A Victorian Home

We have been making visits to Tyntesfield House since it was acquired by the National Trust. We were fortunate to be invited to visit before it was open to the general public. The house was in many ways much as it had been left when the last Lord Wraxall to live there died. The auctioneers had spent some time collecting items into lots so there was a large amount of house contents bundled up together. There were cobwebs of many years hanging in the corners. The staircase carpet was threadbare and the curtains were so frail they looked like they could just disintegrate.

Since then we have made regular visits and seen a gradual restoration of the house and gardens including a tour of the nurseries and servant quarters. We have hence become familiar with its contents.

 It is a while since I last looked around the house and I was in for a bit of a suprise. A lot of items have been removed and one sitting room which I always thought looked  a comfortable room to spend time has been completely stripped and turned into a games room. I hope that this is just to keep in tune with the current theme "Changing Times" which focuses on the period 1887 - 1907 when Antony Gibbs lived in the house. I would be sorry if the house remained like this and didn't embrace the story of all those who lived there.

There were however many familiar items to be seen including this perambulator and invalid bath chair.

One of the most fascinating rooms which is virtually untouched is the Billiard Room. The billiard table is almost unique and ahead of its time with a hot pipe underneath to provide heating to the table to make the balls move more easily. There are carvings on each of the panels around the edge depicting various sporting scenes such as badminton, tennis, hawking and cock fighting.

It was also innovative in having an electric score system.

I wondered whether this coat of arms name plate on front of the safe in the pantries would count as a plaque for the Summertime Photography Hunt.

There are also a number of stained glass windows around the house this being one of the finest.

No doubt we will make another visit and it will be interesting to see what changes there are next time.