The bedrooms at Belton

It’s been a wee while since I shared details of my last visit to Belton where I saw their new exhibition, crafting a new narrative, and finally got to revisit the orangery, and I promised to share more from inside the house. So today let’s take a virtual wander around the bedrooms at Belton.

I didn’t remember these from our previous visit, and that’s because I hadn’t seen them. The whole of the upstairs was closed off as we visited soon after the Covid restrictions were starting to be lifted and understandably things were not able to go back to before’s normal straightaway.

The Blue Bedroom was originally designed as a family bedroom, but the information in the room said that the scale and quality of the bed implies it was not made for this room but for a more luxurious state bedroom. It was re-upholstered which covered an original crimson damask.

During the 2002 room’s restoration and conservation of the bed, it was decided to remain sympathetic to its clearly faded colours. The once bright blue silks were reproduced in this paler hue, with the wallpaper reproduced in keeping with the bed, which is why this blue bedroom is a bit paler, and not blue at first glance.

The Chinese Bedroom was one of my favourite rooms. The wallpaper was hand painted in China and intended for export. It’s pink background is now faded and the figures were stylish adaptations to appeal to European consumers. It was hung, unbelievably, in 1830 but probably made much earlier.

What always surprises me by these older wallpapers is how modern and relevant to today’s decor they are. While I’m not sure many of us would have hand painted wallpaper at such cost, or at such scale as here in Belton, but wouldn’t it be nice if we did?

The Queen’s Bedroom has a central position in the house, and was defined as the ‘Best Chamber’ in the 1688 inventory. It was the most lavishly furnished bedroom in the house at that time and would have been offered to only the most prestigious guests. Some of the fabrics have been replaced, but the braids, fringing and tassels are all original.

Another of my favourite rooms is the Boudoir, and while it may seem a strange inclusion here it was originally furnished as a bedroom but then entirely remodelled to create a dressing room for Lady Brownlow. The room has changed over the years, but some of James Wyatt’s design from 1776-7 remains, most noticably the ceiling and the cornice.

The ceiling is amazing and has so much detail, but directly underneath it is a beautiful rug. Isn’t it gorgeous?

The information in the room said that the National Trust have some of Wyatt’s original plans, many of which were never realised. One of those was his design for a carpet to mirror the ceiling, I’m sure that would have been as amazing, but I’m glad it didn’t happen!

Just as we were about to leave the room I spotted these fabulous elephant book ends, now they would definitely be welcome in my house, even more so than the rug.

It was great to see the bedrooms, and I’m sure we’ll be back to see more of the house at some point. Like many places, I think the more you go to a place, the more you get the feeling for it and the more you see, and I know there’s so many more layers to discover and explore.

Revisiting the Orangery at Belton

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get inside the orangery which is the gem at the heart of the Italian gardens on the Belton Estate - four years in fact. And in that time we’ve moved house, and closer to it, which in theory should make visiting easier, and more often. And we have visited Belton more than we have done previously, but up until now the conservatory has been closed - yes, I’ve been the one with my nose pressed up against the glass to catch a glimpse of what’s inside!

But the wait is no more; our latest visit coincided by chance with the Spring Equinox, and more importantly a lovely warm and sunny day - and the conservatory was open - yay! And it was so good to be greeted by the lush new growth of the camellias, and a few flowers too.

Like us the camellias were enjoying the warmth of the sun - these flower earlier than their outdoor plants, mainly because of the warmth - when we visited the thermostats were reading a toasty 22.5 C - and it was lovely to enjoy the shadows and dappled sun on the walkways around the main planting.

You may have noticed that I’ve been using the terms orangery and conservatory interchangeably in this post, and that’s partly because the structure now seems to be very much billed as a conservatory at Belton, and I’m sure they would know - but an orangery, sounds so much more romantic doesn’t it, even though there are no oranges growing in this one, which was their original purpose.

The camellias weren’t the only ones enjoying the warmth, the pelargoniums also had lush new growth with almost appeared to be stretching for the best view.

The corners were festooned with pots - and it seemed much fuller than our previous visit which I’m not complaining about - a favourite of mine was this large money plant - and I couldn’t help but give it a little rub, just in case.

What works so well in this space is there’s plants at every height, of every size - from the gorgeous and glossy monstera leaves to the hand sized aeoniums right at ground level, to the tree ferns and bananas reaching for the glass roof.

But anyway, this conservatory was built in 1830 for the first Earl Brownlow by Sir Jeffry Wyatville and stands on the site of an older Belton Manor which was demolished in 1688. It’s a revolutionary cast iron and glass structure, finished in local Ancaster stone and was the first domestic conservatory to be built this way.

My favourite part of this favourite building is towards the back - it’s a cooler spot, slightly less densely planted but with glorious visitas - from the plants climbing up over the door and onto the ceiling, the sculptures and the many alcoves - all filled with plants.

It really is a special space - and these two vistas and photos of them (above and below) are the ones that have made heart sing from this visit, and reminded me of the feeling I had when we first walked into Huntes Garden in Barbados, and reoccurs each time I look at those photos. Even now.

In the 1990s the conservatory closed for repairs after the iron cramps and ties used to hold the stone in place rusted and expanded causing structural damage. These and the already replaced roof was also repaired.

