Tabley House
Encyclopedia
Tabley House is a former stately home
in Tabley Inferior
(Nether Tabley), some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the east of the town of Knutsford
, Cheshire
, England. The house has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building. It was built between 1761 and 1769 for Sir Peter Byrne Leicester
, to replace an older hall nearby (Tabley Old Hall), and was designed by John Carr. In the early part of the 19th century three of Carr's rooms on the west side of the house were converted to form a single room, the gallery. After Sir Peter's death the house was re-orientated and the main entrance moved from the south to the north front. The house and estate continued to be held by the Leicester family until the death of Lt. Col. John Leicester Warren in 1975. They were then acquired by the Victoria University of Manchester
, and the house was used as a school. Since 1988 its lease
has been held by a health care company.
The house is symmetrical and designed in Palladian
style. It is constructed in brick with stone dressings, with a large sandstone
portico
on the south front. On the east and west sides of the main house are pavilion
wings connected to the house by curved corridors. To the west of the house is St Peter's Church
, also listed Grade I, which was moved from a position adjacent to Tabley Old Hall to its present site in 1927. In the grounds are other listed buildings, including the ruins of the Old Hall.
As of 2011 the ground and top floors of the main house, together with the adjacent wings, are used as accommodation for the elderly. The reception rooms of the first floor are open to the public at advertised times, and are entered by the original stairway on the south front; they contain paintings and furniture collected by the Leicester family. Some items in the collection had formerly been on this floor, whilst others were moved from elsewhere in the house. The first floor is also available to hire for weddings, meetings, and conferences. It is managed by a trust
, which is supported by a group of Friends and by volunteers.
, known as the Moat, in about 1380 by John de Leycester. The house contained a Great Hall
with a large central arch formed by two massive cruck
beams, which were carved to imitate Gothic
stonework. During the 16th century Adam de Leycester made alterations to the hall, and built a half-timbered
gatehouse to the bridge crossing the mere. In 1616 the historian Sir Peter Leycester, 1st Baronet
, who then owned the estate, installed an ornate chimneypiece in the Great Hall, and in 1671 he enlarged the house, adding a staircase and an upper storey. He arranged for the exterior to be encased in brick in Jacobean
style, with a mixture of mullion
ed and round windows, and a porch with statues of lions. In 1674 Sir Peter replaced the chapel adjacent to the hall, designed in a mixture of Gothic and Jacobean styles, and a tower was added to the chapel in 1724.
After the new house was built in the 1760s, the Old Hall continued to be furnished, and the chapel was used for family worship. But in 1927 part of the hall collapsed because of subsidence
resulting from the extraction of brine
nearby. The building was abandoned, and is now a ruin. The chapel (now known as St Peter's Church
) was demolished and rebuilt near to the west front of the new house. The ornate chimneypiece was moved and reinstalled in the Old Hall Room on the west side of the house.
in 1744. One of the requirements of his inheritance was to keep the Old Hall in good condition, but Sir Peter considered it to be "old and not commodious". When he came of age in 1753 he decided to build a new house to replace the Old Hall. The provisions of his grandfather's will made it difficult for him to build a new house outside the parish of Nether Tabley, therefore Sir Peter decided to build it nearby in the estate, higher on the ground sloping down to the Moat. He appointed John Carr of York
as architect; building began in 1761 and was completed in about 1769.
Carr designed the house in Palladian
style, even though by the 1760s this style was becoming less fashionable. His design consisted of a rectangular building in three storeys, with a projecting portico on the south front, and two pavilions on each side, which were set back and approached by curved corridors. On each side of the portico
was a curved stairway leading to the main middle floor, the piano nobile
. As as the house was originally planned, it had a central staircase, with three rooms on the south front. The middle of these rooms was the entrance hall, to the west of it was the drawing room, and to the east was the dining room. Behind the drawing room was the library, and behind the dining room was a room known as the common parlour. Across the back of the house, on this floor, there were two bedrooms and three dressing rooms. The western pavilion contained the servants' bedrooms, and in the eastern pavilion was the kitchen. The interior of the house contained craftsmanship of a high quality. The plasterwork
was created by Thomas Oliver of Warrington
, the woodcarving of the doorcases and staircase was by Mathew Bertram, assisted by Daniel Shillito. Much of the furniture was made by Gillow of Lancaster
. Sir Peter also commissioned a number of paintings, which included full-length portraits of himself and his wife by Francis Cotes
, and landscapes of the grounds and the halls by J. M. W. Turner
and Richard Wilson
amongst others.
An interest in paintings continued in the family's next generation. Sir John Fleming Leicester, later the 1st Lord de Tabley
, built a collection of modern British art that was hung in a gallery in his London house at Hill Street, Berkeley Square
. In 1823 Sir John offered his collection to Lord Liverpool
to form the basis of the planned National Gallery
, but the offer was declined. After Sir John's death in 1827 the best works were sold by auction and the remainder moved to Tabley, where most of them are today. Between 1808 and 1810 the three original rooms on the west side of the first floor of the house had been converted into a single tripartite room to form a picture gallery by Thomas Harrison
. Further work was carried out in the room following this; Peter Cannon Brookes, the author of the 1991 guide to the house, concludes that the final appearance of the room "dates almost entirely from 1840–45".
