Belton House, Lincolnshire
The Hondecoeter Room
Belton House, located in a few miles north of Grantham in Lincolnshire, is a quintessential example of a late 17th-century country estate, built in the Carolean (Restoration) style. It was home to the Brownlow and Cust families for nearly 300 years.
The house was primarily built between 1685 and 1688 for "Young" Sir John Brownlow and his wife Alice, who inherited a vast fortune from a great-uncle. They chose a fashionable yet comparatively modest design, drawing inspiration from Roger Pratt's demolished Clarendon House in London, rather than a grand Baroque palace. The design is generally attributed to architect William Winde, with construction overseen by master mason William Stanton.
The Brownlow family were a dynasty of wealthy lawyers who began acquiring land in the area in the late 16th century. Successive generations, including the Cust family who later inherited the estate and were created Baron and then Earl Brownlow, made alterations to the interiors and gardens to reflect changing tastes and social status, though the external appearance remained largely unchanged.
Following the wars, the family faced mounting financial difficulties and death duties, common challenges for wealthy English families at the time. After attempts to keep the estate viable, including opening it to the public, the 7th Baron Brownlow donated the house and most of its contents to the National Trust in 1984.
The early history of the Hondecoeter room is unclear, at least until the early 19th century. In 1808 the room became the 1st Earl Browlow's library, the room remained a library until 1876 when the bookcases were moved upstairs to the current library. The room was then redecorated and turned into a state dining room. The room gets its name from the vast canvases on the walls by Mechior d'Hondecoeter
Belton House, Lincolnshire
The Hondecoeter Room
Belton House, located in a few miles north of Grantham in Lincolnshire, is a quintessential example of a late 17th-century country estate, built in the Carolean (Restoration) style. It was home to the Brownlow and Cust families for nearly 300 years.
The house was primarily built between 1685 and 1688 for "Young" Sir John Brownlow and his wife Alice, who inherited a vast fortune from a great-uncle. They chose a fashionable yet comparatively modest design, drawing inspiration from Roger Pratt's demolished Clarendon House in London, rather than a grand Baroque palace. The design is generally attributed to architect William Winde, with construction overseen by master mason William Stanton.
The Brownlow family were a dynasty of wealthy lawyers who began acquiring land in the area in the late 16th century. Successive generations, including the Cust family who later inherited the estate and were created Baron and then Earl Brownlow, made alterations to the interiors and gardens to reflect changing tastes and social status, though the external appearance remained largely unchanged.
Following the wars, the family faced mounting financial difficulties and death duties, common challenges for wealthy English families at the time. After attempts to keep the estate viable, including opening it to the public, the 7th Baron Brownlow donated the house and most of its contents to the National Trust in 1984.
The early history of the Hondecoeter room is unclear, at least until the early 19th century. In 1808 the room became the 1st Earl Browlow's library, the room remained a library until 1876 when the bookcases were moved upstairs to the current library. The room was then redecorated and turned into a state dining room. The room gets its name from the vast canvases on the walls by Mechior d'Hondecoeter