Belton House, Lincolnshire, The South facade.

Belton House is a country house in Belton near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. The mansion is surrounded by formal gardens and a series of avenues leading to follies within a greater wooded park. Belton has been described as a compilation of all that is finest of Carolean architecture, the only truly vernacular style of architecture that England had produced since the time of the Tudors.^[1] The house has also been described as the most complete example of a typical English country house;^[2] the claim has even been made that Belton's principal facade was the inspiration for the modern British motorway signs ( ) which give directions to stately homes.^[3] Only Brympton d'Evercy has been similarly lauded as the perfect English country house.^[4] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 2. ... For other places with the same name, see Lincolnshire (disambiguation). ... West facade of the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral A facade (or façade) (Pronounced fa-sa-de) is generally the exterior of a building — especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. ... Holkham Hall, one of the grandest English country houses not only displayed the owners fashionable and cultivated tastes, but was the epicentre of a vast landed estate, providing employment to hundreds The English country house is generally accepted as a large house or mansion, once in the ownership of an... Belton is situated north of Grantham, Lincolnshire, and notable for Belton Woods and Belton Hall. ... Grantham is a medium sized market town in Lincolnshire, England with about 35,000 inhabitants (40,000 including Great Gonerby), situated on the River Witham. ... For other places with the same name, see Lincolnshire (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The English Grounds of Wörlitz were one of the largest English parks in 18th-century Europe. ... For other uses, see Folly (disambiguation). ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Belton House, an example of Carolean architecture. ... Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize a method of construction which uses locally available resources to address local needs. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A non-primary road sign near Bristol showing Guildford Rules patches. ... Historic House icon For use with Template:EngPlacesKey or any other use. ... A stately home is, strictly speaking, one of about 500 large properties built in England between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property (after the Dissolution of the Monasteries). ... Brympton d Evercy, Somerset, England. ...

For three hundred years, Belton House was the seat of the Brownlow and Cust family, who had first acquired land in the area in the late 16th century. Between 1685 and 1688 the young Sir John Brownlow and his wife had the present mansion built. Despite great wealth they chose to build a modest country house rather than a grand contemporary Baroque palace. The contemporary, if provincial, Carolean style was the selected choice of design. However, the new house was fitted with the latest innovations such as sash windows^[5] for the principal rooms, and more importantly completely separate areas for the staff. As the Brownlows rose from baronets to barons upward to earls and then once again became barons, successive generations made changes to the interior of the house which reflected their changing social position and tastes, yet the fabric and design of the house changed little. The title of Baron Brownlow was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1776. ... Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state. ... For the brush-footed butterfly species, see Euthalia nais. ... Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. ... For people, see Earl (given name) and Earl (surname). ...

Following World War I (a period when the Machine Gun Corps was based in the park), the Brownlows, like many of their fellow peers, were faced with mounting financial problems. In 1984 they gave the house away — complete with most of its contents to the National Trust. Today the house is fully open to the public and is visited by many thousands of tourists each year. In 1988 it was featured in the BBC's adaptation of Helen Cresswell's children's ghost story, Moondial ^[6] and also appeared as "Rosings Park" in the BBC's 1995 television version of Pride and Prejudice starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC were the first to use tanks in combat... For other uses, see Peerage (disambiguation). ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Helen Cresswell (1934 - September 27, 2005) was a British author of over 120 books for children including A Gift from Winklesea, the Lizzie Dripping series, and The Bagthorpe Saga. ... A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or the belief of some character(s) in them. ... Moondial is a British television serial made for children by the BBC and transmitted in 1988. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... This article is about the 1995 TV serial. ... Jennifer Ehle (born December 29, 1969) is a stage and screen actress best known for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 mini-series Pride and Prejudice. ... Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English film, television and stage actor. ...

Early history

Clarendon House, London, designed by Roger Pratt, was the inspiration for Belton House. Clarendon House is in the same vogue, though less Baroque in ornament, as Vaux-le-Vicomte built in France just a few years earlier.

The 17th-century stable block at Belton House is known to be entirely by William Stanton, and is less accomplished in design than the main house.

The Brownlow family, a dynasty of lawyers, began accumulating land in the Belton area from approximately 1598. In 1609 they acquired the reversion of the manor of Belton itself from the Pakenham family, who finally sold the manor house to Sir John Brownlow I in 1617. The old house was situated near the church in the garden of the present house and remained largely unoccupied, since the family preferred their other houses elsewhere. John Brownlow had married an heiress but was childless; he was attached to his only two blood relations, a great-nephew, also called John Brownlow, and a great-niece, Alice Sherard. The two cousins married in 1676; three years later, the couple inherited the Brownlow estates from their great uncle together with an income of £9,000 per annum and £20,000 in cash. They immediately bought a townhouse in the newly fashionable Southampton Square in Bloomsbury, and decided to build a new country house at Belton. Image File history File links ClarendonHouseSKILLMAN,_W._after_SPILBURGH_J.jpg Summary Clarendon House in London by W Skillman after J Spilburgh. ... Image File history File links ClarendonHouseSKILLMAN,_W._after_SPILBURGH_J.jpg Summary Clarendon House in London by W Skillman after J Spilburgh. ... A drawing of Clarendon House published in 1829. ... Sir Roger Pratt (1620–1684) was an English Gentleman Architect of the 17th century. ... Vaux-le-vicomte was in many ways the most important work built before Louis XIV came to power. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 547 pixelsFull resolution (1896 × 1296 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 547 pixelsFull resolution (1896 × 1296 pixel, file size: 1. ... For the fish called lawyer, see Burbot. ... In theory, a conversion is an agreement such that one party takes ownership of a piece of property from another under the understanding that the ownership will revert to the second party when an agreed event occurs. ... Generic plan of a mediaeval manor; open-field strip farming, some enclosures, triennial crop rotation, demesne and manse, common woodland, pasturage and meadow Manorialism or Seigneurialism is the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic... Ightham Mote For the London district, see Manor House, London. ... “GBP” redirects here. ... Leinster House, 18th century Dublin townhouse of the Duke of Leinster. ... Bloomsbury Square Bloomsbury Square is a square in Bloomsbury, Camden, London. ... Bloomsbury is an area of central London between Holborn and Euston station, developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries into a fashionable residential area. ...

