It is no part of our present business to assume the herald’s place, by painting the genealogy of the noble house of Grosvenor; else might we show that the family trace back, in the direct male line, to the Norman Conquest,—how that Gilbert le Grosveneur (or the Great Hunter), nephew of Hugh Lupus, first Norman Earl of Chester, came over with his uncle in the train of King William,—that Robert le Grosvenor, a “red-cross knight,” fought with much distinction under Richard I. in the great Crusade,—how that another Robert covered himself with honour at the battle of Cresy,—that his grandson Robert was defendant in the famous “Scroope and Grosvenor suit,” concerning the ancient arms of those two great families. All this we could show,—and that later still, in the Great Rebellion, when other magnates joined the traitorous band, the “House of Eaton” remained steadfast in its loyalty, and, in the person of Sir Richard Grosvenor and his son Roger, raised the posse comitatus of Cheshire, and gallantly therewith did battle for the King. But we must forbear,—for see, we are now approaching the entrance porch at the West Front of the Hall.
The Eaton estate passed to the Grosvenors in the fifteenth century, by the marriage of Raufe le Grosvenor with Joan, daughter of John de Eaton; previously to which, for two centuries, the family had been settled at Hulme, near Northwich.
A mansion of considerable importance existed here long prior to the seventeenth century, being then usually known as Eaton Boat, from its proximity to the ancient ferry of that name, across the river Dee. Sir Thomas Grosvenor, however, son and grandson of the two ardent royalists already mentioned, took unto himself a wife, in the person of Mary Davies, of Ebury, county Middlesex; through whom he acquired her father’s valuable estates in Westminster. The lady, it would seem, admired not the humble palace at Eaton Boat; for Sir Thomas soon after erected in its stead a nobler mansion, from designs furnished by Sir John Vanbrugh, the celebrated architect and dramatist, who is confidently affirmed to have been a native of Chester. This Hall, which was of brick, with a heavy lanthorn roof, was pulled down, in 1803, by the late Lord Westminster, who at once set to work with the magnificent fabric we see now before us. It is built of white freestone from the Manley quarry; Porden being the architect originally consulted. Nine tedious years and a mint of money were exhausted in its erection; and in 1823–5, two new wings were added, so as almost to double its original length. Critics now began to complain that its height was wholly dis-proportioned to its length, and impertinent scribes picked all manner of holes even in the architecture itself.
These and other considerations moved the present worthy Marquis, in 1845, to attempt the remedying of these defects. With his accustomed sagacity, he called in the professional aid of Mr. Burn, an eminent London architect, to whose ability and judgment his lordship confidently entrusted the work. How that gentleman fulfilled his mission it skills not for us to declare,—let the edifice before us speak for itself. Erected and adorned regardless of expense, tasteful and grand in design and execution, this princely pile, Gothic in every material characteristic, is a model of all that is rich and elegant in domestic architecture. Look up for a moment at the gracefully light yet massive structure,—at its sculptured niches, its crocketted pinnacles and embattled parapets, its windows filled with gorgeous tracery, every available space upon its surface bristling with shields charged with the heraldic crests and quarterings of the Grosvenor family,—and say if the sight, rich even to profusion, and wholly indescribable, savours not more of a palace of fairy land than of the house and home of a retiring English nobleman! The Hall itself exceeds four hundred and fifty feet in length; but in addition to that we have the Stables and outbuildings continuing the line, in the same Gothic style, their centre crowned with a lofty Clock Turret of chaste design. The entire length of the Hall and offices is nearly seven hundred feet. But we must not any longer linger here, for it is high time we were turning our attention to the interior of the Hall.
