with decorated shell interiors which the Georgians so loved. Every detail shouted class - including this water butt of 1841. We entered at the back of the house (used to be the front, in the way of these things), and enjoyed the guard dogs and door knocker (a sign of things to come). One William Weddell was one of the most important owners in the story of the house, as it was he who went on the Grand Tour and brought back such treasure chests of goodies. He had the very good taste too to employ Robert Adam and the local Thomas Chippendale for a lot of the design of the house as it is today, giving them free hand to decorate and furnish whole rooms so that everywhere the house seems 'complete'. The entrance hall was a good example, inspired by the architecture of Ancient Rome. Adam designed the whole and Chippendale made furniture to match. The mahogany doors and their door handles in gold were especially impressive (as they were throughout the house). The Sicilian marble floor was one of the treasures William Weddell brought back - many many tons. This room was the original dining room but when the house was inherited later by the 3rd Lord Grantham he turned it into his library to house his many books. Design again all by Adam. The side and ceiling painted panels were by Zucchi who also did much work in the house, helped by his wife Angelica Kauffman, an amazing woman about whom I must learn more. The stuccoists working everywhere were the York firm of Joseph Rose. Incredible what local skills were available. It goes without saying that Lord Grantham built a replacement dining room on the side of the house. The South Bedroom contains a grand bed by Chippendale as well as some of his bedroom furniture. Incidentally, Chippendale not only provided his clients with chairs, tables and beds, but everything a household might need, including mirrors, pelmets, curtains and wall coverings. The Print Bedroom has lovely views of the River Ure at the end of the garden and was reserved for the most important guests. Undoubtedly the grandest of Adam's work at Newby is the Statue Gallery, consisting of two square rooms with a central rotunda. It is magnificent. Most of the statuary is genuine Roman from the First Century BC to the Second Century AD, all from the Grand Tour (in all nineteen chestfuls). The finest collection of Roman statuary in private hands in Britain. I think I am correct in saying the large Roman tomb shown below weighs more than a ton. A truly massive piece of Roman history and undoubtedly meant for an Emperor or someone in his family. We had a lovely lunch in the restaurant (NT could learn a lot), and then had a leisurely stroll around the gardens....... This statue will undoubtedly be original Roman.......... The orchard was truly bountiful...... We sat in the tropical garden enjoying a Yorkshire Dales ice cream......the nicest we have had since Brymor's. This end of the garden was very Monet-esque........ We loved these two zebras (and you can just see the giraffe behind)....... We then drove into Ripon which we didn't know well. Our first view of the cathedral was impressive enough. And the Dean who lives in this house is a very lucky individual! The West front is Early English, about 1220. and the East window built as part of a reconstruction of the choir between 1286-8 and 1330, was described by architecture critic Pevsner as 'splendid' which of course it is. The church's thirty-four misericords were carved between 1489 and 1494. Saint Wilfrid was buried in this church near the high altar. Devastated by the English king Eadred in AD 948, as a warning to the Archbishop of York, only the crypt of Wilfrid's church survived but today this tiny 7th-century chapel rests complete beneath the later grandeur of Archbishop Roger de Pont L'Eveque's 12th century minster. These oils were hanging on the chuch walls - top is Richard II and below his Chancellor....... and this one is of Anne Boleyn, not a friend of the Church as it was.......... The rood screen dates from the fifteenth century, but the statues were added in 1947. Here is the tomb of our friend William Weddell from Newby Hall. After leaving the cathedral we ambled to the main square....... and down one or two older streets with much character and we really enjoyed the various styles of architecture the housing showed..... The map showed what looked like a nice walk from one bridge over the Ure to another. Unfortunately we couldn't see much of the river because of the trees and most of the walk was blighted by traffic noise. We trudged wearily into The Water Rat for a reviving drink!
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August 2023
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