Lyme Park
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Lyme Park is an estate and park near Disley, in the county of Cheshire, England.[1] The principal feature of the park is Lyme Hall, an Elizabethan manor house resembling an Italianate palazzo. Lyme was granted to the first Piers Legh and his wife Margaret by Richard II in 1398, as a reward for heroic deeds in battle,[2] and by the 16th century the Leghs had made Lyme their main home.[3] Over the next two centuries, the estate was developed further with Sir Piers Legh VII instigating an extensive rebuilding programme, and the rebuilding and renovation was continued by successive generations.[2] In the 1720s, the Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni transformed the Tudor hall to resemble an Italianate palazzo, but despite its outer appearance, the inside of the hall was left relatively unaltered.[4] During the 19th century the building was restored and altered extensively by Lewis Wyatt, who renovated every room in some way,[2] and in 1860 the garden that can be seen today was set out.[5] By the 20th century the upkeep and maintenance of Lyme had become difficult for the family, and so four years after inheriting the estate in 1942, the 3rd Lord Newton gave Lyme and the surrounding 1400 acres of land to the National Trust in order to secure its future.[2]
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[edit] History
After Lyme had been given to the Leghs in 1398, a house was built in about 1400, but it was little more than a hunting lodge. It was in the 16th century when Sir Piers VII made Lyme the family's main home, and it was then the current hall was built.[5]
[edit] The house
From what is now the car park, Lyme is reached by climbing a steep hill. The gate and railings replaced an earlier walled enclosure, of which the gates are now at the park entrance.
[edit] The courtyard
The courtyard was designed by Giacomo Leoni in about 1726, and the work was completed by 1734. It was designed to resemble a north Italian palazzo; the piano nobile is held up by Doric pilasters, a set of steps leading to the entrance are to the east, and on the near north side, the partly blocked up doors and windows of the Elizabethan mansion which was being disguised can be seen. Since Leoni, it has changed little, with the exception of Lewis Wyatt's tower on the south side, and the pink and white paving introduced in Edwardian times.
[edit] The entrance hall
This room was the creation of Leoni, who built it within the confines of the Elizabethan Great Hall. The fireplace and entrance are intentionally off-centre to disguise the assymmetry of the room. Full length portraits of Edward III and the Black Prince were hung at opposite ends of the room, two individuals to whom the Leghs ultimately owed Lyme. The portrait of the Black Prince survives today, and swings out from the wall to reveal a squint from the drawing room.
[edit] Trivia
Lyme Hall became well known as the location for "Pemberley", the home of Mr. Darcy, in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice
[edit] References
- ^ Details from the National Trust
- ^ a b c d The Heritage Trail
- ^ The Database of Houses
- ^ Britain Express.
- ^ a b Cressbrook
[edit] Bibliography
- Rothwell, James Lyme Park (1998) (National Trust)
