Inside Dyffryn House - Staircase
The interior of Dyffryn House at Dyffryn Gardens.
It is in Dyffryn in the Vale of Glamorgan. Not too far from Cardiff. The gardens are owned by the National Trust. There is also a house on the site, that is undergoing refurbishment, it opens at midday (the parts that are open though).
Dyffryn House was first home to Admiral Sir Thomas Button in the 16th century. Then in the 18th century the Pryce family took ownership. The last family to live in the house was the Cory family from the late 19th century.
Bought by John Cory the house you see today is mostly his remodelling. John's only daughter Florence was the last of the family to live here, passing away in 1937.
The estate was bought by Sir Cennydd Traherne, a local land lower. This is when it began it's life as a training centre and then a conference centre.
The conference centre closed in 1998. For a brief period the house as due to become a hotel. Much of the damage was caused by this plan.
In 2013, 17 years after doors closed, the National Trust has reopened the house to keep the story going.
The house is Grade II* listed.
Interior
Lavish interiors the main rooms of which are designed in a wide variety of styles in a manner often favoured by wealthy C19 owners. Some of the chimneypieces are said to have been brought from other houses. The single most important room is the Great Hall which echoes those of major C16 country houses (eg Hampton Court and Burghley) with its full height, mock hammerbeam roof and large end window. The walls are enriched with two tiers of pilasters carrying friezes, a dentilled cornice to top and corbelled round arches with gilded keystones below over a panelled dado. 5-bay implied double-hammerbeam roof which is herringbone-boarded. Grand timber chimneypiece with massive cornice carried by full height terms; stone fireplace surround and overmantel with Ionic columns flanking coat of arms. Enormous window to N end with coloured glass depicting Queen Elizabeth I; round-arched doorway below with double doors and marble columns. Splayed dais recess to W wall with coffered ceiling. At S end the minstrels gallery is carried on curved brackets and spans an open passage leading from the staircase hall giving access to the Great Hall and neighbouring rooms, the doorways to which are surmounted by large plaster relief 'tondi'. To the E of the Great Hall is the Billiard Room which has a dado, with integral bench seating, below a deep band of carved panelling in an exceptionally florid Renaissance manner; similar frieze and chimneypiece and a deeply panelled ceiling with ceiling bosses. The Orchid room to S has painted ceiling, Ionic columns and gilded surrounds to wall panelling. Immediately next door is the Rose Room which is in a broadly C18 French style (see especially the delicately painted ceiling with corner roundels and the gilded festoons to the beaded surrounds of the wall panelling). The fine marble chimneypiece however is more ca.1600 in style with tapered figural pilasters, Smythson-like bosses and strapwork surrounding an equestrian figure with a French inscription: "Dieu Benit La Zouche de Courson". To the W is the Tulip Room (now Dining room) with ribbed ceiling including Gothic foliate bosses; bowed W end backs onto the Bar while the N wall backs onto the wainscotted Staircase Hall which at its E end has wall-arcading in a similar manner to that of the Great Hall. Broad stairs with long flights; shaped tread ends and panelled newels with finials. 1st floor landing has paired marble columns and beyond that the stairs continue in a similar manner to 2nd floor. The Oak room opens off the Staircase Hall. This was formerly the dining room and has a panelled ceiling, wainscotting and mullioned and transomed windows all in a Tudor/Elizabethan manner; similar style inglenook-like fireplace with oval smoke window. The two remaining public rooms to W are the Bar and Lounge for the conference centre. The former has lightly ribbed ceiling but luxuriantly foliage encrusted marble chimneypiece in an C18 manner and reuses a remarkable French style 7-double branch chandelier; modern panelling. The lounge has unusual plaster ceiling with broad ribs and thistle, rose and daffodil ornament to square, diamond and lozenge shaped panels. Fine French chateau style marble chimneypiece with putti flanking round-arched fireplace containing Fleur-de-lis fireback.
