Even the gatehouse on the approach to Charlecote House proper was an imposing, attractive building! And a very useful one too, housing on its walls an illustrated, near 1000 year chronology of the Lucy family and Charlecote. In brief, the Lucy family from Normandy came to Britain in the 1100s and in 1189 Walter de Charlecote married one of the Lucy heiresses. Sir Thomas Lucy built Charlecote in 1558 but the property is now prized as one of the best examples of the Elizabethan Revival style of the 1800s. This redesign followed the marriage of George Hammond Lucy to Mary Elizabeth Williams from Wales in 1823 and it is their most important rooms, renovated in the 1850s following their Grand Tour of Europe, that one sees as a visitor today. Following the decline of the family fortune from the 1870s, the house and park were “presented” to the National Trust in 1946, although the family still reside in one wing.
Entering the Great Hall of the house, it felt very sparse with few items on display, but the (almost) solo act was indeed stunning! and I learned what pietra dura meant – a material made from a variety of stone types (lapis lazuli, brocatelle, cornelian, sienna, agate, jet and others) to show off their colours and beauty, and this magnificent table did that in spades. It was bought, along with many other items, by George as he “was anxious to make the house a little more comfortable” for his fiancée, Mary Elizabeth. Quite the engagement present, especially since the table came from the Borghese Palace in Rome!
In contrast, the Ikea style routing around the house led us to the dining room, which was out of commission and undergoing major repairs due to water damage; it was sadly therefore most notable for a very ugly sideboard. Next came the library of 400 years’ worth of books, but it was having its annual clean so was also not showing us its best face. There was, though, another very beautiful (albeit smaller) pietra dura table.
In the billiard room, the marble fireplace was adorned with both the winged boar crest of the Lucy family and the three pikes and croisettes on scarlet of the Charlecotes. The Drawing Room was very handsome indeed: two special items were Mary Elizabeth’s favourite harp and the two not-Titian paintings.
A mild word of dissent here if I may…. Those paintings and many other items in the house
could not be appreciated without using the light from one’s mobile phone to see them better, due to
the extremely low “protective” lighting. I am aware, of course, of the NT’s argument for doing this, but IMHO it is disproportionate to facilitating members doing what we want – and pay – to do, ie enjoy these treasures of the past.
Another NT decision I learnt of, that did not sit well with me on this visit, was that the (obviously new) extensive scarlet carpet with the Charlecote pikes border which had been commissioned (to replace the original threadbare one) at a cost of several millions pounds. Carpets wear out – replacements are not history: that’s a lot of money…
Onward and upward …some tricky spiral stairs led to the Lancaster bedroom with its richly carved ebony bed head- and footboards, contrasting strikingly with its crimson textiles. The room also held an interesting collection of portrait miniatures. The rest of the house upstairs was being used as Memory Rooms, and displayed a multitude of Mary Elizabeth’s written memoirs of her life at Charlecote, plus stories she had authored for her grandchildren. These all gave lovely personal, informal, often amusing insights.
There was plenty to see outside too. Ken and I enjoyed our extensive walk around the Park seeing the deer herd, and spotting the ‘spotted Jacob sheep’! These were first introduced to England in 1756 by bachelor George Lucy. Outer buildings included an impressive brew house, a laundry, and a good collection of carriages and livery stables.
– Jan Campbell