After Sir John's death the house was structurally reorganised for George Warren, 2nd Baron de Tabley
by Robert Curzon
, a family friend and an "amateur architect". The house was re-orientated to move the front entrance to the north side of the house. The architecture of the north front had previously been "simple and dignified", but it was enhanced to make its appearance more impressive. The alterations included adding rustication
to the bottom storey and around the central window, and quoins
to the three projecting central bays
. The arms
of the 2nd baron were added to the previously blank pediment
, and in 1915 a small porch was built over the new entrance. The south portico had become redundant, other than serving as an entrance to the garden. The new entrance led by way of a small lobby to a new staircase up to a new entrance hall on the first floor. A new dining room was created in the northeast corner.
The house and estate continued to be owned by the Leicester family until the death of Lt. Col. John Leicester Warren in 1975. The first request in his will was that the estate should if possible be taken into the care of the National Trust
, but this was declined by the Trust. The executor
s then acted on Warren's second request, to pass the estate to a charitable institution, and thus it came into the care of the Victoria University of Manchester
. By the time of Warren's death the manor
of Nether Tabley, comprising the estate and the halls, had been owned by the Leicester family for almost exactly 700 years. The house was then occupied by a school until it closed in 1984. In 1988 a 125 year lease
of the house, the stables, and the associated buildings was sold by the university to Cygnet Health Care, on condition that the suite of rooms on the first floor of the house, and their contents, should be preserved. Between 1988 and 1990 the health care company carried out structural repairs to deal with damage caused by dry rot
and the death watch beetle
. The ground and top floors of the house, and the wings, have been converted into nursing accommodation, leaving the appearance of the exterior virtually unchanged. In 1990 the first floor was opened to the public under the care of the Tabley House Collection Trust. The original entrance by the stairway on the south front was re-instated for this purpose.
, the only 18th-century Palladian country house in Cheshire. The house has three storeys; the bottom storey is constructed in rusticated stone, with the upper storeys in Flemish bond brick with stone dressings. A Doric frieze
runs around the whole building below the eaves. The roofs are in green slate
with lead flashings
. The south front has nine bays
, the central three bays projecting forward. On each side of the central projection is a semi-circular stairway leading to the middle floor. The stairway is built in rusticated stone and it has a moulded
balustrade
. From the top of the stairway a portico
rises through the top two storeys. It consists of four columns in Doric
style constructed from red Runcorn
sandstone
. Its tympanum
contains the arms of Sir Peter Byrne Leicester and his wife, Catherine. All the windows in the ground floor are sashes
with 3x2 panes and over each window there are splayed voussoir
s. The central bay of the middle storey contains a doorway with an architrave
and a segmental pediment
carried on brackets. On each side of the door is a window with similar architraves and segmental pediments, but not carried on brackets. In the lateral three bays on each side are sash windows with 3x5 panes over which are architraves and triangular pediments. The top floor windows are also sashes, these having 3x3 panes, and architraves with scrolls at the top and bottom.
The north front is also symmetrical and is in seven bays, with the central three projecting slightly forwards. Over the bays is a pediment containing the arms of the 2nd Baron de Tabley
and his wife Catherina. In the centre of the ground floor is a porch, on either side of which are two 3x2 sash windows, plus a narrow two-pane window. The middle floor has a central Venetian window surrounded by a rusticated stone arch. All the other windows on this floor are 3x5 sashes; those on each side of the central window have triangular pediments, while those in the lateral bays have horizontal architraves. The top storey has seven 3x3 sash windows; the central three have scrolls similar to those on the south front, while the surrounds to the lateral two windows on each side are plainer.
On each side elevation there are central cant
ed bay window
s. The middle floor has arched windows on the west front, while the corresponding windows on the east front are blind. On each side of the house are two-storey pavilion wings joined to the main block by quadrant (curved), single-storey corridors. Each pavilion is symmetrical and identical, built in brick with stone dressings. Each is in three bays, the central bay forming a canted bay window. Again, the windows are sashes.
To the east of the house, and linked to it by the Old Hall Room, is St Peter's Chapel. Incorporated in the Old Hall Room is the painted and gilded
wooden chimney-piece from the Old Hall, which had been installed in the Old Hall by Sir Peter Leycester in 1619. It includes carvings of caryatid
s, statues of Lucretia
and Cleopatra in niches
, and a female nude lying on a skull and holding an hourglass
. The windows in the Old Hall Room contain stained glass panels with various designs, including depictions of English monarchs from William II
to George II
.
. It was later used as a drawing room
, and during the time the house was used as a school, it was the school library. From 1990 it has been restored as the entrance hall. It contains a white chimney-piece and a cast iron
grate. The mahogany
woodwork was carved by Daniel Shillito and Mathew Bertram and the plasterwork was by Thomas Oliver. In the side walls are plaster figures of Isis
and the Capitoline Flora
in niches
, and on the walls are plaster relief
medallions representing the four season
s. Much of the furniture in the room has been moved from elsewhere in the house. The breakfast table carries the mark of the Lancaster
firm of Gillow. The lantern suspended from the middle of the ceiling was made by Ince and Mayhew
in about 1770, and was restored by Plowden and Smith in 1998.
To the east of the Portico Room is the Drawing Room. This was designed by Carr as the dining room, and contains a white marble
chimneypiece designed by Carr. The plasterwork is again by Oliver. The furniture and paintings are original to the house. The paintings include one of John, 1st Baron Byron
by William Dobson
, one of his wife as Saint Catherine by Peter Lely
, and two paintings by John Opie
. The most important painting in the room is Tabley, the Seat of Sir J. F. Leicester, Bart: Windy Day, by J. M. W. Turner
. Also in the room are two still life
paintings by Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale
, a cousin of the Leicesters.
