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Wrest Park

(vero;2022-July-20)

Wrest Park house as it is today has been built between 1834 and 1839 by Thomas 2nd Earl de Grey (1781-1859). The de Grey family had been living on the estate for over 600 years but it was Thomas who decided to demolish the old medieval house and create a completely new one he designed himself following the style of an 18th-century French château and incorporating elements he had observed during his travels in France. Only the ground level of the house is open to visitors, the upper floor being rented to some companies. There is no furniture inside the rooms except in the library where books fill shelves encased into the wall but this makes the decor and grandness of the rooms the more impressive.

The gardens are very pleasant and combine formal displays with shadowy woodlands. A canal (the so-called Long Water) is a great feature offering a wide perspective from the house to the Archer pavilion.

The house seen from the gardens. Indeed very French in style.

The first room on the left when entering the ground floor. The wallpapers in the whole house are not original.

Close-up of the painting decorating the ceiling of the room shown in the previous picture.

The library. The ceiling fittings and skirting boards in all the rooms have been bought by Thomas Earl de Grey in Italy or France and brought back home to be incorporated in his new building.

Detail of Thomas Earl de Grey's coat of arms on the ceiling.

Looking back on the suite of rooms: what a great perspective!

The grand staircase leading to the first floor.

Top of the staircase allowing natural light into the building.

The house opens to the French parterre. The Archer pavilion can be seen at the end of the Long Water.

Fountain in the park. The building in the background is the Orangerie.

The bridge in the Chinese garden hidden somewhere in the woodlands.

Looking back to the house from the end of the Long Water.

The Archer Pavilion owes its name to the baroque architect Thomas Archer who designed it when the woodland gardens were created. It was built between 1709 and 1711 and served as a pleasure house that was both a focus and a viewing point for the gardens.

The Archer pavilion is decorated inside with impressive trompe l'oeil paintings.

The so-called evergreen garden. The statue in the middle is called The Hawking Party and has been sculpted after a sketch by Earl de Grey.

The Orangerie. Spot the orange trees lined along the facade.

Coat of arms above the fireplace in the Orangerie with the motto "foy est tout" (faith is all).

Bright and colourful display in the Italian garden.

Attached to the house is the old dairy which serves now as a sculpture gallery where sculptures which were formerly in the gardens are kept for preservation. This one is a representation of Winter.

Sculpture of Harlequin in the dairy sculpture gallery.

Go back to Audley End House or go on to Wales or go up to English Heritage: North East England

$updated from: English Heritage Snapshots.htxt Mon 04 Mar 2024 16:04:47 trvl2 (By Vero and Thomas Lauer)$