From the Winter Garden the visitor is shown the Italian Garden, opposite the west front. This front of the house opens upon a noble terrace, three hundred feet in length, enriched with statuary, vases, &c., from which three flights of steps lead down to the Dutch Garden, laid out in geometrical form by Nesfield, in the same general manner as that by him at Castle Howard, which we have heretofore described. In the centre of this parterre is a noble sundial, and from this point, looking to the south, a view is obtained of the grand avenue of fine old lime-trees, four hundred and fifty yards in length, at the termination of which the Church of Somerleyton is seen. Near to this avenue, in which are some fine sculptured figures and groups and other objects, is a double avenue of elm-trees. In this garden will be especially noticed two admirably sculptured figures of “Night” and “Morning,” by the late John Thomas, an artist of eminence and great ability, whose advice is understood to have greatly guided Sir Morton Peto in the adornment of the beautiful house; he may, indeed, be described as “the architect.” There is also (but on the other side of the Winter Garden) a drinking-fountain, created by a statue, the work of Joseph Durham, A.R.A., of a milkmaid, her pail at her feet, in an attitude that implies outlook for the kine.
The West Front, one hundred and fifty feet in length, is composed of a central tower and two wings, with large bay windows. The entrance is by a porch in the central tower.
The Corridor, lined with wainscot, leads to a finely panelled Hall, from which a staircase ascends to the upper suites of apartments. The Hall is hung with arms and curious and valuable armour, one suit of which, of remarkably fine design and the most exquisite workmanship, is inlaid with gold, and bears a German motto, and the date 1652. Over the massive chimney-piece the wall is decorated by Maclise’s large oil-painting of “Chivalry.” It contains also other valuable works of Art; among them a fine picture of deer by Sir Edwin Landseer, in his best manner and his best time. In the stained-glass windows are the arms of some of the successive owners of Somerleyton—Allin, Anguish, Godolphin-Osborne, Peto, Crossley, &c. On the landing is a portrait-picture of George and Robert Stephenson, and in the passage from the Staircase to the Boudoir are “Edward the Confessor leaving his Crown to Harold,” and “Harold’s Oath to William, Duke of Normandy,” pictures of great merit by John Cross. There is also in the Hall a grand colossal statue of Æneas. In the outer Hall—placed on a very graceful pedestal—is a marble statue of a boy who has been gathering shells by the seashore; it is a portrait-statue of the present baronet, and is one of the charming works of Joseph Durham, A.R.A.
The Dining-hall, which is two stories in height, has a rich carved polychrome ceiling in compartments, and cornices of oak, with gilt reliefs, and clusters of fruit and wreaths of flowers. It has a huge pyramidal chimney-piece, supported by two full-length caryatides, “Summer” and “Winter,” by John Thomas. The ceiling is carried on brackets supported by heads of the roebuck, wild boar, &c. In the stained-glass windows are medallion-portraits of Newton, Watt, Chaucer, Shakspere, Wren, and Reynolds, surmounted by allegorical figures of the liberal sciences. On either side the fire-place are chefs-d’œuvre of Stanfield fitted into panels, and above these are frescoes by Maclise and Horsley. The furniture is massive and appropriate, and a fine minstrel’s gallery adds much to the beauty of the room. In this gallery is a fine mechanical orchestral organ. The two paintings by Stanfield are, we believe, the largest in size of his productions, and undoubtedly his best works. They are so well known as to need no description here: one is the Storming of St. Sebastian, the other the dismantled Victory towed into Gibraltar after the battle of Trafalgar. These are monuments to the memory of one of the greatest painters of any age. In this most beautiful room also hang a “St. Simeon,” by Guido, and a large and very fine example of G. Lance: it is called “The Seneschal,” and is certainly the best work of this artist.
The Breakfast-room, a charming apartment filled with choice objects, commands a view down one of the avenues; in it are the “Italian Peasants,” by Armitage, landscapes by Constable, a fruit-piece by Hunt, &c.
The Library has a beautiful ceiling, and is fitted with carved book-cases, containing editions of all modern authors. In the extensive collection few works of merit and interest are omitted. Over the chimney-piece, with its motto, “Learn to live, live to learn,” is Rembrandt’s grand picture of “Ferdinand and Isabella;” and there are also portraits of Milton and Shakspere, the latter a “life” portrait from Stowe.
The old Drawing-room is wainscoted throughout, and the cornices, door-heads, and mirror-frame are exquisitely and elaborately carved with game, and groups and festoons of fruit and flowers, attributed to Gibbons. In the upper lights of tho windows, of modern insertion, landscapes are introduced.
The Drawing-room, Billiard-room, and other apartments are all of equal elegance, and all filled with costly furniture and choice works of Art, among which are paintings by Beverley, Lance, Solomon, Mole, and others.
In the upper rooms of the house—not, of course, shown to visitors—is preserved the ancient tapestry which adorned the walls of the old mansion; and here, too, are many gems of Art, including examples of Wright of Derby, Wilson, Bright, and others; with Manuel’s “Voyage Subjects,” twenty-two in number. The subjects of the tapestry are as follows:—In the Tapestry-room, the “Story of Lucretia;” in the Dressing-room, portions of a very large tapestry, “The Passage of the Red Sea,” “Moses striking the Rock,” &c. The “Story of Lucretia” is in five panels, very beautifully wrought, obviously from the designs of an accomplished artist. There are also pictures of great worth in some of these rooms; notably a portrait by Holbein of his mother, a series of charming drawings by Henry Bright, and several fine proof engravings of great pictures. Many of the pieces of furniture were purchased at Stowe, and are of great rarity and worth—brilliant examples of Art of a past but honoured age.
The Business-room is a finely groined apartment, hung with rich old tapestry, and contains, among other works of Art, three pictures by Herring, one attributed to Rubens, and some good examples of the old Dutch masters.