Work on the new house began in 1685. The architect thought to have been responsible for the initial design is William Winde, although the house has also been attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, while others believe the design to be so similar to Roger Pratt's Clarendon House, London, that it could have been the work of any talented draughtsman.^[7] The assumption popular today, that Winde was the architect, is based on the stylistic similarity between the completed Belton and Coombe Abbey by Winde. Further evidence is a letter dated 1690, in which Winde recommends a plasterer and gives advice about the completion of the interiors. Captain William Winde (c1645-1722) was an architect. ... Sir Christopher Wren, (20 October 1632–25 February 1723) was a 17th century English designer, astronomer, geometrician, and the greatest English architect of his time. ... Sir Roger Pratt (1620–1684) was an English Gentleman Architect of the 17th century. ... A drawing of Clarendon House published in 1829. ... Technical drawing, also known as drafting, is the practice of creating accurate representations of objects for technical, architectural and engineering needs. ... Coombe Abbey is a historic mansion house and country park in Warwickshire, England. ... Plasterwork, or plastering, is one of the most ancient of handicrafts employed in connection with building operations, the earliest evidence showing that the dwellings of primitive man were erected in a simple fashion with sticks and plastered with mud. ...

Whoever the architect, Belton follows closely the design of Clarendon House, completed in 1647.^[8] This great London townhouse (demolished circa 1683) has been one of the most admired buildings of its era due to "its elegant symmetry and confident and commonsensical design".^[9] Sir John Summerson has described Clarendon House as "the most influential house of its time among those who aimed at the grand manner" and Belton as "much the finest surviving example of its class."^[10] It is known that John and Alice Brownlow assembled one of the finest teams of craftsmen available at the time to work on the project. This dream team was headed by the master mason William Stanton who oversaw the project. His second in command John Thompson, had worked with Sir Christopher Wren on several of the latter's London churches, while the chief joiner John Sturges had worked at Chatsworth under William Talman. The wrought-ironworker John Warren worked under Stanton at Denham Place, Buckinghamshire, and the fine wrought iron gates and overthrow at Belton may be his.^[11] So competent were the builders of Belton that Winde may have done little more than provide the original plans and drawings, leaving the interpretation to the on-site craftsmen. This theory is further demonstrated by the external appearance of the adjoining stable block. More provincial, and less masterful in proportion, it is known to have been entirely the work of Stanton.^[12] Sir John Newenham Summerson (1904-1992) was one of the leading British architectural historians of the 20th century. ... An artisan, also called a craftsman,[1] is a skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft. ... This article refers to the building structure component; for the fraternal organization, see Freemasonry. ... A Joiner is a woodworker who makes and installs architectural woodwork, including things that are called Finish carpentry and millwork in the USA. Joiners fabricate and install building components such as doors, windows, stairs, wooden panelling, mouldings, shop cabinets, kitchen cabinets, and other wooden fittings. ... Talman in the film noir classic The Hitch-Hiker William Whitney Talman Jr. ... It has been suggested that Wrought iron furniture be merged into this article or section. ... Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is one of the home counties in South East England. ... Belton House, Lincolnshire: the overthrow is the section of iron work which passes over the gate itself, connecting the piers In wrought ironwork, the overthrow, particularly popular in the Baroque era commencing in the 17th century, refers to the crowning section of ornamental wrought iron work which forms a decorative...

Architecture

Ethos

Belton House, the north facade. The 17th-century double room design enabled greater symmetry between facades, while allowing the house to be compact and under the one roof.

The west facade. Many of the windows are false (see plan below), and are so placed as to provide symmetry. The Baroque wrought-iron gate screen (possibly by John Warren) closes a courtyard between house and stables, thus creating the effect of a cour d'honneur to the house's west entrance (C on plan below).

The approach to the house through the courtyard to the west entrance (C on plan below). This is the entrance which would have been used most often by the family, who lived privately in the west wing. The clock tower is designed on an axis with, and to complement, the cupola on top of the mansion itself.

Belton House first floor plan. Key: A: Upper storey of kitchen, (now Hondecoeter Room); B: Service room (now Breakfast Room); C: Back stairs and West Entrance; D: Closet; E:School Room; F:Withdrawing room (now Red Drawing Room; G:Little Parlour (now Tapestry Room); H:Great Parlour (now Saloon); J: Marble Hall; K: Withdrawing Room (now Tyrconnel Room); L: Great Staircase; M: Upper storey of chapel; N: Gallery of private pew overlooking chapel; O: Ante Room (now Chapel Drawing Room);P: Back stairs & east Entrance; Q: Sweetmeat closet; R Bed chamber (now Blue Room). Please note: This is an unscaled plan for illustrative purposes only.

