Grotto at Goldney House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grotto at Goldney House | |
 Grotto |
|
| Building information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bristol |
| Country | England |
| Construction Start Date | 1737 |
| Completion Date | 1764 |
The Grotto at Goldney House (grid reference ST571737) is a highly decorated grotto, dating from 1739, in Clifton, Bristol, England.
It is 85 m south of Goldney Hall which is used as student accommodation by the University of Bristol.
Contents |
[edit] History
It was built between 1737 and 1764 (dated 1739) and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building. It is decorated inside with shells, quartz and rock crystal and inside is a pillared hall with fountains, rock pool, statue of Neptune and a Lion's Den. In 1762-5 Thomas Paty was employed in "grinding, gooping and laying" tiles for the Grotto.[1]
The grotto was built as the centrepiece of the gardens by Thomas Goldney III, a Bristol merchant who was a partner of William Champion in the Coalbrookdale Works.
[edit] Architecture and decoration
The fountains were supplied by an early Newcomen steam engine[2] hidden within a gothic tower approximately 20 metres to the north.[3]
The grotto is approximately 36 ft (11 m) long by 12 ft (3.6 m) wide and consists of 3 chambers, divided by pillars encrusted with quartz crystals. The central chamber houses a life size plaster of paris lion with a lioness sitting in a den behind. Another chamber hosts a seated sea god with water running from an urn over giant clams into a pool. It is lined with over 200 species of shell brought back from such locations as the Caribbean,[4] and African waters.[5] The roof of the central hall is composed of closely fitting block of Bath stone carved into pseudo-stalactites. On a panel on the door is the portrait of a lady, thought to be Ann Goldney (1707-96), the younger sister of Thomas Goldney III.[6]
It is the only Grotto in Britain with both a shell room and running water, and its restoration is one of the strategic initiatives of the warden.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Grotto approximately 85 metres south of Goldney House. Images of England. Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
- ^ Tower 1764. University of Bristol. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.
- ^ Gothic tower approximately 95 metres south of Goldney House. Images of England. Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
- ^ The Grotto. University of Bristol. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.
- ^ Tim Knox (6). "The artificial grotto in Britain." (in English). The Magazine Antiques. Retrieved on 2007-03-16.
- ^ Robert J. G. Savage (1989). "Natural History of the Goldney Garden Grotto, Clifton, Bristol" (in English). Garden History 17 (1): 1-40. DOI:10.2307/1586914. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- ^ Warden Goldney Hall. University of Bristol. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
