Ham House
Was built in 1610 Ham House is part along with its gardens to the famous sights of London Borough of London Borough of Richmond upon Thames . The interior of the red brick building on the right bank of the Thames is a unique example from the era of the Stuart Restoration . Today's owner is the National Trust .
Building history and interior
The grand staircase and suite on the first floor, the grand dining room , the salon on the north side and the long gallery with the final picture cabinet go to William Murray, whipping boy of the later King Charles I , who rebuilt the interior between 1637 and 1639 back. In the 1670s, the Duke of Lauderdale expanded the building and completely renovated the interior . Large parts of the interior, including inlays, carvings and leather wall coverings, date from this period. Many of the furnishings were custom built, and several of them are already on contemporary inventory lists.
On the ground floor of the building are the private rooms, including the bedrooms, which is considered quite unusual these days. The walls are mostly paneled or covered with leather wallpaper. The grand staircase with its structured, once gilded panels and its elaborately carved balustrade lead to the stately rooms on the first floor. The limited size of these rooms contrasts with the furnishings, which include ceiling paintings , parquet floors , marble mantelpiece , tapestries and wall coverings made of damask or silk .
Garden area
The English author, architect and horticulturist John Evelyn wrote after a visit to the house and the gardens of the Duke of Lauderdale: “It comes close to the most beautiful villas in Italy. The house, furnished like a prince's, is surrounded by parterres , flower gardens, orangeries , forests , avenues, courtyards, statues, perspectives, fountains and aviaries , and all on the banks of the most enchanting river in the world. ”As the National Trust owned In 1948, the gardens described by Evelyn no longer existed. From 1976 onwards, however, it was restored according to old plans in the style of the 17th century, so that the house and gardens now form a harmonious unit again.
Marble Hill House on the opposite bank of the river can be reached with Hammerton's Ferry .
literature
- Peter Furtado, Nathaniel Harris, Hazel Harrison, Paul Pettit: The Country Life Book of Castle and Houses in Britain. Newnes Books, Twickenham 1986, ISBN 0-600-35867-4 , p. 81.
- Bamber Gascoigne: Encyclopedia of Britain. BCA, London et al. 1993, ISBN 0-333-54764-0 , p. 286.
- Rupert O. Matthews: Great Britain. Beauty and tradition. Karl Müller, Erlangen 1995, ISBN 3-86070-120-7 , pp. 84-85.
- Peter Thornton , Maurice Tomlin: The Furnishing and Decoration of Ham House. Furniture History Society, London 1981.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Patrick Taylor: English Gardens . Dorling Kindersley, London 2003, ISBN 3-8310-0781-0 , p. 145.
Coordinates: 51 ° 26 ′ 37 ″ N , 0 ° 18 ′ 59 ″ W.