Belton House

I’d done my usual trick of checking laterooms.com and the hotel’s own web site before ringing up to negotiate a deal. As usual the hotel room rate was more than the web site but when challenged they agreed a price match and a room upgrade to a bigger apartment. The deal at £87 for a two room apartment together with breakfast seemed good to me and the advantage of a direct booking is that there’s no advance charge and the cancellation could be up to 12 noon on the day of arrival.

I arrived at The Place just after 18 hrs. It’s really conveniently sited an a quiet road close to Piccadilly Station and only a 15 minute walk up to China town and 10 minutes to the centre of town. It’s an old warehouse that been nicely converted to an apartment hotel. I’ve only stayed once before in an apartment hotel and of course the advantage is that you get much more room for your money with facilities to cook for yourself (if you’re that way inclined) and a pleasant seating area

Checking in was efficiently laid back and fairly painless. The usual swipe of the credit card for the hotel’s protection and I was swiftly moving to the fourth floor to my room.

The Place was originally known as "the London Warehouse" and when built, in the mid 1800’s, was one of four huge cloth warehouses. It’s the only one that has survived and is now a grade II listed building that, lying dormant after the Great Depression for over 30 years, was acquired by the current owners and converted into the Place Hotel. The seven storey building is dominated by massive cast iron columns supporting box riveted iron girders which in turn carry cast floor joints of huge dimensions. This design enabled large uninterrupted floor space crucial for the effective storage and movement of the cloth in, out and around the building. The cloth had arrived by canal to Manchester and the warehouse acted as a resting place for the goods until they were ordered and then efficiently dispatched via the railway system to anywhere in the UK. It’s great to see such an historical building being "re-cycled" – it is, after all part of our heritage.

All rooms face onto an internal courtyard with palm trees and water features and the huge supporting metal columns soar to the skylight, well above my floor. My upgraded room was huge with a large lounge looking onto the courtyard and equipped with a large TV, DVD and CD player a comfortable settee and easy chair and a dining table for four. Off the lounge diner was a small but well equipped kitchen with a dish washer fridge, microwave, and cooker. There was a plentiful supply of complimentary beverages and a small container of fresh milk – more than enough for a single night’s stay. The shortbread biscuits were also very tasty!

The two bedrooms were both en-suite with a good range of toiletries. Overall the Place Apartment was well presented and would pander to the needs of all but the most picky of travellers. Personally I liked the charm of the conversion that had left the original features intact. Iron girders ran along the bricked barrelled ceiling of the apartment and the lack of plaster work had left the original bricks on view. In places they’d obviously been relayed but sections appeared to be the original work of the 1800’s. You can’t beat raw history and I momentarily imagined the hustle and bustle that would have been in the heyday of this huge warehouse.
After a spot of relaxation I headed down to the ground floor bar and lounge. The dining room is only open for breakfast during the week and food can be ordered for your apartment or consumed in the bar area. There are half a dozen small dining tables and large comfortable chairs for "chilling out in". Certainly I didn’t intend to venture far as the Manchester weather was once again inclement (it was pouring with rain),

Having ordered my rib eyed steak I caught up on the day’s newspapers (there are plenty of free ones lying around) and the depressing breaking news of the US efforts to support the economy. It was certainly no fun watching the trading figured of the stock market as it spiralled down by over 6% in as many minutes. Thankfully my meal arrived to distract me before I could become too depressed but I was to be disappointed as the steak was tough and in my view unacceptable. I complained and without fuss it was returned to the kitchen and I opted for the safer option of beer battered fish with chunky chips and a "healthy salad". It should have been served with mushy peas but as I’d complained once already I didn’t feel up to yet another one, but the salad did look and indeed was very tasty. As a sign of goodwill I was also "treated to" another pint of Boddington’s Ale. It’s not the best draught ale around but it’s marginally better than lager and this one was free!

I have to say I did enjoy the fish and I took the residue of my beer up to the bedroom where I could settle down into the comfort of the comfy armchair and enjoy a bit of TV.

The bedroom was very quiet and I was asleep almost as soon as "my head hit the pillow". It was probably the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a hotel and I was awakened promptly at 7.15 with my early morning call. Suitably refreshed, showered and dressed I headed down to the restaurant to have my breakfast. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the breakfast was excellent. The restaurant is "urban" in appearance and as I was greeted at the door the waitress took my order for tea and toast (coffee if I preferred it) and asked if I wanted a cooked breakfast or just the buffet. It makes no difference to the price (Breakfast is £10 a head) and I opted for a small cooked breakfast (egg, bacon, sausage and beans) preceded by orange juice and cereal. There’s plenty to choose from with probably half-a-dozen cereal, 4 juices, fresh meat, cheese, fruit, croissants, fresh bread to name but a few of the options. A great breakfast to set me up for the rest of the day!