Mounting the flight of steps under the porch,—from the top of which, through that dark vista of trees just a mile in length, we see the Belgrave Lodge,—we present our tickets of admission to the attendants, and are forthwith ushered into the Entrance Hall of certainly the most magnificent mansion in Britain. This is an apartment eminently calculated to prepare the visitor for the gorgeous splendour everywhere pervading this far-famed Hall. In height it extends to two stories of the house, the floor being composed of the most richly varied tesselated marbles of the utmost rarity. Imagine a floor, less than forty feet square, costing its noble owner sixteen hundred guineas! Glance up at the chaste and elegant groined ceiling, the intersections relieved with foliated bosses and heraldic devices,—foremost among the latter being the arms of the Grosvenors, “azure, a garb or,” confirmed to the family after their bootless legal suit with the Scroopes. From the centre of the ceiling depends a gorgeous brass chandelier lamp, of exquisite workmanship. Opposite the entrance runs a Gothic screen of most elaborate character, supporting and half hiding an open gallery, which leads from the upper apartments on the north to those on the south side of the Hall. This screen is furthermore decorated with fourteen heraldic coats, in high relief, representing some of the numerous quarterings of the Grosvenor family. On the right and left are two chaste and beautiful white marble chimney-pieces, corresponding in design with the rest of the apartment. Above these, and on either side, are rich canopied niches, eight in number, in which are placed stalwart figures of warriors, clad in belted mail, and other ancient armour. In the lower recesses of the screen are two massive vases and pedestals of Peterhead marble. Four marble statues give a finishing grace to this noble Entrance Hall,—that on the right representing “Telemachus Arming,” by Bienaimé; opposite to it, on the left, being Rinaldi’s classic group, “Ulysses Recognised by his Dog.” The other two present to us Gibson’s conception of “The Wounded Amazon,” and the equally meritorious “Dying Amazon,” by Wolff.
From the Entrance Hall we pass through the Gothic arch upon the left, along the Great Corridor,—a handsome gallery, near five hundred feet in length, enriched with numerous portraits of the Grosvenor family, as well as a recumbent statue, in marble, of a Sleeping Bacchante,—to the private or Domestic Chapel of the mansion. This is reached by a short gallery to the left, the two gothic windows of which are adorned with medallions of The Resurrection and the Madonna, in richly stained glass. The Chapel, which measures about 40 × 30 feet, has a handsome groined roof, tastefully relieved with floriated bosses and circular finials, adorned with sacred monograms and other devices. The light of day shines into the Chapel through three rich pointed windows, upon the west side, each filled with stained glass of pristine beauty. In the centres of these we see eighteen vesica-shaped medallions, depicting scenes and events in the life of Our Blessed Lord, viz., in the left-hand window,—“The Annunciation,” “The Virgin and Child,” “The Wise Men of the East,” “The Shepherds Watching,” “The Presentation in the Temple,” and “The Flight into Egypt.” In the right-hand window we have—“Christ giving Sight to the Blind,” “Blessing Little Children,” “Raising the Dead Lazarus,” “The Woman of Samaria,” “The Baptism of Christ,” and “Christ Walking on the Sea.” The subjects in the centre window are—“The Last Supper,” “The Agony in the Garden,” “Christ bearing His Cross,” “The Angel declaring the Resurrection,” “Christ appearing to Mary,” and “The Ascension.” Contrary to usual ecclesiastical rule, the reading-desk and communion-table, of carved oak, are at the south end of the Chapel. Near by is the stall of the noble Marquis, which, together with the rest of the seats, is of oak, appropriately carved, under the superintendence of Mr. Morison, then clerk of the works, but now permanently employed by Lord Westminster in a higher capacity. On the north wall formerly hung the painting now decorating the east side, representing “St. Michael’s Contest with the Dragon,” a copy by Evans from the original by Guido. A handsome window has recently been introduced into the north wall, and filled with embossed fleur-de-lys quarries of plate-glass, producing an admirable effect. Over the communion-table we perceive Weiser’s spirited copy of Rubens’ “Descent from the Cross.” The servants’ entrance is by another door upon the left, leading away to their apartments on the basement story.