The late 17th century in England was a time of great progress in design. Following the austere years of Commonwealth rule, a great flourishing and development in both architecture and the arts began after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Royalist exiles and wealthy young men who made the Grand Tour, returned home with new ideas — often extravagant variations on classical themes. This was, for England, the dawn of the Baroque era. The new wave of architects such as Roger Pratt, John Webb, and Sir Christopher Wren were not just building vast edifices in Renaissance-inspired styles, but also transforming existing older houses. Representative of the utilisation of older houses is Coleshill House in Berkshire, where Pratt transformed the medieval, but now redundant, great hall into a classically inspired entrance hall complete with an imperial staircase. The reason the Great Hall was redundant was that employers now wished to live separately from their servants, no longer eating together in a Great Hall, and banishing from the principal parts of the house all evidence and odours of cooking and staff. Employers began to live in fine airy rooms, above the ground floor, with privacy from their servants, who were now confined, unless required, to specifically delegated floors — often the ground and uppermost attic floors. This was a period of great social change in British history, and the educated prided themselves on enlightenment and elegance.^[13] While Belton is not in the Baroque style,^[14] it displays all the traits typical of the new tendencies. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 469 pixelsFull resolution (1833 × 1074 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 469 pixelsFull resolution (1833 × 1074 pixel, file size: 1. ... West facade of the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral A facade (or façade) (Pronounced fa-sa-de) is generally the exterior of a building — especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 482 pixelsFull resolution (1923 × 1158 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 482 pixelsFull resolution (1923 × 1158 pixel, file size: 1. ... West facade of the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral A facade (or façade) (Pronounced fa-sa-de) is generally the exterior of a building — especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. ... Sphere symmetry group o. ... Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state. ... Blenheim Palace, The Cour dHonneur is the large central court formed by the secondary wings containing kitchens and domestic offices flanking the Corps de logis Versailles: Louis Le Vau opened up the interior court to create the expansive entrance cour dhonneur, later copied all over Europe Cour d... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 784 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1929 × 1476 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 784 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1929 × 1476 pixel, file size: 2. ... Figures with the axes of symmetry drawn in. ... Cupola of St Peters Basilica, Rome In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and provide ventilation. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1182x924, 109 KB) Summary Unscaled rough sketch plan of Belton House, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1182x924, 109 KB) Summary Unscaled rough sketch plan of Belton House, England. ... Pews in rows in a church. ... Motto: PAX QUÆRITUR BELLO (English: Peace is sought through war) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Language(s) English Government Republic Lord Protector  - 1649-1658 Oliver Cromwell Legislature Rump Parliament Barebones Parliament History  - Declaration of Commonwealth May 19, 1649  - Declaration of Breda April 4, 1660 Area 130,395... King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ... Prince Rupert an archetypical cavalier For other uses, see Cavalier (disambiguation). ... The interior of the Pantheon in the 18th century, painted by Giovanni Paolo Panini In the 18th century, the Grand Tour was a kind of education for wealthy British noblemen, wherein the primary educational value was exposure to the cultured artifacts of antiquity and the Renaissance as well as the... For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ... John Webb (1611-24 October 1672) was an English architect. ... Sir Christopher Wren, (20 October 1632–25 February 1723) was a 17th century English designer, astronomer, geometrician, and the greatest English architect of his time. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... An imperial staircase. ...

Belton was designed in a restrained, almost Palladian-inspired architecture, popular immediately before the ornate Baroque style emerged in England. The general form this architecture took was of severely symmetrical, often rectangular houses, with a pediment over the central bays. This almost rigid concept was to influence the design of innumerable houses, including Belton. Later to be known as the "Carolean" style (from "Carolus," the Latin name for the reigning monarch Charles II), it was popular with the minor aristocracy and gentry for both their town and country houses until long after Charles II's death.^[15] Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). ... A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of a triangular section or gable found above the horizontal superstructure (entablature) which lies immediately upon the columns. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      The term aristocracy refers to a form of government where power is held by a small number of individuals from an elite or from noble families. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Belton is built of the local Ancaster stone, with a lighter ashlar from Ketton for the quoining. The "H"-shaped plan was a design which became popular in the late Elizabethan period. However, by the late 16th century, domestic architecture had evolved further than the "one room deep" ranges of the earlier "H" plan houses, such as Montacute House. The new layout placed rooms back to back, creating a house two rooms deep. This became known as "double pile". As at Belton, this permitted rooms to be not just better lit and heated but also better accessed and related to each other, and with the greatest advantage of all — greater privacy. On the construction side, the double room depth allowed the house to be more compact and under one, more easily constructed, roof, thus lowering building costs. Houses now had the appearance of being more solid, with more than just one or two facades. Ancaster stone is Middle Jurassic oolitic limestone, quarried around Ancaster, Lincolnshire, UK. There are two forms, the rag and the freestone. ... Ashlar is dressed stone work of any type of stone. ... Ketton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. ... Italianate Quoins Architectural Style Quoins are the corner stones that anchor the edge of the building wall. ... The Elizabethan Era is the period associated with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603) and is often considered to be a golden age in English history. ... Montacute House, the west front. ...

The exterior of the house, as well as other outbuildings on the property, inspired the design of Edith Wharton's house, The Mount, in Lenox, Massachusetts. Edith Wharton (January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and designer. ... The Mount (1902) is a country house in Lenox, Massachusetts, the home of noted American author Edith Wharton who designed the house and its grounds. ... Location in Berkshire County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Berkshire County Settled 1750 Incorporated 1767 Government  - Type Open town meeting Area  - Town  21. ...

Design

The plan of the rooms at Belton was passé for a grand house of its time. Following the Restoration and the influx of European ideas, it had become popular for large houses to follow the continental fashion of a suite of state rooms consisting of a withdrawing room, dressing room, and bedroom proceeding from either side of a central saloon or hall.^[16] These rooms were permanently reserved for use by a high ranking guest, such as a visiting monarch. While Belton does have a saloon at its centre, enfilades of state rooms of lessening grandeur do not flank it. The possible reason for this unusual layout is that, while the Brownlows possessed great wealth, their title was only a baronetcy, and their fortune was barely a century old. They would have been regarded as gentry, not aristocracy. As a result, building a suite of state rooms would have been in hope rather than anticipation of a royal guest. However, the lack of a fashionable and formal suite of state apartments and the Brownlows' lack of social credentials did not prevent a visit from King William III to the newly completed house in 1695. The King occupied the "Best bedchamber," a large room with an adjoining closet, directly above the saloon, leading directly from the second floor Great Dining Chamber.^[17] A State Room in a large European mansion, is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress, they were the most luxurious in the house and contained the finest works of art. ... In British society, a drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. ... A State Room in a large European mansion, is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress, they were the most luxurious in the house and contained the finest works of art. ... Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units exposure to enemy fire. ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) is the holder of a species of knighthood known as a baronetcy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      The term aristocracy refers to a form of government where power is held by a small number of individuals from an elite or from noble families. ... A State Room in a large European mansion, is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress, they were the most luxurious in the house and contained the finest works of art. ... William III of England (The Hague, 14 November 1650 – Kensington Palace, 8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland and William III of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and a Protestant Prince of Orange from his birth, Stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic from 28...