My stay at the Place was generally good (despite the disappointing evening meal) and before I left I booked myself in for the following week at the same price as this one (a bargain I reckon as I have seen rooms here at over £100 for room only).

After the library we head off for the Chinese Room with its handmade Chinese wallpaper adorning the walls. Although the wallpaer itself dates back to the 18th Century it was not hung in the room until the 1840’s. Early wallpaper was made in oblong segments rather than the rolls of today and it was specifically designed for the room it was finally hung in. The paper is "a mess of activity" with birds and butterflies flitting through the forest of bamboo above the Chinese characters that make up the freize. Of course the characters comply with the 18th th Century European view of people from the orient with them all sporting the classic "topknot" hairstyle. Naturally over the centuries there has been some fading to the wall paper, but I have to say it is still bright and in remarkable condition.

To compliment the wallpaper the cornice, dado doorframes (indeed all the woodwork in the room) has been painted to imitate bamboo. And most convincing it is too! The elaborate bed, slept in by Edward VIII when he visited Belton, takes pride of place and it’s not hard to understand that the King had a preference for this room when visiting Lincolnshire. One thing to point out is that the propportions of this remove have been altered since it was first built back in 1689. A false wall was constructed to create a servant’s passageway from the Queen’s bedroom to the east landing. It’s still, however a significantly sized bedroom!

Next we walked into the Queens Bedroom – renamed after it had been redecorated for the visit of Queen Adelaide in 1840 – and like many of the rooms in Belton it has had different names according to its function or appearance. Originally it was the "Best Chamber". There’s a fantastic domed canopy bed with its headboard inscribed in silver with Queen Adelaide’s monogram

Leaving the royal suites behind us we head for the ante-library, which started off life as a bedroom, although it was mostly used as a dressing room for the adjoining bedroom. Nowadays it’s used to display the Brownlow’s collection of fine porcelain.

On route for the boudoir we get a second look at the marvellous library. Like the library the boudoir was remodelled in the late 1770’s and together with its barrelled ceiling and the delicate cornice work it was a fine and elaborate dressing room for Lady Brownlow. The panelling and impressive over-mantel were later additions being added when the room was used as a sitting room in the 1870’s.

Coming up to date we next find ourselves in the "Windsor Bedroom". This was updated when Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, stayed here whilst stationed at RAF Cranwell as a cadet. However, the recent naming of this room goes back to an association with Edward VIII and the close association between this King and Lord Brownlow. There’s a quirky painting of Lord Brownlow in his Guard’s uniform at the state opening of Parliament in 1936, but other documented evidence confirms that he was never actually there. So don’t believe everything that you see!

But the most intriguing thing about this room is that it was, back in 1737, called the "Black Room. It would be unusual for a room to be painted Black, but this one was and you can still get a glimpse of that original colour behind the radiators in the bay windows.

From here we descended the west staircase which was first known as "the staircase by the dining room door". Well you can’t get any more straightforward than that! These were originally used only by the servants but when the house was re-configured in 1810 it became the main thoroughfare for the family. You get a get view across the court yard to the coach entrance and clock and despite this large window the staircase is a little dark and oppressive. There are two huge oil paintings in the stairwell and the first one you dates back to 1720 and offers a "view of Belton" (well that’s its original name) at the time.

Now it was time to begin exploring the west end of Belton House.

I’d hurriedly visited the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul on one previous occasion, but this time I was intent on giving it a bit more time. You get the first view of the Church from the end of the garden as its tower protrudes above the mansion’s orangery and it’s only a st ride or two away from that fine building. Access is by a narrow walkway from the outskirts of the garden and within seconds we’d reached the gateway to the churchyard and the entrance to Belton’s church.

The church is maintained by the parish "in the Diocese of Lincoln" and has still an active although not large congregation. The Church is a compact building with loads of history much of which is evident even to my untrained eye. Like almost every old church in the country it has an architectural mix of Norman, medieval, Georgian and the inevitable Victorian upgrade.

Churches are often fairly acquisitive with their furniture and, being a Lincolnian by birth I was intrigued to read that the Church organ was transported from the Drill Hall in my home town. Apparently in May 1902 four horses and a wagon carried the organ from Lincoln to Belton and its remained in the church ever since.

