This is another shot from my visit to Mount Grace Priory. Here we have the sitting room in the Manor House, which has only recently been opened to the public.
Two ground floor rooms have been restored in the Arts and Crafts style that was popular in the early 1900s, when the property was owned by Sir Lowthian Bell, a talented scientist and highly successful businessman in the iron and steel industry.
By the end of the 20th century these rooms, once the height of fashionable Arts and Crafts taste, had fallen into disrepair. The house had been neglected for many years and the lack of maintenance had taken its toll. The timber floors were rotten and the once sumptuous furnishings and wallpaper supplied by the famous London firm, Morris & Co., had all but vanished.
All was not lost however, as tantalising clues about the original decorative scheme had survived. After careful research using documents, photographs and fragments of the original paint and wallpaper it has been possible to repair and recreate these important Arts and Crafts interiors as they might have looked when the house was remodelled by Sir Lowthian Bell in 1901.
The house has a much earlier history. It began life as the priory guest house in the 1300s, and was sold off to a local landowner with the suppression of the monasteries in the 1530s. It passed through a number of owners and underwent a variety of changes in the following centuries.
They had such elegance back then. Look at the fine carving of the table legs, so dainty. This is a beautiful capture and you supplied great information on the history.
A great shot of this wonderful Arts and Craft interior. (The Arts and Craft movement is one of my favorite art style)
How nice they where able to restore it.
Thank you Ferry - it is a beautiful style. One fascinating thing was that the restorers had contacted the original wallpaper printers, who still had the original printing blocks, so the new wallpaper in this shot was printed using the original technique and printing blocks, so it is historically very accurate!
How nice they where able to restore it.
Thank you Graham - I find such historical recreations fascinating.
Ian
Thank you Hazel, glad you like it.
Ian
Thank you Gayanne, it was fascinating to see what has been achieved in restoring these rooms.
Ian
Thank you Therese - the rooms here have been beautifully restored.
Ian
Thank you Ferry - it is a beautiful style. One fascinating thing was that the restorers had contacted the original wallpaper printers, who still had the original printing blocks, so the new wallpaper in this shot was printed using the original technique and printing blocks, so it is historically very accurate!
Ian
Thank you Brian - the restored rooms here have a real sense of history.
Ian
Thank you Bob - it was nice to see the rooms restored to give such a great impression of those times.
Ian