This design followed the older style of having reception rooms and bedrooms scattered over the two main floors. The layout used followed Roger Pratt's theory that guest and family rooms should be quite separate.^[18] As a consequence of this philosophy, the family occupied the rooms on the first and second floors of the west wing, while the great staircase rose to the east side of the house, with the best guest bedrooms in the east wing. The staircase was thus designed to be grand and imposing, forming part of the guest's state route from the Hall and Saloon on the first floor to the principal dining room and bedroom on the second. This older concept is more clearly exemplified at the Elizabethan Hardwick Hall in neighbouring Derbyshire. Hardwick Hall, built 1590–1597 Hardwicks long gallery in the 1890s. ... Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. ...

The principal entrance hall, reception and family bedrooms were placed on the first floor above a low semi-basement containing service rooms. The two principal entrances to the mansion in the centre of both the north and south facades were accessed by external staircases, originally a single broad flight on the north side and a double staircase on the south. These staircases have since been replaced by the simpler designs illustrated on the plan (right). A townhouse with basement windows showing A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. ...

The second floor has a matching fenestration, with windows of equal value to those on the first floor below. The very latest innovation, sash windows, was used on both floors. The semi-basement and attic storey used the more old-fashioned mullioned and transomed windows, indicating the lower status of the occupants of these floors. It was clearly emphasised from without that the two main floors of the house were purely for state and family use, and the staff and service areas were confined to the semi-basement and attic floors. This concept of keeping staff and domestic matters out of sight (when not required) was relatively new and had first been employed by Pratt in the design of Coleshill House in Berkshire. The contemporary social commentator of the day Roger North lauded back stairs, of which Belton has two examples (C and P on plan), as one of the most important inventions of his day.^[19] The word fenestration finds its root in the Latin word for window, fenestra. ... A Georgian house with sash windows A sash window is a style of window in which panes are separated by a narrow bar or sash. ... This article is about the area generally found above a house. ... Mullion, Cornwall is also the name of a village in Cornwall off the Lizard. ... Transom (probably a corruption of Latin transtrum, a thwart, in a boat; equivalents are French traverse, croisillon, German Losholz) is the architectural term given to the horizontal lintel or beam which is framed across a window, dividing it into stages or heights. ... Roger North (1653 – March 1, 1734), English lawyer, biographer, and amateur musician, was the sixth son of the 4th Baron North. ...

The principal room is the large Marble Hall (J) at the centre of the south front; this hall is the beginning of a grand procession of rooms, and corresponds to the former great Parlour or Saloon on the north front. The Marble Hall is flanked by the former Little Parlour (G, now the Tapestry Room) and the Great Staircase Hall (L), while the Saloon (H) is flanked by two withdrawing rooms (F, K). While the Marble Hall and Saloon were at the centre of a small enfilade of reception rooms, they were not intended to form the heart of a suite of state rooms in the Baroque fashion. Indeed, one of the most important rooms, the Great Dining Room (now the library), was quite separate on the floor above, directly above the Marble Hall. The bedrooms are arranged in individual suites on both floors of the two wings (E, R, etc.) which flank what is sometimes called the "state centre" of the house. The main staircase, set to one side of the Marble Hall, is one of the few things at Belton which is asymmetrically placed. It has a robust plaster-work ceiling incorporating the Brownlow crest by the London plasterer Edward Goudge, "now looked on as ye best master in England in his profession," William Winde reported in 1690.^[20] A State Room in a large European mansion, is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress, they were the most luxurious in the house and contained the finest works of art. ... Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units exposure to enemy fire. ... A State Room in a large European mansion, is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress, they were the most luxurious in the house and contained the finest works of art. ... For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ...

Bodily and spiritual needs were balanced symmetrically within the mansion: the kitchen (A) and the chapel (M) were both large two-storied halls, rising from the semi-basement to the first floor. This design not only provided a great and lofty space, but also allowed the servants to worship in the chapel without leaving the service floor, while their employers would worship from a private gallery (N), complete with fireplace, overlooking the chapel on the first floor.

The rooftop belvedere and cupola.

One of the most Carolean features of the house is the balustrade and cupola surmounting the roof, another element introduced to English architecture by Roger Pratt. The cupola at Belton does not light a lofty domed hall, as is often the case in Europe, but houses a staircase which gives access to a large viewing platform on top of a lead roof, concealed from the ground by the balustrade which tops the more conventional and visible hipped roof. From this vantage point, the owners of Belton could admire the perfect symmetry of their avenues and formal gardens spreading from the house. This feature of the house was removed by the architect James Wyatt when he was modernising the house in the eighteenth century. It was restored to its original form in the 1870s by the 3rd Earl Brownlow. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 255 pixelsFull resolution (1474 × 470 pixel, file size: 546 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Roof of en:Belton House. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 255 pixelsFull resolution (1474 × 470 pixel, file size: 546 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Roof of en:Belton House. ... Belvedere (occasionally Belvidere) is an architectural term adopted from the Italian (literally fair view), which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. ... Cupola of St Peters Basilica, Rome In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and provide ventilation. ... Stairs, staircase, stairway, flight of stairs are all names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps. ... Cupola of St Peters Basilica, Rome In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and provide ventilation. ... Fonthill Abbey. ...

Interior and contents

One of the three large canvasses by Melchior d'Hondecoeter in the room named after him at Belton House. The paintings were acquired in 1873 by the 3rd Earl Brownlow. They had been already cut to fit their previous setting. There was insufficient space at Belton for a fourth canvas of the set. This is now in the US.

