New! Four Historic Houses to View
Take a look at the four wonderful historic houses. Each one will be available for a private tour conducted in association with the Historic Houses Association. More details will be posted shortly.
Please let us know which tours are of interest to you by emailing:
communications@belgraviaresidents.org.uk
Goldsborough Hall is a Grade II* 17nth century stately home in North Yorkshire, not open to the general public with viewings arranged by appointment only. The formal landscaped gardens were laid out by Richard Woods during the 1750s in the style of Capability Brown. More recently the Hall was home to HRH Princess Mary who lived here during the 1920s following her marriage to Viscount Lascelles, son and heir of the 5th Earl of Harewood. Highlights of the now fully restored gardens include snowdrops and spring bulbs, a hellebore walk, a giant redwood and of the oldest horsechestnuts left standing in the country. In the grounds there is also a copse of 5 Japanese cherry trees, given to Princess Mary as a wedding gift by the Emperor of Japan. There is also a quarter of a mile Lime Tree Walk, host to over 50.000 daffodils in the spring. Among the most famous are those planted by King George V and Queen Mary and The Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother).
Spencer House, situated in the heart of St James’, is one of London’s finest 18nth century private palaces and the last to remain intact. It was built in 1756-66 for John, first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and stands as one of the pioneer examples of neo-classical architecture. However it was also designed for pleasure and a festive theme runs through all the state rooms which were used for lavish receptions and family gatherings. The recent accurate restoration to its full splendour is complimented by a magnificent collection of paintings and furniture, specially assembled for the House, including five Benjamin West paintings graciously lent by Her Majesty the Queen.
Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, was built between 1874 and 1889 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to display his outstanding collection of art treasures and to entertain the fashionable world. Fascinated by the history and culture of France, he commissioned a French architect to build him a Renaissance-style chateau as well as a French garden designer. In Baron Ferdinand’s day a garden tour would include the Aviary, the ornamental Dairy, romantic Pulham grottoes and a menagerie of deers, goats and llamas. Nowadays, Waddesdon has one of the finest Victorian gardens in Britain, famous for its parterre, three dimensional carpet bedding, seasonal displays, shady walks and views, fountains and statuary. It also contains a small but important collection of contemporary sculpture.
Hammersmith Terrace is a tall terraced house on the River Thames at Hammersmith in West London and the former home of Emery Walker, a friend as well as mentor to William Morris. It also has the last authentic Arts and Crafts interior in Britain with the furnishings and decoration preserved as they were in the lifetime of its former owner and famous printer (1851-1933) . The house is of modest proportions compared to other artists’ open to the public in London, such as Leighton House, but it is typical of other houses belonging to key figures of the Arts and Crafts movement.