Another interesting historical fact records that in May 1643 three "unknown soldiers were slain in Belton fight" and buried in the churchyard. It’s also recorded that nine people died in Belton from the Black Death.

In the church there are loads of monuments (40 to be precise) tracking the life and fortunes of the family members. The oldest dates back to 1638 and this one carved by Joshua Marshall (who incidentally was master mason to Charles II and was responsible for the building of many churches after the Great Fire of London) and is a tribute to Richard Brownlow the founder of the family fortune. It’s fairly unique been set in a surround of coloured marbles.

William Stanton, who is the master mason who is credited with building Belton House crafted a monument to "Old Sir John Brownlow" and his wife Alice in 1681 and sixteen years later was crafting a monument to the "Young Sir John"

There are of course too many monuments to record in detail, but if you have a real interest in studying them in detail I’ve taken photos of a few and a photocopied guide to them all is available for a small donation from the Church.

Although most of the earliest stained glass has been lost the Royal Coast of Arms in the West window of the North Aisle still survive from before the Civil War. Most of the stained glass is 19th Century and the East window is filled with interest depicting three miracles of the raising of the dead by Thomas Willement (1786 – 1871). Willement was heraldic artist to George IV so was extremely influential in his time and the presence of his work here at Belton is an indication of the affluence and status of the Brownlow family.

Belton Church tower has a ringing peal of five bells the oldest dating back to 1592 and the most modern being cast in 1872. We’ve never heard them ring but I’m assured that they regularly ring out across the grounds.
So a quick tour of the church’s architecture confirms that the North arcade is firmly rooted in Norman times with its "incised lozenges" popular in northern cathedrals. The perpendicular windows are classic additions from the Middle Ages as is the ceiling at the western end,. But then the Victorians take over putting the Church through a "modernisation programme". There’s a ceiling boss that’s dated 1811 and which seems to mark the intervention of Jeffry Wyatt who began work in earnest from 1816. The memorial Chapel is his work with the most impressive monumental marble figure of the Christian Religion built in memory of the 1st Earl’s wife. In fairness Wyatt did try to ensure that his work was in keeping with the general appearance of the Church.

I just love the setting of Belton’s Church and I’m sure we’ll pay it another visit in the future. It is after all only a short drive away from my home town. My advice is to visit and enjoy the tranquillity of this parish church. Well worth the effort.

At the bottom of the West Staircase our first visit was into the Ante room which has now been turned over as a sitting area for visitors to the Mansion. In its day this was known as "the little room next to the library" and back in 1737 it was sparsely furnished with a couple of chairs and a map of Belton. Today there are guns (one with a 10 foot barrel) and hunting spears adorning the walls. It’s not a hugely interesting room so we were soon heading for the study.

Originally this room was part of a suite of rooms known as the school rooms but by 1737 it had been re-modelled as Viscount Tyrconnel’s library. The floor-to-ceiling shelves are stacked with books. But all is not what it seems as many are fake bindings acting as shelf supports and just giving an air of academia. There was humour with the famous "Paradise Lost" being named "Paradise Improved". Still it looks good and I’m sure would have impressed guests to the house.

In the 17th Century the tapestry room was a small dining room and in the 18th was a parlour or sitting room. By the 1890’s the 3rd Earl gave the room a total redecoration in the style of the original 17th Century room. The wall hangings, from which the room takes its name, are the star attraction and show the life and times of the Greek philosopher Diogenes. They are interesting but not being a student of the classics the subtleties were lost on me. But taking it on face value it’s an impressive peice of work.

Passing through the red drawing room (originally called the "white varnished drawing room") we see a room totally restored by the national Trust. There are some interesting family portraits but the star attraction has to be an 18th Century sharkskin and mother of pearl "coffer". I guess this would have been an expensive and unique talking point in the Brownlow household.

Belton house has a designated breakfast room which due to the closure of the Blue Room has some items that are strangely out of place in such a room. Having said that the shaving bowls were fascinating.

The Hondecoeter room is spectacular with its magnificent 17th Century Hondecoeter paintings. They’ve been hung here since 1873 but unfortunately a fourth and much larger canvas wouldn’t fit in the house – it’s now somewhere in the USA. The room became a home for these paintings when the library was re-positioned and they must have provided a marvellous setting for the state dining room. I defy you to recognise and name all the birds that Hondecoeter features in these canvases. The bird theme is continue with the moulded garland (and its beautiful swan) that is "draped around" the grand fireplace that was brought here from Ashbridge Park, another of the Brownlow’s country houses.