The room to the north of the Drawing Room was originally the common parlour, and is now known as the Octagon Room. It provided a link between the public rooms on the south of the house and the more private rooms on the north side. Again designed by Carr, its canted corners contain china cabinets. It also contains a set of five paintings of Tabley by Anthony Devis
. The ceiling has Rococo
plasterwork by Oliver. This room leads to the Dining Room on the north side of the house, which contains paintings of the Leicester family. These include 3rd Lord Tabley
by Frank Holl
, Colonel Sir John Leicester, Bart., and the King's Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry exercising on the Sands at Liverpool by George Jones
, Portrait of 2nd Lord de Tabley by Margaret Carpenter
, a full-length Portrait of 2nd Lord de Tabley as Colonel Commandant of the Earl of Chester's Yeomanry Cavalry by Francis Grant
, Hilda, Mrs Cuthbert Leicester Warren by Simon Elwes
, Lt. Colonel John Leicester Warren by Graham Rust
, and Margaret Leicester Warren by Philip de László. Also in the room is Extensive Picturesque Landscape, with Gypsies by Francis Bourgeois
and, over the sideboard
, is the Portrait of the Prince Regent, later George IV by Thomas Lawrence
and his studio. The fireplace in the Dining Room is made from Anglesey marble
and was designed by George Bullock.
In the centre of the first floor is the Oak Hall, so-called because of the oaks formerly growing on the site of the new hall. It contains a mahogany four-flight staircase. The staircase has triple ballusters, and was carved by Shillito. Afain the plasterwork is by Oliver. More family portraits hang on its walls and the hall's contents include a hobby horse
, a man trap
, and an 18th-century sedan chair
. Also in the hall is a memorial display for Tabley House School. The other room on the north side of the house is known as the Marble Hall. This was created from Carr's original rooms in the 19th-century alterations. It contains five relief
s on its wall, one of which depicts the nine muse
s.
The west side of the first floor is occupied by the gallery, which has been described as "one of the great rooms of Cheshire". It contains most of the finest furniture from the house. The items include mirrors and marble tops attributed to the London workshops of Thomas Chippendale
, and sofas attributed to George Bullock. There is more furniture by Gillow, a "very rare" 17th-century English virginal
signed "Phillip Jones", and an Italian spinet
dating from about 1598. Paintings in the gallery include the Portrait of Sir John Fleming Leicester, 1st Lord de Tabley, in Peer's Robes, started by Joshua Reynolds
and completed by James Northcote
, and Portrait of Georgiana Maria Lady Leicester by Lawrence. There are more paintings by Northcote and Lawrence, and others by James Ward
, Julius Caesar Ibbetson
, William Hilton
, Charles Robert Leslie
, Francis Cotes
, Henry Fuseli
, Augustus Wall Callcott
, and George Henry Harlow
.
. What remains of Tabley Old Hall consists of its shell in three storeys, constructed in red English garden wall bond brick with stone dressings. The ruin is listed Grade II*, and its moated site and gatehouse are a scheduled monument. To the north of the Old Hall is Moat Farm. One of the farm buildings, dating from the mid-17th century, is listed Grade II. By Tabley Mere is a boathouse in brick with stone dressings, but lacking a roof, in Gothic
style; it is listed Grade II. On an island in the mere is a folly
tower, dating from about 1780, constructed in red brick. It is a circular structure in three storeys, with machicolation
s and battlement
s at its summit. The folly is also listed Grade II.
To the north of Tabley House, off Chester Road, are two entrance lodges, each of which is listed Grade II. The White Lodge dates from about 1770 and was probably designed by John Carr. It is constructed in whitewash
ed English garden wall bond brick with a slate
roof. The Red Lodge dates from the late 19th century; it is constructed in English garden wall bond brick with timber framing, and has a tiled roof. St Peter's Church
to the west of the house is a Grade I listed building. It is joined to the house by a linking building, constructed in 1927–29 in red Flemish bond brick with stone dressings and a stone slate roof. The linking building is listed Grade II. To the south of the house is a sundial
dating from the early 19th century constructed in stone with a copper dial and gnomon
; it is listed Grade II. To the south of this is a parterre
wall, about 1 metres (3 ft) high, constructed in red Flemish bond brick, with piers
carrying stone balls. It is also listed Grade II. To the north of the house is the former stable block dating from about 1760, designed by John Carr. It was converted and extended in 1995–96. The block is constructed in red brick with stone dressings and green slate roofs. Although it has been altered since it was originally built, it has maintained its Grade II listing for its "group value", recognising "the importance of its massing and exterior character to the setting of Tabley House". To the north of the stable block is a dovecote
dating from about 1760. It is an octagonal structure in two storeys built in red brick with a slate roof, and is listed Grade II.
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
in Tabley Inferior
Tabley Inferior
Tabley Inferior is a civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England.. It has a population of 137.-References:...
(Nether Tabley), some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the east of the town of Knutsford
Knutsford
Knutsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in North West England...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The house has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building. It was built between 1761 and 1769 for Sir Peter Byrne Leicester
Leicester Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Leicester, both in the Baronetage of England. The fifth Baronet of the second creation was raised to the peerage as Baron de Tabley in 1826...