Some of Belton's many rooms have been altered over the last 300 years both in use and design. One of the principal rooms, the Marble Hall (J), the first of the large reception rooms, serves as an entrance hall from the south entrance. By the time of Belton's conception, the great hall was no longer a place for the household to eat, but intended as a grand entrance to the house. The hall was originally hung with 28 portraits of Kings, Queens, and Emperors, from William the Conqueror to William III, intended to give the house an air of dynastic importance. The less numerous and far newer Brownlow family portraits were hung in the Great Dining Room immediately above.^[21] The room takes its name from the chequer board patterned floor of black and white marble tiles. The room is fully paneled in lime wood, and parts of the paneling contain embellishments attributed to Grinling Gibbons. In the early 19th century, this room, and some others, was re-modelled by Jeffry Wyatville, who in addition to graining and painting the panelling to imitate oak inserted fake doors in the panelling to balance real doors already in place. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Melchior dHondecoeter (c. ... A great hall was the main room of a royal palace, a noblemans castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. ... William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... 5 by 5 checkerboard pattern A checkerboard (or chequerboard) is a board on which American checkers is played. ... Species About 30; see text A lime-lined avenue in Alexandra Park, London Tilia leaf Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere, in Asia (where the greatest species diversity is found), Europe and eastern North America; it is absent... One of the many bookcase carvings Gibbons made for the Wren Library, Cambridge. ... Jeffry Wyatville (1766-1840) was an English architect. ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus (from Latin oak tree), and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ...

Adelaide, wife of the 3rd Earl Brownlow. She and her husband restored many of the Carolean features to Belton, and are largely responsible for the interior as it appears today. The Brownlows were members of The Souls a fashionable salon made up of aesthetic aristocrats. This portrait by Leighton hangs on the staircase at Belton.

The second of the principal reception rooms, the Saloon (H), opens from the Marble Hall. This large paneled room is on an axis to the avenues of the formal north gardens. Originally known as the Great Parlour, this has always been the chief reception room of the house. It retains its original marble fireplace and has an ornate plaster ceiling which is a Victorian copy of the original ceiling by the Carolean plasterer Edward Goudge. Today, the room is furnished with family portraits and furniture which date back to the ownership of the house by Lord Tyrconnel (1721–1754), Sir John Brownlow II's nephew. The centrepiece of the room is a large Aubusson carpet made in 1839 for the 1st Earl Brownlow. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (618x1000, 295 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Belton House 1870s in fashion ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (618x1000, 295 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Belton House 1870s in fashion ... The Wyndham Sisters, by John Singer Sargent, 1897 (Metropolitan Museum) The Souls were a loosely-knit but distinctive social group in England, from about 1880 to 1920. ... A Salon of Ladies by Abraham Bosse A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring hostess or host, partly to amuse one another and partly to refine their taste and increase their knowledge through conversation and readings, often consciously following Horaces definition of the... Aesthetics (or esthetics) (from the Greek word αισθητική) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty. ... Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton (December 31, 1830 - January 25, 1896) was an English painter and sculptor. ... Figures with the axes of symmetry drawn in. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... This article is about the building material. ... Aubusson is a town in the French département of Creuse, of which it is the sous-préfecture. ...

Either side of the Saloon are two smaller drawing rooms (F, K), which would originally have served as private withdrawing rooms from the more public activities which would have taken place in the Marble Hall and Saloon. One of these withdrawing rooms was transformed into the principal or state bedroom during the occupancy of Lord Tyrconnel in an attempt to create a more fashionable suite of Baroque state rooms. Ironically, when a queen (Adelaide, widow of William IV) did next stay at Belton in 1840, the state bedroom was put back in its original location in the chamber above the Saloon now known as the Queen's Room. Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (Adelaide Louise Theresa Caroline Amelia) ( 13 August 1792 - 2 December 1849 ) as Queen Adelaide was the Queen consort of King William IV of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. ...

The final large reception room on the first floor is the Hondecoeter Room (A), so named because of the three huge oil paintings by Melchior d'Hondecoeter (1636–1695), depicting scenes of birds in courtyards, which are fitted into the neo-Carolean panelling. The paneling was introduced to the room by the 3rd Earl Brownlow in 1876. This room, furnished as the principal dining room of the mansion, was formed in 1808 from the upper part of the earlier kitchen which had originally risen two storeys. Melchior dHondecoeter (c. ...

The staircase hall (L) to the east of the marble hall is unusually placed at Belton, as in a house of this period one would expect to find the staircase in the hall. The stairs rise in three flights around the west, north, and east walls to the former Great Dining Room above the marble hall. Thus the staircase served as an important state procession link between the three principal reception rooms of the house. The Great Dining Room, now the Library, has been greatly altered and all traces of Carolean decoration removed, first by James Wyatt in 1778 when it was transformed into a drawing room with a vaulted ceiling, and again in 1876, when its use was again changed, this time to a library. The room contains some 6000 volumes, a superb examples of book collecting over 350 years.^[22] When Lord Tyrconnel died in 1754 a catalogue of his library identified almost 2,300 books. Almost all of these remain in the Belton library today. Fonthill Abbey. ...

Leading from the Library is the Queen's Room, the former "Best Bed Chamber." This paneled room was redecorated in the early 19th century for the visit of Queen Adelaide. It contains the great canopied Rococo style bed in which the Queen slept, complete with the royal monogram "AR" (Adelaide Regina) embroidered on the bedhead. Other rooms on the second floor are mostly bedrooms, which include the Chinese Room with its original hand painted 18th century Chinese wallpaper, the yellow bedroom, and the Windsor Bedroom, so called following its use by the Duke of Windsor on his visits to Belton during the 1930s with his mistress Wallis Simpson. The 6th Baron Brownlow, the King's Lord-in-waiting became heavily involved in the abdication crisis of 1936.^[23] Today Belton has a permanent exhibition devoted to that event. Look up Canopy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... North side of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo - carriage courtyard: all the stucco details sparkled with gold until 1773, when Catherine II had gilding replaced with olive drab paint. ... The Chi-Rho, a monogram of the first two letters in the Greek word for Christ E and L embroider for clothes and bedding, for a wife by the initials E L or L E A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or... Embroidery in silk thread on linen, 19th century Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with designs stitched in strands of thread or yarn using a needle. ... King Edward VIII King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, King of Ireland Emperor of India His Majesty King Edward VIII, (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David), later His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor (23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972) was the second British monarch of the... Wallis, Duchess of Windsor and the Duke of Windsor on their wedding day Bessie Wallis Warfield, more widely known as Wallis Simpson and later The Duchess of Windsor (June 19, 1896–April 24, 1986) was the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII of the... Belton House, the ancestral home of the Brownlow family Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow (born 1899 - died 1978) was the son of Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow, and his wife Maud Buckle. ... The Instrument of Abdication signed by Edward VIII and his three brothers The Edward VIII abdication crisis refers to events which occurred in 1936, when King-Emperor Edward VIII of the British Empire precipitated a constitutional crisis throughout his realms by his desire to marry his mistress, Mrs. ...