Leaving the Chapel by the door at which we entered, we repass through the lobby, observing in our course the fine bust of Our Saviour, in marble, upon our right-hand. Thence crossing the Great Corridor, we move along, through a short passage, into the Dining-Room. This is a splendid apartment, chastely beautiful in all its details, and though less profusely gorgeous than some of its companions, is yet sufficiently so to justify its position as the great Banqueting Room of the mansion. The ceiling is a combination of rich and delicate tracery, dotted here and there with the coats armorial of the family, and radiating almost imperceptibly towards the centre, whence depends, from its elaborate boss, a massive chandelier. Three richly-carved mahogany sideboards, and a splendid mirror in five Gothic panels, add a grace to this room, the walls of which are caparisoned in maroon and gold on a white ground. Each corner of the room has a chaste canopied niche, adorned with statuary from the studio of Sir R. Westmacott,—those at the north end representing the Crusader, “Sir Robert le Grosvenor,” in mail armour, and “Mary, Lady Grosvenor,” the heiress of Westminster. At the south end we have “Sir Gilbert le Grosvenor,” the Norman patriarch of the family, and “Joan de Eaton,” afterwards Lady Grosvenor, a chaste and graceful conception of the sculptor. Over the rich marble fireplace is an original chef-d’œuvre, of Rubens—“The Meeting of David and Abigail,”—on either side of which are full-length portraits of the first Marquis and Marchioness of Westminster, painted by Jackson.
From this Room we pass through a handsome doorway into the Ante-Dining-Room, a smaller and much plainer apartment, the walls painted a beautiful arabesque of white and gold on a green ground, producing an extremely rich and pleasing effect. The inlaid oak-floor, the delicate ceiling, and the stained glass portraits of three of the Norman Earls of Chester, which ornament the windows, all merit our attention; but we must hurry away, and by a doorway opposite, pass into the Saloon.
This apartment is stated, and with every good reason, to be without exception the most elegant room in Great Britain! Let other scribes presume, if they will, to attempt a description of this sumptuous hall of state,—we, for our part, shrink dismayed from the task. To do anything like justice to its manifold merits would require far more time, and infinitely greater powers, than we have at command; let us be content, then, shortly and without parade, to point out a few of its prevailing features. Measuring nearly eleven yards square, the graceful arches intersecting the angles invest it with quite an octagonal appearance. From these, and the walls, springs the roof, with its majestic dome of dazzling splendour—a matchless epitome of all that is rich, chaste, and beautiful in decorative art. The prevailing colours are crimson, blue, and gold, and these so judiciously blended that the eye never tires in its fascinating mission; but still gazing upwards, allured and bewildered, finds new beauties and richer charms, the longer one remains in this wondrous Saloon. From the marble base springs a lofty fretwork of painted mosaic, in close imitation of the Ambassador’s Court in the Alhambra Palace,—that peerless relic of old Moorish magnificence. Higher still range panels and medallions, apparently in high relief; but this curious effect is a mere illusion of the painter, for the whole of the walls are perfectly flat. Five handsome landscapes, also painted on the walls, adorn this Saloon, four being the work of Mr. Telbin, of London,—and the fifth the production of Mr. John Morris, of Chester, to whose talented management the entire decorative arrangements were confided. The imitation basso-relievos over the doors are the work of a humble but talented artist, the late William Tasker, of Chester. The windows of the Saloon are in perfect consonance with the apartment itself, and contain six handsome figures, representing “William the Conqueror” and his uncle “Odo, Bishop of Bayeux;” “Sir Gilbert le Grosvenor,” nephew of King William, and an imaginary portrait of his wife; “Sir Robert le Grosvenor” (of Scroope and Grosvenor notoriety); and “Joan Pulford,” his wife. The view from these windows, which open out to the Terrace and cloistered arcade on the East side of the Hall, is one of rich and varied beauty. In the foreground we see the elegant Terrace, Gardens, and Lake; and just beyond, catch here and there a glimpse of the “tortuous Dee.” Between yon avenue of trees, and some sixteen miles away, the landscape ends with the towering, rain-clad hill of Beeston, and the noble baronial Castle of Peckforton. Our woodcut illustration of the Hall is taken from near the Terrace beneath us, which is perhaps the best point for viewing to perfection this side of the mansion. Turning again to the Saloon, our eyes rest on the massive and elegant folding door of carved oak, which, thrown open, reveals to us the great Entrance Hall. These two apartments, thus seen at one view, for gorgeous magnificence, stand alone and unrivalled.