, to replace an older hall nearby (Tabley Old Hall), and was designed by John Carr. In the early part of the 19th century three of Carr's rooms on the west side of the house were converted to form a single room, the gallery. After Sir Peter's death the house was re-orientated and the main entrance moved from the south to the north front. The house and estate continued to be held by the Leicester family until the death of Lt. Col. John Leicester Warren in 1975. They were then acquired by the Victoria University of Manchester
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
, and the house was used as a school. Since 1988 its lease
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
has been held by a health care company.
The house is symmetrical and designed in Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
style. It is constructed in brick with stone dressings, with a large sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
on the south front. On the east and west sides of the main house are pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
wings connected to the house by curved corridors. To the west of the house is St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church, Tabley
St Peter's Church, Tabley, is a chapel to the west of Tabley House near Knutsford, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.-History:...
, also listed Grade I, which was moved from a position adjacent to Tabley Old Hall to its present site in 1927. In the grounds are other listed buildings, including the ruins of the Old Hall.
As of 2011 the ground and top floors of the main house, together with the adjacent wings, are used as accommodation for the elderly. The reception rooms of the first floor are open to the public at advertised times, and are entered by the original stairway on the south front; they contain paintings and furniture collected by the Leicester family. Some items in the collection had formerly been on this floor, whilst others were moved from elsewhere in the house. The first floor is also available to hire for weddings, meetings, and conferences. It is managed by a trust
Trust law
In common law legal systems, a trust is a relationship whereby property is held by one party for the benefit of another...
, which is supported by a group of Friends and by volunteers.
Old Hall
The original house was built on an island in Nether Tabley MereMere (lake)
Mere in English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.- Etymology :...
, known as the Moat, in about 1380 by John de Leycester. The house contained a Great Hall
Great Hall
Great Hall may refer to* Great hall, the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or large manor house* Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square, Beijing* Great Hall of the University of Sydney, Australia* Cooper_Union#The_Great_Hall, New York...
with a large central arch formed by two massive cruck
Cruck
A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof of a building, used particularly in England. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally bent, timber beams that lean inwards and form the ridge of the roof. These posts are then generally secured by a...
beams, which were carved to imitate Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
stonework. During the 16th century Adam de Leycester made alterations to the hall, and built a half-timbered
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
gatehouse to the bridge crossing the mere. In 1616 the historian Sir Peter Leycester, 1st Baronet
Sir Peter Leycester, 1st Baronet
Sir Peter Leycester, 1st Baronet was an English antiquarian and historian. He was involved in the English Civil War on the royalist side and was subsequently made a baronet...
, who then owned the estate, installed an ornate chimneypiece in the Great Hall, and in 1671 he enlarged the house, adding a staircase and an upper storey. He arranged for the exterior to be encased in brick in Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
style, with a mixture of mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and round windows, and a porch with statues of lions. In 1674 Sir Peter replaced the chapel adjacent to the hall, designed in a mixture of Gothic and Jacobean styles, and a tower was added to the chapel in 1724.
After the new house was built in the 1760s, the Old Hall continued to be furnished, and the chapel was used for family worship. But in 1927 part of the hall collapsed because of subsidence
Subsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
resulting from the extraction of brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
nearby. The building was abandoned, and is now a ruin. The chapel (now known as St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church, Tabley
St Peter's Church, Tabley, is a chapel to the west of Tabley House near Knutsford, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.-History:...
) was demolished and rebuilt near to the west front of the new house. The ornate chimneypiece was moved and reinstalled in the Old Hall Room on the west side of the house.
Present house
The present house was built by Sir Peter Byrne Leicester. He inherited the estate through his mother's line on the death of his grandfather in 1742, at which time he was aged 10. At this time his name was Peter Byrne, and the name of Leicester was added by an Act of ParliamentActs of Parliament in the United Kingdom
An Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is a type of legislation called primary legislation. These Acts are passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, or by the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh....
in 1744. One of the requirements of his inheritance was to keep the Old Hall in good condition, but Sir Peter considered it to be "old and not commodious". When he came of age in 1753 he decided to build a new house to replace the Old Hall. The provisions of his grandfather's will made it difficult for him to build a new house outside the parish of Nether Tabley, therefore Sir Peter decided to build it nearby in the estate, higher on the ground sloping down to the Moat. He appointed John Carr of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
as architect; building began in 1761 and was completed in about 1769.
Carr designed the house in Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
style, even though by the 1760s this style was becoming less fashionable. His design consisted of a rectangular building in three storeys, with a projecting portico on the south front, and two pavilions on each side, which were set back and approached by curved corridors. On each side of the portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
was a curved stairway leading to the main middle floor, the piano nobile
Piano nobile
The piano nobile is the principal floor of a large house, usually built in one of the styles of classical renaissance architecture...
. As as the house was originally planned, it had a central staircase, with three rooms on the south front. The middle of these rooms was the entrance hall, to the west of it was the drawing room, and to the east was the dining room. Behind the drawing room was the library, and behind the dining room was a room known as the common parlour. Across the back of the house, on this floor, there were two bedrooms and three dressing rooms. The western pavilion contained the servants' bedrooms, and in the eastern pavilion was the kitchen. The interior of the house contained craftsmanship of a high quality. The plasterwork
Plasterwork
Plasterwork refers to construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting...
was created by Thomas Oliver of Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, the woodcarving of the doorcases and staircase was by Mathew Bertram, assisted by Daniel Shillito. Much of the furniture was made by Gillow of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
. Sir Peter also commissioned a number of paintings, which included full-length portraits of himself and his wife by Francis Cotes
Francis Cotes
Francis Cotes was an English painter, one of the pioneers of English pastel painting, and a founder member of the Royal Academy in 1768.-Life and work:...