Gardens and the park

The "Italian garden", Orangery and Church. The Orangery and "Italian garden" were designed by Jeffry Wyatville in the early 19th century. The church contains the tombs of the Browlow and Cust owners of Belton House.

The Italian garden from the Orangery looking towards the "Lion Exedra" (a semi-circular screen) designed by Jeffry Wyatville

Looking from the east front of the house, along the Eastern Avenue, through the park towards Viscount Tyrconnel's Belmount Tower, a belvedere built circa 1750. During World War I Belton's park was home to the Machine Gun Corps and in World War II the Royal Air Force Regiment were stationed in the park.

In 1690, Sir John Brownlow was granted permission to enclose an area of 1000 acres (4 km²) to transform into a park, with a grant to keep deer. There is evidence to suggest that some of this area had been a park since at least 1580. The park was laid out with avenues, including the still surviving Eastern Avenue which led east from the house. Brownlow also had a large pond or lake dug and planted 21,400 ash trees, 9,500 oak trees, and 614 fruit trees. It is thought that William Winde may have advised on the layout of the gardens.^[24] Closer to the house were a series of more formal gardens, including canal ponds bordered by plantations containing symmetrical walks resembling the "rond-points" introduced by the landscape gardener André Le Nôtre. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 587 pixelsFull resolution (1974 × 1449 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 587 pixelsFull resolution (1974 × 1449 pixel, file size: 2. ... Orangery in Kuskovo, Moscow (1760s). ... Orangery in Kuskovo, Moscow (1760s). ... Jeffry Wyatville (1766-1840) was an English architect. ... For the New York prison see The Tombs. ... The title of Baron Brownlow was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1776. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 2 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Exedra at Belton House. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 2 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Exedra at Belton House. ... Orangery in Kuskovo, Moscow (1760s). ... An exedra adopted by James Cameron for a neoclassical interior space, at the Hermitage In architecture an exedra is a semicircular recess, often crowned by a half-dome, which is usually set into a buildings facade. ... Jeffry Wyatville (1766-1840) was an English architect. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 518 pixelsFull resolution (1124 × 728 pixel, file size: 691 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Garden of Belton House, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 518 pixelsFull resolution (1124 × 728 pixel, file size: 691 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Garden of Belton House, England. ... Viscount Tyrconnel was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created on 23 June 1754 for Sir John Brownlow, Bt, a longstanding Member of Parliament. ... Belvedere in Italian literally means beautiful view. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC were the first to use tanks in combat... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regt) is a specialist corps within the Royal Air Force, responsible for capturing and defending airfields and associated installations. ... An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ... Painting of André Le Nôtre by Carlo Maratti André Le Nôtre (March 12, 1613 - September 15, 1700) was a landscape architect and the gardener of King Louis XIV of France from 1645 to 1700. ...

Sir John Brownlow was succeeded at Belton first by his brother, who was content to permit Brownlow's widow, Alice, to remain in occupation. She spent the remainder of her life at Belton arranging advantageous marriages for her five daughters.^[25] On her death in 1721, the house passed to her husband's nephew (and also his son-in-law) Sir John Brownlow III (late Viscount Tyrconnel). Tyrconnel, a dilettante of no great intellect,^[26] was responsible for many of the architectural features which survive in the park and garden. Between 1742 and 1751, he had constructed a series of follies, including a Gothic ruin, a cascade, and a prospect or belvedere known as the Belmount Tower. As built, the tower had a small wing flanking each side. Viscount Tyrconnel was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created on 23 June 1754 for Sir John Brownlow, Bt, a longstanding Member of Parliament. ... The Dilettante Society or Dilettanti was a society of noblemen and gentlemen founded in England in 1734, and which contributed to correct and purify the public taste of the country; their labours were devoted chiefly to the study of the relics of ancient Greek art, and resulted in the production... For other uses, see Folly (disambiguation). ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin San Sebastian Church in Manila, Philippines made entirely of steel. ... Belvedere (occasionally Belvidere) is an architectural term adopted from the Italian (literally fair view), which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. ...

The twentieth century

In the last three decades of the nineteenth century the 3rd Earl Brownlow spent much time and money restoring Belton, and consequently the house entered the twentieth century in a good state of repair and preservation. However, the 20th century was to present Belton and its estate with serious problems. These included the introduction of income tax and death duties which would leave the finances of the Brownlow family severely depleted. Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Economic policy Monetary policy Central bank   Money supply Fiscal policy Spending   Deficit   Debt Trade policy Tariff   Trade agreement Finance Financial market Financial market participants Corporate   Personal Public   Banking   Regulation        An income tax is a tax levied on the financial income... Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Part of the Taxation series        In the United Kingdom, Inheritance Tax was first introduced as a tax on estates in England and Wales over a certain value from 1796, then called legacy, succession and estate duties. ...

