20 February 2011

{Between Past and Present; Lyme House}

Lyme Park (Disley, England) is famous - between other facts- due BBC´s "Pride and Prejudice"(1995) was filmed here.

I found these pictures on a website and I am totally impressed to see that all the elegance of XVIII decorating is still alive into their walls.

Back view of Lyme Park from across the pond. Behind the house is a pond with a scenic woodsy trail which also passes by the gardens.



Lyme Park, front (north) entrance, built in 1570, combining Elizabethan and classical architecture.

Since photography of the interior wasn't permitted, I had to scan the guidebook and postcards for pictures. This is the entrance hall, early 18th century. A 16th century painting of Sir Peter Legh hangs over the fireplace. A famous 17th century Mortlake Hero and Leander tapestry is also here.

The drawing room is Elizabethan/Jacobean and highly ornate. It would have been used by the Legh family for informal private dining. The overmantel portrays the arms of Elizabeth I. The early 17th century ceiling contains intricate strapwork.

The dining room, my favorite room, in part because it is so tastefully decorated, and not overly ornate. The wainscoting on the oak-panelled walls is finely carved.

The library-another lovely room, originally 16th century, but redesigned in Regency style during the early 19th century, with an elegant ivory "Jacobethan" ceiling. Above the firepace is a Greek sculpture (350 B.C.) of an Athenian couple.

The stag parlor for the man of the house, redecorated in the early 19th century. Above the fireplace is a a rendition of the 17th century Lyme Park; below, is a frieze portraying the life of a stage. Several of the famous Cadmus tapestries are here.

A tapestry in the Morning Room, entitled Woman with a Casket of Jewels, another 17th century Flemish tapestry. The Morning Room was the sitting room for the Yellow Bedroom.

Settees in the Yellow Bedroom at Lyme Park, circa 1690, upholstered in silk-embroidered wool.

An 8-day musical clock, circa 1735, from Francis Legh's clock collection.

View of the gardens from behind Lyme Park
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4 comments:

  1. Maria Eugénia21 February 2011 at 17:20

    Beautiful Houses. Beautiful gardens. Beautiful music. Beautiful era... I would like to live in those years, with such a way of life! That's a pity that all the people didn't enjoy it because it was beautiful to those who had money, to rich people, surelly, don't you think? Even those who had money but not a noble title, they were banned. Pride and prejudices...

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  2. Caroline Grey23 February 2011 at 02:37

    Yes my dear, I am totally agree with you. I can imagine the poor people, in London´s suburbs for example. Children without a bread for eat, illness in all houses. But sadly it makes this castle and gardens so beutiful, because it wasn´t for everyone. Don´t you think it? Anyway I am glad that things is going better (slowly...i know).
    Love,
    Caroline.
    PS: Did you received my pictures? I hope so!

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  3. Anonymous14 January 2014 at 14:58

    Some people chide the rich in relation to the poor, and often for good reasons, yet "the rich" - in past centuries at least - DID give something to all of us. They built beautiful houses, funded the building of cathedrals and schools, commissioned works of art, operas, and symphonies, funded scientific exploration, etc. - all things that enrich and even ennoble anyone who appreciates or benefits by them, be they rich or poor.

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  4. Beannestalk2 October 2019 at 15:46

    This is indeed an insightful and valid point. Money or the possession of it is not in itself evil, though the love of it has great potential to breed darker deeds and crime, but I have always felt it is what we choose to do with it that can make the difference between the two. Although not wealthy myself, I have always admired the generosity and compassionate giving some wealthy individuals have shared with the less fortunate. We have been blessed by the wealth of others who have chosen to use this "tool" to better societies...and the envy factor that others may struggle with may not always be as balanced as it should be. It takes money to create some types of aesthetic beauty and this too can be a wonderful thing if it is kept in proportion with compassion for the less fortunate.

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