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GAWTHORPE HALL AND GROUNDS. 



SEPTEMBER 9th, 1886. 



Over thirty members and friends availed themselves of the 

 kind permission of the Right Hon. Sir Ughtred J. Kay-Shuttle- 

 worth, Bart,, to visit Gawthorpe. The party approached the 

 fine old Elizabethan mansion from the eastern side, passing 

 along the terrace in front of the hall and through a garden laid 

 out in plots of geometric patterns. Externally it was noticed 

 that the disintegrating influence of the weather was having its 

 effect upon the stone, and judicious and careful repairs were 

 being made. This was regarded with satisfaction, as Gawthorpe 

 is one of the finest specimens of Elizabethan architecture in 

 the locality. Its architectural record may be traced from the 

 ancient Peel or Castlet of medieval times, a portion of which 

 still remains, forming the nucleus of the stately four-storied 

 structure built in 1600 by Lawrence Shuttleworth. Enclosing 

 the original Peel within the new erection he raised it to a 

 greater height, so that it might pierce the roof and become a 

 prominent feature of architectural detail. This tower was again 

 heightened when the last restoration under Sir Charles Barry 

 was undertaken by the father of the present Baronet. It was 

 evident to the visitors (who now had the pleasiu'e of the cicerone- 

 ship of A. Ford, Esq., Steward,) that the later restoration had 

 been carried out with the greatest care, both externally and in- 

 ternally, and that the additions were in strict harmony with the 

 style of the original. Even the pierced Elizabethan battlement 

 extending round the whole building, which it is alleged has pro- 

 voked hostile criticism does not offend in this particular. The 

 same picturesque ornamentation encompasses the central tower 

 between the pinnacles, and on a pediment below it appears a 

 characteristic inscription in bold Roman letters relating to ' Pru- 

 dence,' ' Justice,' and 'Hospitality.' The main features of the 

 Entrance Hall are, the exquisitely carved stone panels, (though 

 quite stern in their treatment,) of John Thomas, a well-known 

 sculptor ; the light pleasant arcading of the same material, and 

 a truly baronial oak staircase looking stout and substantial 

 enough to last for generations to come. Owing to the require- 

 ments of a modern mansion, the original hall has been con- 

 tracted, and a portion of it wainscotted in oak, now forms the 

 Dining Room. Here is still found the dais, the long table, an 

 enormous wine cooler, and a minstrels' gaUery. Many valuable 

 paintings, and portraits of the family, adorn the walls, while in 

 the wainscotted gallery to the right of the entrance are gathered 

 many curious and ancestral relics. The ceilings of the principal 

 apartments on the ground floor are panelled ; that in the Drawing 