At the beginning of World War I, like many other British landowners, the 3rd Earl Brownlow offered his house and park to the Government for war service. The offer was accepted, and the largest and most drastic changes were made in the park since the time of Viscount Tyrconnel's folly building. In 1915 the home depôt and training ground of the Machine Gun Corps were established in the southern part of Belton park.^[27] The lie of the land there, where the River Witham passes between the Lower Lincolnshire Limestone and the Upper Lias mudstone, lent itself to the development of the necessary firing ranges close to good communications by way of the Great North Road and the East Coast main line railway station at Grantham. The depôt was closed in 1919, the site cleared and the land restored to Lord Brownlow in 1920. Little sign of the Machine Gun Corps's stay remains in the park, but links in the form of plaques and inscriptions can be followed from the south gate of Belton park to the memorial gate on the way from there to the town centre and in the north aisle of Grantham parish church.^[28] “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC were the first to use tanks in combat... Sign at Junction 1 of the A1(M) at South Mimms in Hertfordshire The A1, at 409 miles (658 km) long, is the longest numbered British road. ... The London and North Eastern Railway or LNER was the second-largest of the Big Four railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. ... Grantham is a medium sized market town in Lincolnshire, England with about 35,000 inhabitants (40,000 including Great Gonerby), situated on the River Witham. ...

Belton again saw war service during World War II, when the park became home to the Royal Air Force Regiment, a newly formed unit within the RAF. Initially formed in 1942, the regiment soon moved to Belton where it was housed in nissen huts in the park.^[29] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regt) is a specialist corps within the Royal Air Force, responsible for capturing and defending airfields and associated installations. ... “RAF” redirects here. ... Nissen hut in Port Lincoln, South Australia, in the process of being converted into the John Calvin Presbyterian Church in the early 1950s. ...

Late twentieth century

The years following World War I were severely testing for the owners of many great estates. The staff both indoor and outdoor, which had previously been plentiful, essential, and cheap, was now in short supply. Millions of men had left private service to join the army, and very few returned. Female domestic staff had been called up for war service in factories, and now realised there was an easier and better paid existence outside of the gates of the great country houses. With both fortunes and staff depleted many owners of country houses now fought a losing battle to retain them.

Belton House remained relatively untouched during this period, largely owing to the failing fortunes of the Brownlow family. The 3rd Earl Brownlow (1844–1921) and his Countess lived for only a few months of the year at Belton, where they came for the fox-hunting, and divided the remainder of their time between their house in London and Ashridge, another country house in Hertfordshire. Ashridge, a huge Gothic revival pile, had come to the Brownlows in the nineteenth century through the Eggerton family. It was sold, with its art collection and furnishings, to pay the death duties arising on the death of the 3rd Earl in 1921. Hence Belton became the Brownlow's sole country home. Further death duties were incurred in 1927 on the death of the 3rd Earl's successor, his second cousin Adelbert Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow.^[30] The Bedale Hunt, Yorkshire, drawing a wood in February 2005 A Dutch pack: moving off Fox hunting is a type of hunting in which trained dogs pursue Red Foxes, followed by human hunters who are usually on horses but sometimes on foot. ... Ashridge Forest, April The Bridgewater Monument View from Bridgewater Monument to the house Ashridge is an estate and house in Hertfordshire, England; part of the land stretches into Buckinghamshire and it is close to the Bedfordshire border. ... For the similarly named county in the West Midlands region, see Herefordshire. ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin The Gothic revival was a European architectural movement with origins in mid-18th century England. ... Inheritance tax, also known in some countries outside the United States as a death duty and referred to as an estate tax within the U.S, is a form of tax levied upon the bequest that a person may make in their will to a living person or organisation. ...

Belton House, produced by the National Trust. ISBN 1-84359-218-5. The National Trust, owner of the property, has produced a series of informative books on the subject of Belton House. This 2006 version depicts Lord Tyrconnel (left) with his wife (seated in an invalid chair), and a cousin and her husband, in front of the south facade.

In the ensuing period many thousands of country houses of great architectural value were demolished, or had whole wings razed to the ground. In 1955, a house was demolished every five days.^[31] In this respect Belton was fortunate to survive at all, as in addition to the family's problems, the house was now deteriorating to such an extent that in 1961 the 6th Baron employed the architect Francis Johnson to oversee a large restoration program lasting three years. Not only was the roof repaired but much of the paneling taken down and repaired, and new cornices installed. Also attempts were made to curtail serious infestations of dry rot. By the time of the death of the 6th Baron in 1978, and the again resultant death duties, coupled with the rising costs of the upkeep, Belton became too much for the Brownlow family. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (685 × 912 pixel, file size: 558 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Scan of Belton House. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (685 × 912 pixel, file size: 558 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Scan of Belton House. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... Francis Johnston (1760 - 1829) was an Irish architect. ... Dry rot is a disease of trees, often caused by the fungal species Merulis lacrymans, Poria incrassata, and/or Serpula lacrymans. ...

The National Trust

The seventh Baron attempted to retain the house and estate by opening to the public. He successfully implemented an adventure playground in the nearby woods to attract families to the house as a tourist attraction. However, the financial difficulties were too great and in January, 1984, he transferred ownership of the house to the National Trust, a charitable body experienced in the management of such properties. The National Trust further purchased at a cost of eight million pounds the 1,317 acres (5.33 km²) of parkland and much of the contents of the house. This was made possible by a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) was set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom. ...

The Trust quickly produced a guide book for the 1984 season^[32] and opened to the public. A priority was the establishment of a restaurant,^[33] which would not only augment the estate's income, but also encourage people to spend more time at Belton, and travel greater distances to visit. Though the house, its contents and out-buildings were in an adequate state of repair at the time of the gift, they have since become part of an ongoing program of conservation and restoration. At the same time the National Trust has introduced new features and attractions such as a silver exhibition which displays a collection of silver amassed by the Brownlow family, dating from 1698. Further revenue is raised from the use of the property as a filming location, and from licensing the Marble Hall and Tapestry Room for civil weddings, with receptions being held in the stables.^[34]

Owners of Belton House

The tomb of Sir John Brownlow I and his wife Alice Pulteney. "...marble hands clasped everlastingly in mutual consolation for their childless marriage".^[35]

The funerary chapel of the owners of Belton House, in the parish church adjacent to the mansion's garden.

