EATON HALL.
BEFORE the visitor leaves Chester, we have no doubt he will be induced to
visit Eaton Hall, the princely mansion of the Marquis of Westminster,
which is situated in a beautiful park, about three miles to the south of
Chester. The principal approach to the house is through the Chester
gateway—a fine building, situated within a short distance of the city.
The design is a spirited copy of St. Augustine’s Abbey Gate, Canterbury,
by T. Jones, Esq., architect, of Chester, who has added appropriate wings
and wing walls, after the style of architecture in the thirteenth
century. The approach is from a noble esplanade, about 200 feet long by
100 feet broad, at the further end of which the lodge is entered through
a pointed arch and groining, enriched with groups of very delicate
foliage. Each side of the archway is defended by an octagonal tower, 50
feet high, rising about 12 feet above the centre of the edifice. The
lower parts of the towers, with the wings, are comparatively plain; the
centre of them is enriched with niches, surmounted by bunches of foliage
exquisitely carved; the upper part is richly panelled and pierced, which,
combined with the battlements, produces a light effect. The middle,
above the archway and between the towers, is enriched with two windows,
surrounded by elegant mouldings, with a central niche containing the
Westminster arms, supported by the talbots in grand relief. Above the
windows are a series of grotesque heads and fretwork, surrounded with an
enriched battlement. The sides of the upper part are carried through in
the same style, but not so highly enriched. The lodge or wing portions
have a window in front, surmounted with a cornice and an appropriate
battlement, having angular buttresses. The inner front on the Eaton side
is ornamented in the same manner. To the sides are attached wing walls,
extending 60 feet, pierced with loopholes and embattled, forming a grand
_tout ensemble_.
The present magnificent edifice, the designs for which were furnished by
Porden, was erected upon the site of the old hall (a stately brick
mansion, built by Sir John Vanburgh, taken down in 1803), and is
considered the most splendid modern specimen of the pointed Gothic in the
kingdom. Although in the general design the florid Gothic order of the
time of Edward the Third has been followed, the architect has, in parts,
not only availed himself of the low Tudor arch, but has adopted the
peculiar style of any period suitable to his purpose, and has made
subservient to modern domestic convenience the rich and varied forms in
which our ancient ecclesiastical architecture abounds. The walls,
battlements, and pinnacles of the building are constructed of stone of a
light and beautiful colour, brought from Delamere Forest; and round the
turrets and in various parts of the parapets are shields, charged in
relief with the heraldic achievements of the house of Grosvenor, and of
other ancient families with whom they are allied. The building consists
of a centre and two wings, the latter differing from each other somewhat
in design; of these, that to the south, composed of two compartments, is
the more beautiful; this wing is oblong and angular, with four octagonal
turrets at the corners, buttresses at the sides, and having the embattled
parapets surmounted with pinnacles; the decorations are rich to
profusion, but every part accords with the original plan. The eastern
and western fronts agree in their general form and proportions, but the
former possesses the greater number of minute decorations. In the front
a cloister extends along the entire length between the two spacious
windows of the dining and drawing rooms, and conducts to the terrace:
from the terrace, which is 350 feet long, the view is eminently
beautiful. The groves and gardens, with the conservatory, form the
foreground; beyond them is seen the noble inlet of the Dee, and a
charming extensive landscape fills up the distance. The view from the
gardens embraces the south or library wing, but the opposite extremity is
partly hidden by the trees; beyond it, but apparently mingling with the
turrets and pinnacles, is seen a lofty octagonal clock-tower, connected
by flying buttresses with four slender shafts on a square basement; it is
attached to part of the stable court, which recedes from the line of the
east front, and which is of great extent.
