Accompanied Lord
Gage, The Generals and their Ladies to Sion house founded by Protector Somerset
Duke, now in the possession of his Grace the Duke of Northumberland in whose
absence it is necessary to procure a Ticket for admittance which was brought by
Sir H. Banks, who, with his Lady and Daughter met us there. The appearance of
the house is not very striking and is built in the Gothic Style but requires
more Taste and knowledge than I possess to give any Idea of it's
magnificence within. The house is not large, but the apartments in general well
proportioned. You enter a spacious Hall, the Floor of which is of the finest
Black and white Marble, a Statue of Apollo, and one of a dying Gladiator are
opposite to each other at the ends of the Hall, both of excellent workmanship
as are the Statues of Augustus Cesar Scipio and Livy, affixed in niches in the
wall. On ascending three or four marble steps, you enter whats called the
Vestibule, a room about 26 feet square, adorned with 12 Magnificant Pillars of
Ver Antique said to come from the Herculaneum; The floor of Cement in the form
of variagated Marble inlaid, the whole furniture of the Room supposed to cost
30 Thousand Pounds.
The Dining Room
joins it, elegantly furnished, six Marble Statues appear in Niches in the Wall,
The Ceiling Stucco finely Gilt.
A most Elegant
Drawing Room joins it, hung with a Crimson Silk ground and with a white sprig
running thro' it, The Ceiling in Mosaic work with many Fine Antique paintings.
Three large Pier Glasses of a great size, one over the Chimney piece, the other
between the windows, each 9 feet 3 inches high by 6 feet 1 inch Broad. A very
fine Screen of the Gobelin Manufacture is found in one of the Corners of the
Room, it appears at a small distance like the finest painting. The Chimney
piece is of the finest white Marble elegantly gilt, the hearth of variagated
Marble inlaid in the most superb manner. The next Room we saw was the Library a
long Gallery of 136 feet in length 14 wide, and 14 high; the whole back face of
the Building, 10 windows in front, and adorned with Paintings books &c. but
valuable most for the heads of the family finely painted, beginning with
Charlemagne in the year 800 from whom the family claim their descent—from Sion
House went to Hampton Court, but as I could not take so particular a view of
the Apartments as I wished have reserved the description of them to
a further Visit. Dined on Richmond Hill, the prospect from which is most
beautiful and very extensive with several charming Views of the Thames. Drank
Tea at Sir H. Banks's whose politeness as well as his Lady's merit & have
my sincere thanks.
SOURCE: New York
Historical Society, Publisher, Collections of the New York Historical
Society for the Year 1883: The Kemble Papers, Vol. 1 1773-1789, pp. 9-11
No comments:
Post a Comment