Until its acceptance by the National Trust, Belton House was in the ownership of the family of its builder, albeit often through tortuous descent following the failure of three generations to produce a son and heir. This caused the ownership to pass sideways and sometimes backwards through the female line. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1950 × 1461 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1950 × 1461 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 615 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1572 × 1533 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 615 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1572 × 1533 pixel, file size: 1. ... St. ... Spinning Flax from a distaff As a noun, a distaff is a tool used in spinning. ...

The owners of Belton are buried in the village of Belton's parish church close to the house. Their tombs are collectively one of the most complete sets of family memorials in England — continuous generation to generation for almost 350 years.^[36] The earliest Brownlow buried here is the founder of the family fortune the lawyer Richard Brownlow (1555–1638), and one of the most recent is the 6th Baron Brownlow (1899–1978). Belton is situated north of Grantham, Lincolnshire, and notable for Belton Woods and Belton Hall. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ...

The owners of Belton House have been:

• Sir John Brownlow I (1594–1679) Bequeathed Belton to his great nephew John Brownlow II.
• Sir John Brownlow II (1659–1697). Builder of Belton House
• Sir William Brownlow (1665–1702). Brother of Sir John Brownlow II, permitted his widowed sister-in-law to retain Belton.
• Sir John Brownlow III (1690–1754). Created Viscount Tyrconnel in 1718. Nephew and son-in-law of Sir John Brownlow II.
• Sir John Cust (1718–1770). Speaker of the House of Commons and nephew of Tyrconnel.
• Sir Brownlow Cust (1744–1807). Created Baron Brownlow in 1776. Son of Sir John Cust.
• John, 2nd Baron Brownlow (1779–1853). Created 1st Earl Brownlow in 1815. Son of Sir Brownlow Cust.
• John, (Eggerton-Cust), 2nd Earl Brownlow (1842–1867) Grandson of John, 2nd Baron Brownlow.
• Adelbert, 3rd (and last) Earl Brownlow (1844–1921). Brother of John, 2nd Earl Brownlow.
• Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow (1867–1927). Second cousin of Adelbert, 3rd Earl Brownlow.
• Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow (1899–1978).
• Edward Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow (born 1936).
• The National Trust (1984 onwards).^[37]

John Brownlow, 1st Viscount Tyrconnel KB (16 November 1690 – 27 February 1754), known as Sir John Brownlow, 5th Baronet, from 1701 to 1718, was a British Member of Parliament. ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... The title of Baron Brownlow was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1776. ... The title of Baron Brownlow was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1776. ... Belton House, the ancestral home of the Brownlow family Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow (born 1899 - died 1978) was the son of Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow, and his wife Maud Buckle. ...

Notes

A view of Chatsworth from the south-west circa 1880. ... The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones 1622 Banqueting House was destroyed by fire. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... A view of Chatsworth from the south-west circa 1880. ... Sir John Vanbrugh in Godfrey Knellers Kit-cat portrait, considered one of Knellers finest portraits. ... The career of Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 - 25 March 1736) formed the brilliant middle link in Britains trio of great baroque architects. ... The Buttermans, the historic home of John Newman, the butter king, is one of several Queen Anne mansions in Elgin, Illinois The Queen Anne style of British and American architecture reached its greatest popularity in the last quarter of the 19th century, manifesting itself in a number of different ways... Lincoln (pronounced //) is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Giovanni Domenico Cassini observes differential rotation within Jupiters atmosphere. ... Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven (29 April 1686 - 1 January 1742), also known as Peregrine Bertie (1686-1701), Lord Willoughby de Eresby (1701-1715) and Marquess of Lindsey (1715-1723), was a British nobleman and statesman. ... The title of Marquess of Exeter was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801 for the Earl of Exeter. ... Earl of Guilford is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1752. ... Viscount Tyrconnel was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created on 23 June 1754 for Sir John Brownlow, Bt, a longstanding Member of Parliament. ... Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven (29 April 1686 - 1 January 1742), also known as Peregrine Bertie (1686-1701), Lord Willoughby de Eresby (1701-1715) and Marquess of Lindsey (1715-1723), was a British nobleman and statesman. ...

References

• (2006) Belton House. The National Trust. ISBN 1-84359-218-5. 
• Beard, Geoffrey (1966). Georgian Craftsmen and Their Work. London: Country Life. OCLC 1061927.  (2nd edition: published by South Brunswick and New York: A. S. Barnes & Company, 1967. OCLC 1477644)
• Chesshyre, J.F. (1984). Belton House. The National Trust. 
• Girouard, Mark (1978). Life in the English Country House. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-02273-5. 
• Halliday, F. E. (1967). Cultural History of England. London: Thames and Hudson. 
• Hussey, Christopher (1927). "Brympton D'Evercy, Somerset". Country Life LXI. 
• Jackson-Stops, Gervase (1990). The Country House in Perspective. Pavilion Books Ltd.. ISBN 0-8021-1228-5. 
• Lappin, Judith; Keith Stephenson. History of the Machine Gun Corps. The Machine Gun Corps Old Comrades' Association. Retrieved on 2006-06-17.
• Nicolson, Nigel (1965). Great Houses of Britain. Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBN 0-600-01651-X. 
• SAVE Britain’s Heritage 1975-2005: 30 Years of Campaigning. RIBA architecture.com (April 13, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-23.
• Thornton, Michael. Royal Feud. London: Michael Joseph Ltd.. ISBN 0-330-29505-5. 

The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) was founded in 1967 and originally named the Ohio College Library Center. ... The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) was founded in 1967 and originally named the Ohio College Library Center. ... Christopher Hussey (1899 - 1970) was one of the chief authorities on British domestic architecture of the generation that also included Dorothy Stroud and Sir John Summerson. ... Country Life is a British weekly magazine. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Belton House information at the National Trust
• Belton Church
• Flickr images tagged Belton House

Coordinates: 52°56′35″N, 0°37′5″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...