The principal entrance is on the western front, under a lofty portico,
the clustered pillars of which support a beautifully groined ceiling;
from this a flight of steps leads to a pair of massive bronzed doors,
admitting to the grand entrance hall, which is elegant and lofty,
occupying the height of two stories; it is 41 feet long and 31 feet in
breadth, and has a groined ceiling, embellished with the armorial
bearings of the house of Grosvenor, and other devices in the bosses that
cover the juncture of the ribs. The branching compartments terminate in
a rich centre-piece, from which is suspended a beautiful lamp, which,
when lighted, gives the pavement, composed of the choicest marbles, a
gorgeous effect: the floor was laid down at a cost of 1,600 guineas. The
screen at the end of the hall is decorated with shields of arms, and
consists of five arches, which support a gallery connecting the sleeping
apartments on the north and south sides of the house, which are separated
by the elevation of the hall. In lofty canopied recesses at the sides of
the hall, are four complete suits of ancient armour; and beneath the
gallery two open arches, to the right and left, conduct to the grand
staircase and the state bed-room. Through a pair of massive, richly
carved, mahogany folding-doors, which cost 100 guineas each, the visitor
is ushered into the saloon, which forms the centre of a suite of
apartments of unequalled beauty and magnificence. The groined and
fretted ceilings of these rooms, decorated with the endless ramifications
of fanwork tracery and the most beautiful varieties of Gothic foliage,
brilliant in colour, and rich with the herald’s skill, yet chastened by
the direction of an exquisite taste, and subdued by the propriety of the
arrangement—the walls beautified in the richest style of decoration,
receiving and reflecting still more glowing hues as the sunbeams stream
through the painted glass with which the windows are profusely
ornamented—the paintings of the highest excellence—the chandeliers of
elaborate workmanship—the gorgeous furniture corresponding with the
house—the cabinets of Mosaic ivory and pearl—the golden vases sparkling
in the niche—in short, the whole finishing and furnishing of these
apartments constitute a combination of costliness and good taste which
justly commands the admiration of every visitor.
The _saloon_ is a splendid apartment; it is a square of 30 feet, formed
into an octagon by arches across the angles, which give to the vaultings
a beautiful form; there are three windows, enriched with tracery, and
nearly filled with painted glass, through which a subdued light is
admitted, giving to the Gothic character of the saloon a very rich and
striking effect. The elegant fan tracery of the ceiling is supported by
twelve slender columns in the angles and sides; the Roman circle, forming
the centre, is composed of numerous mouldings, and ornamented with fruit
and foliage. The stained glass windows represent the heraldic
achievements of the noble house of Grosvenor, with those of the ancient
families with whom they have formed alliances; and in the upper
compartments are six full-length figures of William the Conqueror; Sir
Gilbert le Grosvenor, his companion at the time of the Norman invasion,
and the nephew of Hugh Lupus; the lady of Sir Gilbert; Sir Robert le
Grosvenor, the Crusader; Joan Lady Grosvenor, heiress of Eaton; and Odo,
Bishop of Bayeux, uncle of the Conqueror. The furniture of the room is
chaste, both in colour and design. The chimney-piece is of statuary
marble, and opposite to it is an organ, both highly adorned. This room
has recently been richly decorated in the Alhambresque style, by Mr. John
Morris of Chester; each panel being most beautifully embellished with
landscapes.
The ante-rooms, though of similar proportions, are differently decorated;
the ceiling of each is covered with a delicate pattern of tracery, and
both are superbly furnished. The windows are composed of stained glass,
representing the figures and arms of six of the Earls of Chester.
The ante-dining-room is a handsome apartment, recently decorated in the
Alhambresque style, by Mr. Morris, though with less elaborate finish than
the saloon.
The dining-room is well proportioned, being 50 feet by 37 feet. The
simplicity of its design is not owing to any deficiency of ornament; on
the contrary, its several enrichments are gorgeous; but in comparison
with the other state apartments, which are profusely decorated, it is
characterized by a simplicity peculiarly elegant. Springing from the
corners of the room, four ribs extend their ramified tracery over the
ceiling, in the centre of which their borders of wreathed foliage unite,
and thence from a richly carved boss is suspended a large and noble
chandelier. The sideboard stands in an arched and highly enriched
recess, and placed at each end of the room are two canopied niches,
containing statues by _Westmacott_. At the lower end are those of Sir
Robert le Grosvenor, who distinguished himself in the crusades, and of
Mary, Lady Grosvenor at the time of the Revolution. Those at the upper
end of the room represent Sir Gilbert le Grosvenor, who came over from
France at the time of the Norman invasion, with his uncle, Hugh Lupus,
and Joan or Jane Lady Grosvenor, heiress of Eaton in the reign of Edward
the Fourth. The room contains full-length portraits of the late Marquis
and Marchioness of Westminster, by _Jackson_, _R.A._; Abigail meeting
David, by _Rubens_; and the Judgment of Paris, after Rubens, by _Peters_.