, and landscapes of the grounds and the halls by J. M. W. Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
and Richard Wilson
Richard Wilson (painter)
Richard Wilson was a Welsh landscape painter, and one of the founder members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Wilson has been described as '...the most distinguished painter Wales has ever produced and the first to appreciate the aesthetic possibilities of his country.' He is considered to be the...
amongst others.
An interest in paintings continued in the family's next generation. Sir John Fleming Leicester, later the 1st Lord de Tabley
Leicester Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Leicester, both in the Baronetage of England. The fifth Baronet of the second creation was raised to the peerage as Baron de Tabley in 1826...
, built a collection of modern British art that was hung in a gallery in his London house at Hill Street, Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
. In 1823 Sir John offered his collection to Lord Liverpool
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool KG PC was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since the Union with Ireland in 1801. He was 42 years old when he became premier in 1812 which made him younger than all of his successors to date...
to form the basis of the planned National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
, but the offer was declined. After Sir John's death in 1827 the best works were sold by auction and the remainder moved to Tabley, where most of them are today. Between 1808 and 1810 the three original rooms on the west side of the first floor of the house had been converted into a single tripartite room to form a picture gallery by Thomas Harrison
Thomas Harrison (architect)
Thomas Harrison was an English architect and engineer. He built a number of bridges, including Grosvenor Bridge in Chester. He also rebuilt parts of Chester and Lancaster castles...
. Further work was carried out in the room following this; Peter Cannon Brookes, the author of the 1991 guide to the house, concludes that the final appearance of the room "dates almost entirely from 1840–45".
After Sir John's death the house was structurally reorganised for George Warren, 2nd Baron de Tabley
George Warren, 2nd Baron de Tabley
George Fleming Warren, 2nd Baron de Tabley PC was a British Liberal politician. He notably served as Treasurer of the Household under William Ewart Gladstone between 1868 and 1872.-Background:...
by Robert Curzon
Robert Curzon, 14th Baron Zouche
Robert Curzon, 14th Baron Zouche , styled The Honourable Robert Curzon between 1829 and 1870, was an English traveller, diplomat and author, active in the Near East. He was responsible for acquiring several unimportant and late Biblical manuscripts from Eastern Orthodox monasteries.Curzon was the...
, a family friend and an "amateur architect". The house was re-orientated to move the front entrance to the north side of the house. The architecture of the north front had previously been "simple and dignified", but it was enhanced to make its appearance more impressive. The alterations included adding rustication
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
to the bottom storey and around the central window, and quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
to the three projecting central bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. The arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the 2nd baron were added to the previously blank pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
, and in 1915 a small porch was built over the new entrance. The south portico had become redundant, other than serving as an entrance to the garden. The new entrance led by way of a small lobby to a new staircase up to a new entrance hall on the first floor. A new dining room was created in the northeast corner.
The house and estate continued to be owned by the Leicester family until the death of Lt. Col. John Leicester Warren in 1975. The first request in his will was that the estate should if possible be taken into the care of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, but this was declined by the Trust. The executor
Executor
An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out .-Overview:...
s then acted on Warren's second request, to pass the estate to a charitable institution, and thus it came into the care of the Victoria University of Manchester
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
. By the time of Warren's death the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Nether Tabley, comprising the estate and the halls, had been owned by the Leicester family for almost exactly 700 years. The house was then occupied by a school until it closed in 1984. In 1988 a 125 year lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
of the house, the stables, and the associated buildings was sold by the university to Cygnet Health Care, on condition that the suite of rooms on the first floor of the house, and their contents, should be preserved. Between 1988 and 1990 the health care company carried out structural repairs to deal with damage caused by dry rot
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
and the death watch beetle
Death watch beetle
The death watch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum, is a woodboring beetle. The adult beetle is long, while the xylophagous larvae are up to long....
. The ground and top floors of the house, and the wings, have been converted into nursing accommodation, leaving the appearance of the exterior virtually unchanged. In 1990 the first floor was opened to the public under the care of the Tabley House Collection Trust. The original entrance by the stairway on the south front was re-instated for this purpose.
Architecture
Tabley House was designated as a Grade I listed building on 5 March 1959. Its architectural style is PalladianPalladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
, the only 18th-century Palladian country house in Cheshire. The house has three storeys; the bottom storey is constructed in rusticated stone, with the upper storeys in Flemish bond brick with stone dressings. A Doric frieze
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
runs around the whole building below the eaves. The roofs are in green slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
with lead flashings
Flashing (weatherproofing)
Flashing refers to thin continuous pieces of sheet metal or other impervious material installed to prevent the passage of water into a structure from an angle or joint...
. The south front has nine bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
, the central three bays projecting forward. On each side of the central projection is a semi-circular stairway leading to the middle floor. The stairway is built in rusticated stone and it has a moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
balustrade
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
. From the top of the stairway a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
rises through the top two storeys. It consists of four columns in Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
style constructed from red Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. Its tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
contains the arms of Sir Peter Byrne Leicester and his wife, Catherine. All the windows in the ground floor are sashes
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
with 3x2 panes and over each window there are splayed voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s. The central bay of the middle storey contains a doorway with an architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
and a segmental pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
carried on brackets. On each side of the door is a window with similar architraves and segmental pediments, but not carried on brackets. In the lateral three bays on each side are sash windows with 3x5 panes over which are architraves and triangular pediments. The top floor windows are also sashes, these having 3x3 panes, and architraves with scrolls at the top and bottom.
