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Haddon Hall (4), Some of the Rooms & the Chapel |
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Whilst the Manners family did not live in Haddon for over two
hundred years, from the early seventeenth century (1703) until
1925, the building was kept in good repair[1] although
most nineteenth century historians found the apartments gloomy.
All the furniture was removed about 1760 but Haddon continued
to be used occasionally for social gatherings. For example,
nearly 200 couples danced in the Long Gallery in 1802 at a
ball given by the inhabitants of Bakewell after a peace treaty,
the Treaty of Amiens, had been signed during the Napoleonic
Wars. When John Henry Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland came of
age he gave a ball at Haddon[1].
Similarly, in 1836 when his eldest son Charles Cecil John Manners,
later 6th Duke of Rutland, came of age there was another celebration
at Haddon when his father, the 5th Duke, "gave a grand
treat to all his tenantry in the neighbourhood"[2].
Haddon celebrated once more
in 1907, again for the coming of age of another
Marquis of Granby.
In 1889 a report published in "The
Builder" said that the stonework was crumbling
in places and it had become evident that something
must be done. Some of the stone mullions needed renewing
if the windows were not to fall to pieces. However,
the article did stress that "those who took care
of the place were alive to this necessity" (presumably
the Manners family[3]),
and that they intended to preserve the building in
the future as carefully as they have done in the past[4].
A further report was published ten years later, this time
after surveys had been undertaken on behalf of the Society
for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. It showed that
there had been very serious movement in the great tower
near the entrance, partly due to the overhanging turret
and partly due to settlement in the great curtain wall
to the south of the tower. To stop further movement it
was recommended that a new three foot thick wall, well
bonded to the old walls, should be built back to the fifteenth
century curtain wall[5. |
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The ground plan, from Black's Guide of 1888[6],
shows
where some of the rooms mentioned below are situated. |
The lead roofing and gutters were also deemed to be beyond
repair, so it was proposed they should be taken up and re-cast
before being re-laid. At the same time roof timbers should
be repaired, if necessary. Nevertheless, despite these problems
the society's experts were impressed by the excellent state
of preservation of the building[5].
Messrs. George and William Toft, a Youlgreave firm of stone
masons, were contracted to repair parts of Haddon
in 1907 and had been working there since early August. Unfortunately,
whilst adjusting a beam in the ballroom (Long Gallery) Mr.
Toft stepped out of his men's way onto a ledge which gave way
and George Toft lost his life[7].
Major restoration work began in 1912.
These renovations were undertaken by the 9th Duke of Rutland
(1886-1940) who had inherited the title after the death of
his elder brother. If the ancient materials
could not be salvaged the skilful craftsmen he employed used
local wood and stone to replace them[8].
Queen Mary visited Haddon in 1913 whilst she and George
V were staying at Chatsworth. She inspected the restoration of
the building and watched the recasting of the sheets of lead
from the roof. She also spoke to the needlewomen responsible
for repairing the old tapestries[9].
In the summer of 1927 the public were admitted to Haddon once
again, following a closure of over eighteen months whilst it
was made into a home. The Duchess of Rutland held a bazaar
in aid of Rowsley's Women's Institute. Special trains were
laid on for the event! One of the main things "The
Times" commented on afterwards was that
electric lighting had been installed[10].
Almost all the images below will date from before the 1912
restoration took place. We begin with the Chapel, which is
on the opposite side of the Lower / First Courtyard from the
main entrance. The exterior walls of the Chapel can be seen
in the image at the top of this page, at the right hand end
of the building.
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The painting is by Henry Hadfield Cubley who lived at
Matlock
Bath at that time. The woman and child are his wife
and
one of his daughters. |
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The chapel is dedicated to St. Nicholas
and is one of the oldest parts of Haddon Hall. It is Norman,
with some later additions. The circular font is also Norman,
and a pillar between the nave and the south aisle date
from the same period.
The stained glass in the east window depicts The Crucifixion
and Mary, St. John etc. There is an inscription running
across the whole window that dates both the glass and the
chancel:
"Orate pro animabus Riccardi Vernon et Benedicte uxuris
eius qui fecerunt anno dni 1427."
The west window and some other lights were filled with
14th century glass of exceptional high quality. However,
in 1828 the glass was carefully cut out by person or persons
unknown. Despite a reward of 100 guineas nothing more was
heard of either the glass or the thieves[11].
In 1624 Sir George Manners renewed the roof and his initials,
plus the date, were carved on one of the beams[12].