The walls of the dining-room are richly ornamented.
The ante-drawing-room is very elegant; its decorations, in the
Alhambresque style, are peculiarly rich. It contains three most
beautiful bookcases, chaste in design and exquisitely finished.
The drawing-room has four magnificent niches, and a noble window with a
lofty pointed arch and tracery of rich and beautiful forms, adorned with
stained glass. It is placed at the end opposite the entrance, and
commands a fine prospect, the inlet of the Dee forming a conspicuous
object in the landscape. The pattern of the ceiling, which is decorated
with compartments numerously subdivided and intersected, is formed in
four divisions issuing from clustered pillars with foliated capitals, and
united in the centre to an hexagonal frame, elaborately reticulated, from
which issues a pendant of foliage sustaining a superb chandelier of
crystal. The number and variety of the carved knots and foliage add to
the beauty of the ceiling; but the decorations that increase its effect,
and are indeed its most prominent attractions, are the shields on which
the heraldic achievements of the various branches of the Grosvenor family
are emblazoned. The pale hue of the ceiling, the gorgeous decorations in
the centre, and the rich glow of the crimson velvet with which the walls
of this noble apartment are covered, all combine to render it a scene of
unsurpassed magnificence. Corresponding in costly embellishment with its
architecture is the furniture, of blue satin, fringed with yellow silk,
crimson velvet, and damask satin. Over the chimney-piece, which is
carved in statuary marble, is a lofty mirror in an arched frame,
sufficiently broad to admit a pattern of tracery, on the compartments of
which crimson velvet is introduced with happy effect. This splendid
apartment contains the following pictures:—Judith with the head of
Holofernes, _Guercino_—Reuben showing to Jacob the bloody garment of his
son Joseph, also by _Guercino_—Antiochus and Stratonice, _Pietro de
Cortona_—Christ and the Woman of Samaria, _Mignard_—Jacob blessing
Ephraim and Manasseh, _West_—Elijah raising the Widow’s Son, also by
_West_.
The library comprehends the whole of the south wing, and is the most
spacious room in the mansion; it varies in breadth, but is 120 feet long.
The bookcases are of rich carved oak, and the windows are ornamented with
tracery and stained glass. When the door is thrown open, the view from
the further end of the library is continued through the vaulted corridor
at the opposite extremity of the house, a length of 480 feet. A very
rare piece of antiquity is preserved in the library, it is a gold torque,
an ornament of dignity worn by the ancient Britons; it is wreathed, the
rods are linked together in a circle, and it measures 10 or 11 inches in
diameter. The library contains many most valuable and rare books and
MSS., among which may be mentioned—a copy of the chronicle of Henry of
Huntingdon, in which is a curious drawing of the entry of King Stephen
into Lincoln; an illuminated MS. on vellum, containing the proceedings of
the celebrated suit of arms between Scroope and Grosvenor; and (among
other Cheshire MSS.) one volume of collections, containing a transcript
of a large portion of the celebrated and lost record, distinguished by
the name of “The Cheshire Doomsday;” also the confirmation charter of
Chester Cathedral, by the second Ranulf, surnamed De Gernon or Gernons,
Earl of Chester, in which the grant of Hugh Lupus is recapitulated.
The great staircase is very richly decorated: at the top of the first
flight of stairs are three niches with statues. On the opposite side, at
the foot of the stairs, is an arcade supporting the upper floor; and from
these arches, which have open spandrils, the best view of this
magnificent staircase is obtained.