The north front is also symmetrical and is in seven bays, with the central three projecting slightly forwards. Over the bays is a pediment containing the arms of the 2nd Baron de Tabley
George Warren, 2nd Baron de Tabley
George Fleming Warren, 2nd Baron de Tabley PC was a British Liberal politician. He notably served as Treasurer of the Household under William Ewart Gladstone between 1868 and 1872.-Background:...
and his wife Catherina. In the centre of the ground floor is a porch, on either side of which are two 3x2 sash windows, plus a narrow two-pane window. The middle floor has a central Venetian window surrounded by a rusticated stone arch. All the other windows on this floor are 3x5 sashes; those on each side of the central window have triangular pediments, while those in the lateral bays have horizontal architraves. The top storey has seven 3x3 sash windows; the central three have scrolls similar to those on the south front, while the surrounds to the lateral two windows on each side are plainer.
On each side elevation there are central cant
Cant
Cant, canting, or canted may refer to:*Empty, uncritical thought or talk - see *The slope or angle at which something is set, such as the frames of a ship's hull - again, see *Cant , a secret language...
ed bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
s. The middle floor has arched windows on the west front, while the corresponding windows on the east front are blind. On each side of the house are two-storey pavilion wings joined to the main block by quadrant (curved), single-storey corridors. Each pavilion is symmetrical and identical, built in brick with stone dressings. Each is in three bays, the central bay forming a canted bay window. Again, the windows are sashes.
To the east of the house, and linked to it by the Old Hall Room, is St Peter's Chapel. Incorporated in the Old Hall Room is the painted and gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
wooden chimney-piece from the Old Hall, which had been installed in the Old Hall by Sir Peter Leycester in 1619. It includes carvings of caryatid
Caryatid
A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese...
s, statues of Lucretia
Lucretia
Lucretia is a legendary figure in the history of the Roman Republic. According to the story, told mainly by the Roman historian Livy and the Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus , her rape by the king's son and consequent suicide were the immediate cause of the revolution that overthrew the...
and Cleopatra in niches
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
, and a female nude lying on a skull and holding an hourglass
Hourglass
An hourglass measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically...
. The windows in the Old Hall Room contain stained glass panels with various designs, including depictions of English monarchs from William II
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
to George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
.
Interior
The entrance to the first floor on the south front leads to a room now known as the Portico Room. This was the original entrance hall to the house, but as a result of the 19th-century alterations it was converted into a billiard roomBilliard room
A billiard room is a recreation room, such as in a house or recreation center, with a billiards, pool or snooker table...
. It was later used as a drawing room
Drawing room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber", which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642...
, and during the time the house was used as a school, it was the school library. From 1990 it has been restored as the entrance hall. It contains a white chimney-piece and a cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
grate. The mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
woodwork was carved by Daniel Shillito and Mathew Bertram and the plasterwork was by Thomas Oliver. In the side walls are plaster figures of Isis
Isis
Isis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
and the Capitoline Flora
Flora (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Flora was a goddess of flowers and the season of spring. While she was otherwise a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, being one among several fertility goddesses, her association with the spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime...
in niches
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
, and on the walls are plaster relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
medallions representing the four season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
s. Much of the furniture in the room has been moved from elsewhere in the house. The breakfast table carries the mark of the Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
firm of Gillow. The lantern suspended from the middle of the ceiling was made by Ince and Mayhew
Ince and Mayhew
Ince and Mayhew were a partnership of furniture designers, upholsterers and cabinetmakers, founded and run by William Ince and John Mayhew in London, England, from 1759 to 1803; Mayhew continued alone in business until 1809. Their premises were listed in London directories in Broad Street, Soho,...
in about 1770, and was restored by Plowden and Smith in 1998.
To the east of the Portico Room is the Drawing Room. This was designed by Carr as the dining room, and contains a white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
chimneypiece designed by Carr. The plasterwork is again by Oliver. The furniture and paintings are original to the house. The paintings include one of John, 1st Baron Byron
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron was an English Royalist and supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War.-Life:...
by William Dobson
William Dobson
William Dobson was a portraitist and one of the first notable English painters, praised by his contemporary John Aubrey as "the most excellent painter that England has yet bred"....
, one of his wife as Saint Catherine by Peter Lely
Peter Lely
Sir Peter Lely was a painter of Dutch origin, whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court.-Life:...
, and two paintings by John Opie
John Opie
John Opie was an English historical and portrait painter. He painted many great men and women of his day, most notably in the artistic and literary professions.-Life and work:...
. The most important painting in the room is Tabley, the Seat of Sir J. F. Leicester, Bart: Windy Day, by J. M. W. Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
. Also in the room are two still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
paintings by Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale
Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale
Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale , was a British Liberal politician.-Background:Born in Fontainebleau, France, Ribblesdale was the eldest son of Thomas Lister, 3rd Baron Ribblesdale, and his wife Emma daughter of William Mure, and succeeded his father in the barony in 1876.-Political...
, a cousin of the Leicesters.
The room to the north of the Drawing Room was originally the common parlour, and is now known as the Octagon Room. It provided a link between the public rooms on the south of the house and the more private rooms on the north side. Again designed by Carr, its canted corners contain china cabinets. It also contains a set of five paintings of Tabley by Anthony Devis
Anthony Devis
Anthony Devis was an English landscape painter.Anthony Devis was born in Preston, Lancashire. His father's name was also Anthony Devis, who was a carpenter and town councillor in the town. Anthony junior was the older of two sons of his father's second marriage, to Anne Blackburne...
