The Stately Homes of England

by Llewellynn Frederick William Jewitt; S. C. Hall

The Hall.

The Staircase leads, almost direct, to King James’s Room, or the Great Chamber, one of the noblest apartments of the house, the extreme magnificence of which it is not easy to describe; in truth, it is too rich, and the eye turns involuntarily to the grand oriel windows for relief. The ceiling is of exquisite design, and was till recently plain white; now it is all gold and colours. The chimney-piece is massive, of white marble; and a central niche over the fire contains a life-size statue of James I. in dark stone. The fire-dogs are of silver; the furniture and the six chandeliers are gilt; the curtains are of white satin; the chair and sofa coverings are crimson velvet; and the carpet, “patent Axminster,” is of Elizabethan design, worked in brown, gold, scarlet, and blue. This room, which is very large, contains some of the most important pictures, including Reynolds’s portraits of George III. and Queen Charlotte.

The Gallery extends the whole length of the south front; it is about 60 feet long and 20 feet wide. The ceiling is of remarkable beauty, and of the finest examples of a period that was most prolific in such designs. The walls are panelled with oak, and are profusely carved.

The Library, of equal dimensions with King James’s Room, is enriched over the chimney-piece with a fine mosaic portrait of the first Earl of Salisbury—1608. The collection of books and MSS. is of extreme interest and value. Here, among other treasures, are preserved “the forty-two articles of Edward VI., with his autograph;” Cardinal Wolsey’s instructions to the ambassador sent to the Pope by Henry VIII., with Wolsey’s autograph; and a pedigree of Queen Elizabeth, emblazoned, tracing her ancestry to Adam. The state papers in the collection extend through the successive administrations of Lord Burleigh and his son, the first Earl of Salisbury, and include documents which came into Lord Burleigh’s hands through his connection with the court. Here are no fewer than 13,000 letters, from the reign of Henry VIII. to that of James I. Among the earlier MSS. are copies of William of Malmesbury’s and Roger de Hoveden’s English History; a splendid MS., with miniature of Henry VII.; another, with the autograph of Henry VI.; a treatise on Councils, by Archbishop Cranmer; the original depositions touching the divorce of Anne of Cleves; the proclamation of Edward VI. on ascending the throne; the original council-book of Queen Mary I.; historical MSS. by Lord Burleigh; the Duke of Norfolk’s book of copies of his letters on the affairs of Mary Queen of Scots; accounts of the Earl of Northumberland’s conspiracies, and the actual draft, in the handwriting of Sir Robert Cecil, of the proclamation declaring James of Scotland King of England, as well as the papers relating to the gunpowder plot, and to the Raleigh conspiracy, &c. Here are also many autograph letters of Queen Elizabeth, and the famous Cecil papers, “the oak cradle of Queen Elizabeth, the pair of silk stockings presented to her by Sir Thomas Gresham, and the purse of James I.”

The Chapel is a remarkably fine and interesting room, with a richly-painted window, and a gallery decorated with paintings of scriptural subjects.

The Park and grounds are full of fine trees, which from many points offer beautiful pictures, more particularly when seen in combination with the house or garden-terraces. Among the grand old trees in the park are the “Lion Oak,” nearly 60 feet in girth, and a thousand years old; and “Queen Elizabeth’s Oak,” under which she is said to have been sitting when she received the news of her accession to the throne. The Gardens and Vineyard are remarkably beautiful and interesting. The latter, which is entered through an avenue of yew trees forming a picturesque wall on either side, and cut so as to give the appearance of walls and towers, with loopholes and battlements, is immortalised by Pepys.

The Privy Garden, on the west side of the mansion, is enclosed within a high and closely-cut hedge, with a close walk or avenue all around it. In each of the four angles stood a mulberry tree, said to have been planted by King James I., and in the centre is a pond surrounded by rock-work.

The three pairs of splendid entrance-gates, of French metal work, and of the most elaborate and artistic character, were put up by the late Marquis of Salisbury in 1846, when Hatfield House was honoured by the presence of her Majesty and the Prince Consort.