The "new plate room" was built in 1876 to provide discreet access by the servants to the state dining room. Nowadays it houses the family silverware. The most impressive piece dates back to 1770 and it’s a wine cistern. It was made for Sir John Cust, speaker of the House of Commons, and has both George III and John Cust’s coat of arms emblazoned on it. Interestingly it has served not only as a receptacle for wine, but also as a christening bowl and amazingly a flower pot.
The old kitchen dates back to the early 1800’s and although it was abandoned in the 1950’s it has been re-created, by the BBC who used it as a period set, with an assorted collection of early 19th Century kitchen utensils and furniture. Indeed the lettering "Waste not, want not" although not uncommon in Victorian kitchens was never featured in Belton’s.

When we emerged from the house we were pleased to see that the torrential rain had been blown away and although I’d done a good tour of the grounds on a previous visit I was anxious to check out the recently restored Boat House. So we picked our way across the soggy footpaths and set off at a brisk walk to the lake – I didn’t want to dawdle too much because the sky still seemed threatening and unsettled.

The walk to the lake was further than I remember but a few "shortcuts" across open land meant that it was not too tortuous. The Boat house has been transformed since I last saw it with a smart new exterior restoring it to its original status as a small but impressive building overlooking the "busy" lake, There seemed to be loads of waterfowl and ducks making a "tour" of Belton’s waterway and we could imagine the days when the gentry would have sat inside the boat house enjoying the view of this well positioned and tranquil lake. I do understand that in time visitors will be able to check out the inside of the building but for now I had to content myself with looking through the leaded windows.

Having climbed the broad set of stairs to the entrance to the mansion house we found ourselves in the entrance hall of Belton. This has been affectionately known as the Marble Hall since 1688 and it’s no surprise to learn that this name relates to the marble floor. What is surprising is that the floor is in fact the original one that was laid by William Stanton at a total cost of £100 (around £9,000 in today’s money) and that the room’s layout is also the same as the early construction. Throughout the day the guides give a short introductory talk on the history of the house and although we missed the first part we soon caught up. The guide rattled off so many facts about the house that it was hard to keep up, but the provision of a "toe dippers guide" to the house was a welcome feature that we haven’t had in any other National Trust property.

Having the previous week visited Sudbury Hall I was interested to spot a couple of Limewood carvings over the fireplaces. It turned out that the more delicate one was indeed created by Grinling Gibbons. Gibbons was widely rated by royalty and was commissioned by Charles II, WilliamIII and George I and of course wealthy owners of large houses in England were always anxious to get him to design carvings for their homes. A Grinling Gibbons carving was indeed a most prestigious possession. Although generally believed to be a master English Woodcarver the man was in fact born in Holland and was in his early 20’s before he landed in England. But from the 1670 until his death in 1720 he was hugely influential in the world of architecture and design working with the likes of Christopher Wren. Perhaps his quirkiest work of art was a cravat, which he carved and wore before it was presented to Horace Walpole (son of Robert Walpole the British Prime Minister). But I’m getting carried away with the history behind the man and in danger of leaving Belton House. So back to the fantastic Marble Hall with its fine carvings by Gibbons and his favourite apprentice Edmund Carpenter. Indeed Carpenter’s garlands and cascades can be found in most rooms around Belton either hanging on fire places, encasing paintings or standing sentry duty at the side of the magnificent doorways.

A couple of massive more than life-sized portraits dominate the marble hall; one to the left, confirming the family’s support to royalty, of King Charles II and the one facing the King of Sir John Cust (6th baronet of Belton who inherited the house in the 1760’s), speaker of the House of Commons painted by the great Joshua Reynolds.

Moving out of the Marble Hall and we’re into the state reception room which was, up until the 1830’s called the Great Parlour, Thereafter it was called the saloon. There are four huge family paintings including one of Sir John Bronlow, the builder of the house, and the notes indicate that these have hung continuously in this room since 1688. Now that’s history for you! It was in this room that we first spotted the emblem of the Brownlow family, the greyhound. This one was engraved into the brass door plaque but others around the house are far less subtle. The greyhound was a prestigious dog and the family obviously believed that they were worthy of such a symbol. I’d have been interested to know how may "greyhounds" are hidden around this mansion house and I guess that I’ll make some enquiries when I’m next there!

A glance upwards as we left this room confirmed that the Victorians had made a great job of replacing the ceiling, which had totally collapsed in the late 1870’s. The original 1688 ceiling had survived for almost 125 years whereas the early 19th Century replacement had survived a mere 66 years. Let’s hope the current one (already surviving for 130 years "hangs on" for several to come).