. The ceiling has Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
plasterwork by Oliver. This room leads to the Dining Room on the north side of the house, which contains paintings of the Leicester family. These include 3rd Lord Tabley
John Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley
John Byrne Leicester Warren, 3rd Baron De Tabley was an English poet, numismatist, botanist and an authority on bookplates.-Biography:...
by Frank Holl
Frank Holl
Frank Holl , English painter, was born in London, and was educated chiefly at University College School.He was a grandson of William Holl, an engraver of note, and the son of Francis Holl, ARA, another engraver, whose profession he originally intended to follow...
, Colonel Sir John Leicester, Bart., and the King's Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry exercising on the Sands at Liverpool by George Jones
George Jones (painter)
George Jones was a British painter, and Keeper of the Royal Academy, most famous for his paintings of military subjects.-Life and work:...
, Portrait of 2nd Lord de Tabley by Margaret Carpenter
Margaret Carpenter (painter)
Margaret Carpenter , born Margaret Sarah Geddes, was a British painter.Very famous in her time, she mostly painted portraits in the manner of Sir Thomas Lawrence. She was a close friend of Richard Parkes Bonington.-Biography:...
, a full-length Portrait of 2nd Lord de Tabley as Colonel Commandant of the Earl of Chester's Yeomanry Cavalry by Francis Grant
Francis Grant (artist)
Sir Francis Grant, RA , was a Scottish portrait painter, who painted Queen Victoria and many distinguished British aristocratic and political figures of the day...
, Hilda, Mrs Cuthbert Leicester Warren by Simon Elwes
Simon Elwes
Lt. Col. Simon Edmund Vincent Paul Elwes, better known as Simon Elwes, RP, RA, KM was a British war artist and society portrait painter whose patrons included kings, queens, statesmen, sportsmen, prominent social figures and many members of Britain's Royal Family...
, Lt. Colonel John Leicester Warren by Graham Rust
Graham Rust
Graham Rust, born in Hertfordshire, England in 1942, is an internationally renowned artist and muralist.-Life:Graham Redgrave-Rust was born in Hertfordshire, England in 1942. He studied drawing and painting at the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art, the Central School of Arts and Crafts in...
, and Margaret Leicester Warren by Philip de László. Also in the room is Extensive Picturesque Landscape, with Gypsies by Francis Bourgeois
Francis Bourgeois
Sir Peter Francis Bourgeois was an English-Swiss landscape painter and court painter to George III. He lived with his French partner Noel Desenfans and Desenfans's Welsh wife Margaret Morris. The three lived together in a house in Charlotte Street, London...
and, over the sideboard
Sideboard
A sideboard is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes such as silver, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and one or more drawers, all topped by a flat display surface for conveniently holding...
, is the Portrait of the Prince Regent, later George IV by Thomas Lawrence
Thomas Lawrence
Thomas Lawrence may refer to:*Sir Thomas Lawrence, British artist, President of Royal Academy*Thomas Lawrence , mayor of colonial Philadelphia*T. E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia"*Thomas Lawrence , U.S. politician...
and his studio. The fireplace in the Dining Room is made from Anglesey marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and was designed by George Bullock.
In the centre of the first floor is the Oak Hall, so-called because of the oaks formerly growing on the site of the new hall. It contains a mahogany four-flight staircase. The staircase has triple ballusters, and was carved by Shillito. Afain the plasterwork is by Oliver. More family portraits hang on its walls and the hall's contents include a hobby horse
Hobby horse (toy)
A hobby horse is a child's toy horse, particularly popular during the days before cars. Children played at riding a wooden hobby horse made of a straight stick with a small horse's head , and perhaps reins, attached to one end. The bottom end of the stick sometimes had a small wheel or wheels...
, a man trap
Mantrap
Mantraps are physical security devices or constructions designed to entrap a human on purpose.-Historical usage:Historically, mantraps were mechanical devices for catching poachers and trespassers. The devices have taken many forms, the most usual being like a large foothold trap, the steel springs...
, and an 18th-century sedan chair
Litter (vehicle)
The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of persons. Examples of litter vehicles include lectica , jiao [较] , sedan chairs , palanquin , Woh , gama...
. Also in the hall is a memorial display for Tabley House School. The other room on the north side of the house is known as the Marble Hall. This was created from Carr's original rooms in the 19th-century alterations. It contains five relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s on its wall, one of which depicts the nine muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
s.
The west side of the first floor is occupied by the gallery, which has been described as "one of the great rooms of Cheshire". It contains most of the finest furniture from the house. The items include mirrors and marble tops attributed to the London workshops of Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...
, and sofas attributed to George Bullock. There is more furniture by Gillow, a "very rare" 17th-century English virginal
Virginals
The virginals or virginal is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family...
signed "Phillip Jones", and an Italian spinet
Spinet
A spinet is a smaller type of harpsichord or other keyboard instrument, such as a piano or organ.-Spinets as harpsichords:While the term spinet is used to designate a harpsichord, typically what is meant is the bentside spinet, described in this section...
dating from about 1598. Paintings in the gallery include the Portrait of Sir John Fleming Leicester, 1st Lord de Tabley, in Peer's Robes, started by Joshua Reynolds
Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
and completed by James Northcote
James Northcote
James Northcote RA , was an English painter.-Biography:He was born at Plymouth, and was apprenticed to his father, a poor watchmaker. In his spare time, he drew and painted. In 1769 he left his father and set up as a portrait painter. Four years later he went to London and was admitted as a pupil...