The state bed-room is an elegant apartment; the ceiling is vaulted, and
the bed is of mahogany, and groined; its principal carved ornaments
appear on clustered pillars, detached from the corners. The sofas are of
blue satin, in richly carved and gilt frames, and the other seats are
covered in finely-wrought needlework of various colours. Over the
chimney-piece is a mirror, the frame of which is composed of
handsomely-clustered pillars, pinnacles, and crocketed canopies, the
whole being richly decorated with gilding, and minutely carved.
The tenants’ hall is under the library, and corresponds with it in
extent. The windows are enriched with tracery, and four massive
clustered pillars sustain the arches and groins of the ceding, which is
remarkably flat, when the breadth of its span is taken into
consideration.
The chapel is a small, beautifully-proportioned edifice. The windows are
beautifully ornamented with stained glass, the work of Mr. Ballantine, of
Edinburgh.
The east front of the hall is adorned with a raised terrace, from whence,
sloping to an extensive piece of water, and intersected by walks, extend
the flower gardens and pleasure grounds, which cover a space of 50 acres.
The extensive pleasure grounds and gardens are laid out with admirable
taste; the conservatory, recently erected, is a most beautiful
construction, and forms an attractive object. At the termination of a
fine gravel walk, and opposite to the conservatory, a Gothic temple has
been built for the reception of a Roman altar, discovered near Chester,
1821. The Mosaic pavement of the temple was brought from a palace of the
Emperor Tiberius, in the island of Caprie, by Lord Robert Grosvenor.
The stables, which form a large quadrangle on the north side of the hall,
are erected in a style of architecture correspondent with that of the
house, and are separated from it by a small shrubbery.
An elegant iron bridge of 150 feet span, crossing the river Dee, which
runs through a part of the grounds, is likewise a real embellishment to
the landscape. This bridge is exceedingly ornamental; it was erected by
Hazledine, at an expense of about £8,000. From each point by which Eaton
Hall is approached, it presents a picture of unusual architectural
grandeur: the scenery by which the hall is surrounded heightens the
effect; westward, the view embraces the mountains of Wales; and to the
east appear the Peckforton hills, with the bold rock on which stand the
ruins of Beeston Castle. The river Dee, winding in various directions,
imparts great beauty to the varied and extensive landscape.
The noble house of Grosvenor traces its descent through a long line of
illustrious ancestors, who flourished in Normandy with dignity and
splendour, from the time it was created a sovereign Dukedom, in the year
912, to the conquest of England in 1066, always ranking with the first
nobles, and having had the government of many castles and strongholds in
that Duchy. The founder of this ancient house was uncle of Rollo, the
famous Dane, and was one of the principal commanders who, in the year
876, accompanied him in his invasion of England. William, seventh Duke
of Normandy, at the time of his descent upon England, in 1066, was
accompanied by his twin brother Robert, afterwards Earl of Cornwall, and
Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, afterwards Earl of Kent; he had also, for his
immediate attendants, his nephew, Hugh Lupus, afterwards Earl of Chester,
and Gilbert le Grosvenor, nephew to Hugh.
The present Marquis succeeded to the title in 1845, and is the
twenty-second in descent from Gilbert le Grosvenor, the companion in arms
of William the Conqueror. His lordship, who holds the office of
Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire, married, in 1819, Elizabeth Mary, youngest
daughter of the Duke of Sutherland, and has, with other issue, a son and
heir, Hugh Lupus, Earl Grosvenor, one of the representatives in
Parliament for Chester, for which so many members of this illustrious
house have been elected.
Admission to visit Eaton Hall can only be obtained by tickets, which may
be had of the principal booksellers, and at the hotels, at fixed prices;
the proceeds being distributed by the Marquis of Westminster to public
charities.
For further particulars respecting Eaton Hall, see “Hicklin’s Guide to
Eaton Hall,” price 1s., published by Hugh Roberts, Eastgate Row, Chester.
ECCLESTON
is a beautiful little village, about two miles from Chester, much
resorted to by the inhabitants of that city, and by strangers, from its
vicinity to Eaton Hall. The chief object of attraction is the church,
built in 1810 by the late Marquis of Westminster. The interior of the
church is chaste and handsome; in the north transept is the mausoleum of
the Eaton family, and opposite to it their pew: over the altar is a fine
painting, by Westall, of the Dead Christ.