Staircase
Inside Dyffryn House - Staircase
The interior of Dyffryn House at Dyffryn Gardens.
It is in Dyffryn in the Vale of Glamorgan. Not too far from Cardiff. The gardens are owned by the National Trust. There is also a house on the site, that is undergoing refurbishment, it opens at midday (the parts that are open though).
Dyffryn House was first home to Admiral Sir Thomas Button in the 16th century. Then in the 18th century the Pryce family took ownership. The last family to live in the house was the Cory family from the late 19th century.
Bought by John Cory the house you see today is mostly his remodelling. John's only daughter Florence was the last of the family to live here, passing away in 1937.
The estate was bought by Sir Cennydd Traherne, a local land lower. This is when it began it's life as a training centre and then a conference centre.
The conference centre closed in 1998. For a brief period the house as due to become a hotel. Much of the damage was caused by this plan.
In 2013, 17 years after doors closed, the National Trust has reopened the house to keep the story going.
The house is Grade II* listed.
Interior
Lavish interiors the main rooms of which are designed in a wide variety of styles in a manner often favoured by wealthy C19 owners. Some of the chimneypieces are said to have been brought from other houses. The single most important room is the Great Hall which echoes those of major C16 country houses (eg Hampton Court and Burghley) with its full height, mock hammerbeam roof and large end window. The walls are enriched with two tiers of pilasters carrying friezes, a dentilled cornice to top and corbelled round arches with gilded keystones below over a panelled dado. 5-bay implied double-hammerbeam roof which is herringbone-boarded. Grand timber chimneypiece with massive cornice carried by full height terms; stone fireplace surround and overmantel with Ionic columns flanking coat of arms. Enormous window to N end with coloured glass depicting Queen Elizabeth I; round-arched doorway below with double doors and marble columns. Splayed dais recess to W wall with coffered ceiling. At S end the minstrels gallery is carried on curved brackets and spans an open passage leading from the staircase hall giving access to the Great Hall and neighbouring rooms, the doorways to which are surmounted by large plaster relief 'tondi'. To the E of the Great Hall is the Billiard Room which has a dado, with integral bench seating, below a deep band of carved panelling in an exceptionally florid Renaissance manner; similar frieze and chimneypiece and a deeply panelled ceiling with ceiling bosses. The Orchid room to S has painted ceiling, Ionic columns and gilded surrounds to wall panelling. Immediately next door is the Rose Room which is in a broadly C18 French style (see especially the delicately painted ceiling with corner roundels and the gilded festoons to the beaded surrounds of the wall panelling). The fine marble chimneypiece however is more ca.1600 in style with tapered figural pilasters, Smythson-like bosses and strapwork surrounding an equestrian figure with a French inscription: "Dieu Benit La Zouche de Courson". To the W is the Tulip Room (now Dining room) with ribbed ceiling including Gothic foliate bosses; bowed W end backs onto the Bar while the N wall backs onto the wainscotted Staircase Hall which at its E end has wall-arcading in a similar manner to that of the Great Hall. Broad stairs with long flights; shaped tread ends and panelled newels with finials. 1st floor landing has paired marble columns and beyond that the stairs continue in a similar manner to 2nd floor. The Oak room opens off the Staircase Hall. This was formerly the dining room and has a panelled ceiling, wainscotting and mullioned and transomed windows all in a Tudor/Elizabethan manner; similar style inglenook-like fireplace with oval smoke window. The two remaining public rooms to W are the Bar and Lounge for the conference centre. The former has lightly ribbed ceiling but luxuriantly foliage encrusted marble chimneypiece in an C18 manner and reuses a remarkable French style 7-double branch chandelier; modern panelling. The lounge has unusual plaster ceiling with broad ribs and thistle, rose and daffodil ornament to square, diamond and lozenge shaped panels. Fine French chateau style marble chimneypiece with putti flanking round-arched fireplace containing Fleur-de-lis fireback.
Staircase