, and Portrait of Georgiana Maria Lady Leicester by Lawrence. There are more paintings by Northcote and Lawrence, and others by James Ward
James Ward (artist)
James Ward , R.A., was a painter, particularly of animals, and an engraver.-Biography:Born in London, and younger brother of William Ward the engraver, James Ward was influenced by many people, but his career is conventionally divided into two periods: until 1803, his single greatest influence was...
, Julius Caesar Ibbetson
Julius Caesar Ibbetson
Julius Caesar Ibbetson was a British 18th-century landscape and watercolour painter.-Early life and education:...
, William Hilton
William Hilton
William Hilton , was an English portrait and history painter.-Life and work:Hilton was born in Lincoln, the son of a portrait-painter; he may be known as "William Hilton the Younger"...
, Charles Robert Leslie
Charles Robert Leslie
]Charles Robert Leslie , was an English genre painter. Born in London, his parents were American, and when he was five years of age he returned with them to their native country. They settled in Philadelphia, where their son was educated and afterwards apprenticed to a bookseller...
, Francis Cotes
Francis Cotes
Francis Cotes was an English painter, one of the pioneers of English pastel painting, and a founder member of the Royal Academy in 1768.-Life and work:...
, Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli was a British painter, draughtsman, and writer on art, of Swiss origin.-Biography:...
, Augustus Wall Callcott
Augustus Wall Callcott
Sir Augustus Wall Callcott was an English landscape painter-Life and work:Callcott was born in Kensington gravel pits, London. His first study was music and he sang for several years in the choir of Westminster Abbey...
, and George Henry Harlow
George Henry Harlow
George Henry Harlow , was a highly-regarded English portrait painter.- Life :Harlow was born in St. James's Street, London, the posthumous son of a China merchant, who after some years' residence in the East had died about five months before his son's birth, leaving a widow with five infant daughters...
.
Grounds
The grounds cover an area of about 240 hectares (593.1 acre) and are listed Grade II in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in EnglandNational Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
. What remains of Tabley Old Hall consists of its shell in three storeys, constructed in red English garden wall bond brick with stone dressings. The ruin is listed Grade II*, and its moated site and gatehouse are a scheduled monument. To the north of the Old Hall is Moat Farm. One of the farm buildings, dating from the mid-17th century, is listed Grade II. By Tabley Mere is a boathouse in brick with stone dressings, but lacking a roof, in Gothic
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
style; it is listed Grade II. On an island in the mere is a folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
tower, dating from about 1780, constructed in red brick. It is a circular structure in three storeys, with machicolation
Machicolation
A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...
s and battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
s at its summit. The folly is also listed Grade II.
To the north of Tabley House, off Chester Road, are two entrance lodges, each of which is listed Grade II. The White Lodge dates from about 1770 and was probably designed by John Carr. It is constructed in whitewash
Whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a very low-cost type of paint made from slaked lime and chalk . Various other additives are also used...
ed English garden wall bond brick with a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. The Red Lodge dates from the late 19th century; it is constructed in English garden wall bond brick with timber framing, and has a tiled roof. St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church, Tabley
St Peter's Church, Tabley, is a chapel to the west of Tabley House near Knutsford, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.-History:...
to the west of the house is a Grade I listed building. It is joined to the house by a linking building, constructed in 1927–29 in red Flemish bond brick with stone dressings and a stone slate roof. The linking building is listed Grade II. To the south of the house is a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dating from the early 19th century constructed in stone with a copper dial and gnomon
Gnomon
The gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. Gnomon is an ancient Greek word meaning "indicator", "one who discerns," or "that which reveals."It has come to be used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields....
; it is listed Grade II. To the south of this is a parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
wall, about 1 metres (3 ft) high, constructed in red Flemish bond brick, with piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
carrying stone balls. It is also listed Grade II. To the north of the house is the former stable block dating from about 1760, designed by John Carr. It was converted and extended in 1995–96. The block is constructed in red brick with stone dressings and green slate roofs. Although it has been altered since it was originally built, it has maintained its Grade II listing for its "group value", recognising "the importance of its massing and exterior character to the setting of Tabley House". To the north of the stable block is a dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
dating from about 1760. It is an octagonal structure in two storeys built in red brick with a slate roof, and is listed Grade II.
Present day
The ground and top floors of the main house, and the wings, are run as Tabley House Nursing Home by Cygnet Health Care. The rooms on the first floor, with their collection of paintings and furniture, have been open to the public since 1990. These rooms are open at advertised times during the summer months, as is the Tea Room in the Old Hall Room. The hall is licensed for civil weddings and is available to hire for conferences and meetings. Occasional events are organised at the house. Tabley House is managed by the Tabley House Collection Trust. It is supported by a group known as The Friends of Tabley, and by volunteers.See also
- Grade I listed buildings in CheshireGrade I listed buildings in CheshireThe Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire, excluding those in the city of Chester, total around 80, almost half of which are churches.Most Cheshire buildings are in sandstone, brick or are timber framed. The churches are mainly built in stone, while the domestic buildings are mainly in brick. ...
- List of works by Thomas Harrison
- St Peter's Church, TableySt Peter's Church, TableySt Peter's Church, Tabley, is a chapel to the west of Tabley House near Knutsford, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.-History:...