When the walls were cleaned in 1858 murals and wall
paintings were discovered, but they faded and were restored
in the 20th century.
The pews are Pulpit Pews and are three decker. |
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The Dining Room is on the same level as the Chapel, across
the Courtyard and up a small flight of steps that runs
right across the quadrangle.
Haddon Hall's Dining Room (originally the
Parlour), with its Oriel Window. Before 1912.
Above the large fireplace in the Dining Room is the royal
coat of arms, with three Prince of Wales's feathers on
one side and the initials E. P., and on the other the arms
of the Vernon family. Below these are the words "Drede
God & honor the King" and with the inscription "Anno
Domini 1545, Monseigneur de Vernon, G.V.M.V."[3].
The oak panelling that lines the room dates from the previous
century[12].
The south facing Oriel window in the recess has six lights, "the
frieze of which is adorned with boars' heads, the crest
of Vernon and portraits of Henry VII and his royal consort".
William Adam found the ceiling "low and gloomy" in
1840[13; it is
divided into bays by five beams, "once
evidently richly gilt, and otherwise ornamented".
There is an old fire range in the fireplace.
The Great Hall or Banqueting Hall is also off the Lower
Courtyard.
This was where everyone would have eaten in the Middle
Ages.
The picture is also from a painting by Henry Hadfield
Cubley. Mrs. Cubley is wearing the red coat.
There is more about the Great Hall in Haddon
Hall (2). |
The Drawing Room (below), originally known as the Solar, is
over the Dining Room and also has an oriel window..
The Drawing Room (Solar), early twentieth
century postcard.
Pevsner dates the panelling in this room to probably the
early 17th century and suggests this was also when the
mullions were removed from the Oriel window[14].
A tapestry (arras) was hung to the right of the fireplace.
There is a deep plasterwork frieze above both the tapestry
and the fireplace which is Elizabethan, as it the ceiling
in the bay.
The Long Gallery / The Ballroom, postcard
from the early 1900s.
Perhaps the card's publisher did not know that the panelling
was silver grey, not brown.
The Long Gallery (shown both above and below) has sometimes
been called the Ballroom. Pevsner, who compared it with
the Long Gallery at Hardwick, said the Haddon Long Gallery
was much shorter and lower[14].
It is 110 feet long (in some accounts
109 feet) and only 15 feet high. It was built by Sir John
Manners shortly after the one at Hardwick, about 1600[14].
Everyone who has written about the gallery over the years
has thought it more charming than the galleries of Hardwick,
Montacute, Parham, etc..
There are three bays on the southern side, two of which
are windows whilst the third is a recess of 15 ft. by 18
ft.. The walls are covered with oak panelling (wainscot),
described by Firth in 1908 as being a beautiful silver grey
colour. Squares, lozenges and quatrefoils are incorporated
into the plaster ceiling, and foliage is also incorporated
into the design[15].
The floor is said to have been cut out of a single oak tree
that grew in the park[16].
This second card is of a much more recent date but shows how
beautiful the Long Gallery is.
State Bedroom, before 1912.
The final picture is of
the State Bedroom. The bas-relief over the fireplace is of "Orpheus
charming the beasts". The four poster bed wasn't taken
to Haddon until 1816, following a fire a Belvoir[15].
The needlework of the bed's coverlet is said to have been done
by Eleanor, wife of Sir Robert Manners, who died in 1487. The
last person who slept in it was George IV when
still Prince Regent
and a guest at Belvoir[12].
The bed was afterwards returned to Haddon[2],
though is now back at Belvoir[16].
In 1889 Janetta Manners wrote that the wooden cot had been
where generations of Manners babies had been rocked to sleep[3]. |
1. "Haddon Hall". F. Frith and Co. Ltd., Reigate, No..37867.
First published before 1896. Not posted.
2. "Ground Plan of Haddon Hall". From Black's Guide, 1888.
3. "Haddon Hall. The Chapel". Ralph Tuck & Sons "Oilette" [Regd,]
Postcard 1487. Art Publishers to their Majesties the King and
Queen. Posted 10 Mar 1904 in Southampton. No message. Sender
just signed the front Fred Short
Haddon Hall. Ralph Tuck & Sons "Oilette" [Regd,]
Postcard 1487. Art Publishers to their Majesties the King and
Queen. Posted on 9 Jul 1904 at Matlock. Sent to a Miss D Wall
of Darley from G. Cardin. Message about a book.
4. "Haddon Hall, Dining Room Oriel Window". Celesque Series,
Photochrom Co Ltd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent., No. A33166. Not posted.