Amazingly at one point in its more recent history this had been used as a cafe - a fine setting for some tea and cake I’m sure, but oh so much better with plants in. On this visit I couldn’t fail to notice a couple of red flowering plants, I think the one below is a Callianthe, and below that are the more recognisable Amaryllis, also flowering.

It really is a joyous place, and still my favourite part of the gardens at Belton so I’m hoping there’ll be plenty more visits, and chances to have several more looks inside.

Crafting a New Narrative at Belton House

The Belton Estate is one of the nearest National Trust properties to us, and it’s one we’ve visited a few times - even before we moved up here. The orangery is a favourite of mine, and on the times we’ve visited recently it hasn’t been open, but it was open when we visited last week on the Spring Equinox, but you’ll have to wait for an updated post on that as today I’m going to share more about a new exhibition that’s on in the house.

I first went in the house in the summer of 2021 and as with most things the post-Covid reawakening meant that only a limited number of rooms were available to view, something that I’d forgotten [about our visit] until I read it on my own post! This time though there was much more to see, and the post-Covid timing of my previous visit also explains why I didn’t remember any of the upstairs - I hadn’t been there before!

The exhibition - Artistic Journeys: Crafting a New Narrative - includes previously unseen items from the collection. which will be on display until at least until the house is redressed for Christmas, with exhibits changing regularly. The four artists are:

• Elizabeth Cust (1776 - 1858) a skill oil painter inspired by ‘Old Masters’ to create her own.

• Sophia Cust (1811 - 1882) who documented interior and exterior views of Belton using her favourite medium of watercolours.

• Marian Alford (1817 - 1888) a skilled textile designer and artist who co-founded the Royal School of Needlework.

• Nina Cust (1867 - 1955) a sculptor and poet, whose sculptures were displayed at the Royal Academy and who has published many works of poetry and fiction.

I’m not much of an oil painting fan I’m afraid, and have realised as I’ve been going through my photos, that I have none to share of Elizabeth’s work, and my photos of Nina’s work aren’t good enough to include either - so if you’re here for those, sorry - this isn’t the post for you.

Let’s start with Marian

Marian Alford’s connection to Belton was through her marriage to Viscount Alford, the eldest son of the first Earl Brownlow, and it was in 1984 that Lord Brownlow gave the house to the National Trust.

But Marian’s story took place many years before that. She was instrumental in bringing recognition to embroidery as an art form, and brought recognition to needlework as a respected form of employment for women in all social classes, raising the status of both at at time when seamstresses still worked in apalling conditions.

In 1872 she was one of the three founders of the School of Art Needlework and helped establish the school as a place for formal art education and training, which I think is all the more remarkable as she herself never received an art education, but who developed into a skilled artist and designer.

The embroidery below, along with the sketched pattern. was behind glass (hence the glare) as you entered the upstairs library. The detail of the stitches was amazing, and my favourite part was the thistle on the right hand end.

Downstairs in the Tapestry room there were more examples of her designs this time crafted by Belton volunteers, though as some patterns were incomplete these are creative interpretations of the designs, and no less stunning for that. The original hand-drawn and painted designs are now very fragile having been stored in folios for many years, and sadly can no longer be unfolded without causing damage.

Behind the embroidery hoops draped over a sofa was the most amazing throw - I wish I had more info on this, but I don’t and if it was there I missed it. But look at the detail - this one was carefully behind the ropes, but it’d be great to see this one slightly closer up. And I’d also like a pattern of the designs in the hoops above please!

Sophia’s watercolours

Sophia left Belton when she married, but often returned to her family home and during these visits she created a large collection of watercolours showing the house and gardens, many of which survive today. I particularly liked the three posters on display in the Breakfast room, which had previously been used as an ante-library (when the library was also downstairs) and then when the library moved upstairs a small dining room.

Her watercolours show how Belton looked in the mid 1800s, and is now a valuable resource for the conservation work in the property; they also show how the interior evolved over time with the placement of furniture, textiles and other objects in the rooms. So very much the photos of the day.

Another of her watercolours gave details of Belton’s boathouse which otherwise might have remained a mystery, and her detailed depiction made it possible to reinstate the boathouse, which was originally built in the 1830s. Amazing.

I was also quite taken with the breakfast crockery in the display case, which if you look closely enough at my reflection, you’ll see that I also managed unwittingly to match with my white and lime green striped top!

Two final pieces

Just before we left the house there were two final pieces that caught my eye. The first is this coloured enamel painting on copper, with an iron and silver Art Nouveau frame by the renowned Arts and Crafts enamellist Alexander Fisher of Nina Cust. It dates from 1898 and shows Nina wearing a gold and pink robe holding a cape, and it’s thought that this piece further acknowledged her status as an artist.

Isn’t it exquisite?

The second was this scrapbook - and quite honestly a scrapbook like I’ve not seen before. This was presented to Marian in 1886 as a Christmas gift from the School of Art Needlework. It’s covered in green velvet and embroidered with a gold, metal thread.

Both the house and the exhibition are worth seeing, so do go along if you’re close by or if you’re passing. As I said earlier it will be on for a while yet, and though the exhibits may change the ethos will remain. I’m looking forward to popping back and seeing how it changes, and seeing more detail on the things I’m sure I missed.

And I’ve still more to share, later this week look out for another visit to the Orangery, which now appears to be referred to at the Conservatory - and I think there’ll be another post to come on the ‘bedrooms at Belton’ and there’s some stunners there too!