The subsequent room was originally referre3d to as "the drawing room next to the great parlour" - an unimaginative name I’m sure you’ll agree. It later became the "green damask drawing room" (no prizes for guessing why!), but for the majority of its time it’s been known as the Crimson room. Indeed it was in 1737 that the Viscount Tyrconnel furnished it out as a state bedroom and it remained as such until it was "converted" to the billiard room (a most fashionable game in the early 19th Century. But perhaps the most fascinating feature to this room is the floor, which has been painted with the Brownlow coat of arms. Yes it’s that Greyhound again!

The Chapel Drawing room has been known as the ante-room and the "blue drawing room" and this was the place where the Lord Tyrconnel displayed his porcelain collection and where his guests would meet for afternoon tea after they’d strolled around the gardens. As his showcase this room was lavishly furnished and back in 1698 an inventory had valued the furniture at £300 (over £26,000 in today’s value. I was elegantly painted in mock blue marble paintwork (and you can still see this over 300 years later and the wall afforded a perfect hanging place for two exquisite 17th Century tapestries. They were supplied to Sir John Brownlow in 1691 and he had specified that they had to be the same as those owned by Queen Mary and hanging at Kensington Palace. The fact that they were is confirmation of the high status of Sir John. So the tapestries depict the exoticism of the Far East whilst looking out, across the estate, there’s the best view of Tyconnel’s Belmont Tower (this is only open to the public on Sunday’s in September and we were intent on visiting that later in the year).

Off the drawing room was the chapel gallery and this does "exactly what it says on the tin." This gallery overlooks the chapel and this would have been where the family assembled for Sunday Services whilst the servants would gather in the main body of the chapel below. Apparently chapels were part of the "state rooms" and Sir John’s Chapel is often referred to as being an "expression of status rather than faith". Whichever way you regard it looking heavenward there’s a marvellous example of the work of a 17th Century master plasterer. The ceiling is truly a work of art and well worth studying in detail.

Unfortunately the staircase hall (formerly known as the "Little Marble Hall" until the 1830’s and thereafter the "Great Staircase" or "Best Staircase") was undergoing major renovation so we had to climb up the back servants stairs to the next floor and, missing out on the Blue bedroom and dressing room found ourselves in the "Yellow Bedrrom". I’ve already suggested that the names of the rooms lack a certain amount of originality and this room (painted yellow) was originally called the "White Painted Room". I wonder why? The views from this room across the estate are superb but make sure that you check out the rare pieces of Black Sevres porcelain (dated around 1780) that have been carefully placed on the mantelpiece.

We were able to get a glimpse of the Staircase and could soon understand why the family used it only on special occasions. It was the ceremonial route up to the Great Dining Room (the library from 1876) and had to reflect a grandeur that only the wealthiest in the land could afford. The hall was restored by the Trust in 2000 to reflect how it would have looked in 1819, but the two original 17th Century features – the marbled floor and a fantastic plaster-worked ceiling – dominate the room. Originally a large and impressive chandelier would have hung from the ceiling but the holding beam has proved to be not strong enough so presently it has been removed. Indeed the reason for the current closure is that the Trust have great concerns that the ceiling may collapse and so major work is being undertaken to restore it to a safe condition. Hopefully some strengthening of the beam will allow the original chandelier to be re-hung.

The Library is a magnificent and grand room that has not always been the library. It started off life in the 1600’s as the Great Dining Room and what an impressive sight it must have been. However in 1778 it was transformed into a drawing room and the ceiling changed into a subtle vaulted design with delicate plasterwork. This change to ceiling design resulted in major disruption for the servants who had to "double up their accommodation" whilst the builders worked on the ceiling from what had been their previous bedroom.

The library is a fascinating room and we paused to imagine how it would have been for a ceremonial party visiting the house before the 1870’s. The library was moved in here by the 3rd Earl so he could far better show off his incredible collection of over 20,000 books. He was truly a wealthy and a learned man! The books certainly look impressive and I understand some even date back to the 1500’s. But it’s not a book that’s the focal point for visitors. That honour falls on a strange looking chair known as a "chamber horse" or "exercise chair". This dates back to the 1800’s and is one of only 3 or 4 in the whole of the country, but this is allegedly the one in best condition. The bellows-like cushion was designed to replicate the movements of a horse and I could imagine a young Viscount Tyrconnel bouncing on the chair whilst his more studious family members were studying some of the weighty tomes in the library.