5. "Haddon Hall. The Banqueting Hall". Ralph Tuck & Sons "Oilette" [Regd,]
Postcard 1487. Art Publishers to their Majesties the King and
Queen. Posted on 31 May 1904 in Birmingham. To Miss L Sumners
I hope you will [like] this being as we went there.
6. "The Drawing Room, Haddon Hall". Artistic Series, A.P. Co.,
9 Bury Court, St. Mary Axe, London, E.C, No.144. Not posted.
In the collection of, provided by and © Ann Andrews.
Researched, written by and © Ann Andrews.
7. "Ballroom, Haddon Hall", Valentines Series, No.4906X. Not posted
[One like this was posted in 1912].
8. "Haddon Hall, The Long Gallery". English Life Publications
Ltd., Derby, No.5995R. Not posted. Please note that we believe
this picture to date from about 1985, but the publisher does not
seem to exist any more.
9. "Haddon Hall: State Bedroom". Photochrom Co Ltd, Tunbridge Wells,
Kent, No. A.33168. Not posted. [One like this was posted in 1912]
Intended for personal use only.
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References:
[1] Ward, Reverend Richard (1814) "The
Matlock, Buxton and Castleton Guide, containing concise accounts
of these and other remarkable places ... in the ... County
of Derby", Derby. Ward wrote that "all the rooms
are dark and uncomfortable, and afford striking proofs how
much domestic accomodations [sic] have improved since the days
of our ancestors". Nevertheless, he found the building "kept
in good repair", which contrasts with Rev Peter Davies
wrting just a few years earlier.
[2] Adam, William (1840) "The
Gem of the Peak", London; Longman & Co., Paternoster
Row - see onsite
transcript.
[3] "Derbyshire
Times and Chesterfield Herald", 13 April 1889. "Haddon
Hall", an article from The Queen by Lady John Manners,
Duchess of Rutland. Janetta Manners was well aware of both
conservation work and also that a considerable amount would
have to be done to make the building habitable.
[4] "Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield
Herald", 1 September 1888. Report on an article in "The
Builder".
[5] Derby Mercury, 22 June 1898.
The Condition of Haddon Hall.
[6] "Black's Tourist Guide
to Derbyshire" (1888) pub. Adam and Charles Black,
Edinburgh.
[7] "Derby Daily Telegraph",
29 November 1907. A scaffolding accident at Haddon.
[8] "The Times",
Saturday, 6 June, 1987. Article by Nigel Andrew: "Romance
in the stone."
[9] "The Times", Wednesday,
10 Dec, 1913. Their Majesties' Visit To Chatsworth. Queen Mary
also visited Derby and passed through Matlock and Matlock Bath.
She was given an exceptional Blue John vase. See: Visitors
to Matlock Bath - Queen Mary, 1913
[10] "The Times", Friday, 19 Aug, 1927.
[11] The theft is mentioned in several
sources (Cox, Worth, etc) but first appeared in Rayner
S[amuel] (1836) "The History and Antiquities of Haddon
Hall: Illustrated By Thirty-Two Highly Finished Drawings; With
an Account of the Hall in Its Present State", published
by Moseley, Derby.
[12] Cox, John Charles, (1915, 2nd edition,
revised), "Derbyshire" - Illustrated by J. Charles
Wall, Methuen & Co., London.
[13] Adam, W. (1840) "The
Gem of the Peak" London; Longman & Co., Paternoster Row.
[14] Pevsner, Nikolaus (1953), "The
Buildings of England, Derbyshire", Penguin Books.
[15] Firth, J. B. (1908) "Highways
and Byways in Derbyshire", MacMillan & Co.,
London.
[16] Rhodes, Ebenezer (1824) "Peak
Scenery", London, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown,
and Green, Paternoster Row.
[16] Jenkins, Simon (2003) "England's
Thousand Best Houses", Allen Lane, Penguin Books Ltd.,
80 Strand, London, WC28 0R:, England, ISBN 0-713-99596-3
Also see, elsewhere on this web site:
The
Gentleman's Magazine Library, 1731-1868 (under Bakewell). MI
of Sir George Vernon family and mentions the tomb of his daughter
who is also commemorated in the church.
Kelly's
Directory of Derbyshire, 1891
Derbyshire's
Parishes, 1811 includes a short piece about Haddon, under
Bakewell
The
Wolley Manuscripts, Derbyshire
More
about Henry Hadfield Cubley, the artist (under Matlock)
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