Petworth's Northern Lights

This week has been an exciting one for the house team, as a project which we've been working on behind the scenes for some time is finally being put into action.

For a long time, we have been looking at ways to improve the lighting in the North Gallery as simply opening the blinds more isn’t an option - the light damage could permanently affect the collection. You'll notice that some of the paintings currently have picture lights hanging above the frames, but these have a minimal effect on the visual impact of the pictures.

Last Thursday we welcomed a group of lighting consultants to the property, who have installed a set of new picture lights onto three of the pictures in the central east bay, on a trial basis. These lights work differently to the ones currently installed as they give a greater spread of light and don’t create the ‘spotlight’ effect you can see on the picture above. Instead a soft ‘glow’ is emitted over the paintings which really highlights the visual details of the works.

                                             

These new lights are only with us on a trial basis for now, they need to be approved - and the vital funds raised -  before we can move forward with the project. In a few weeks time, the lighting consultants will be returning to Petworth to make a few improvements to the lighting and install some trial lights on the Macbeth in the Square Dining Room, so watch this space. We're all keeping our fingers crossed!

Using the scaffolding, we removed each painting from the wall to allow the fittings to be added to the paintings.

Fittings were then added to the frame of the paintings.

The bulbs would then be tested for size and strength before they were attached to the frame of the painting.

Testing the strength of different bulbs on the Gainsborough. The light is really picking up the colours in the sky.

The paintings were then taken back up the wall, where the picture lights would be fitted onto the frames and tested in-situ.

 

This picture shows the contrast between the old picture lights on the painting on the right-hand side, and the new trial picture lights, which were being held over the picture on the left. You can clearly see how the old picture lights focus on the top of the painting, while the trial picture light spreads down the painting (and the final effect would be more impressive, as this light was only being held by hand).

And just because the final effect of the lighting was so impressive, a repeat picture! The lighting really brings out the colours in the chosen paintings, especially in the skies in the landscapes.

If you come and see them today or tomorrow, before we close for the winter, do let us know what you think!

Sarah

Conservation Assistant

Ghostly goings-on at Petworth

Happy Halloween! Today we thought we'd share one of the very few ghost stories surrounding Petworth House, and this rather creepy story is perhaps the only one we actually have a record of. It was told by the 2nd Earl of Chesterfield, married to Lady Anne Percy, daughter of the 10th Earl of Northumberland who owned Petworth 1632 - 1668.

This is a shortened version using the Earl’s account from 1652. Scroll further down to read his written version in full…

In 1652 the Earl was staying in London and awoke to plainly see ‘a thing all in white like a standing sheet with a knot a-top of it, about four or five foot high.’ ‘At last I thrust out both my hands to catch hold of it, but in a moment like a shadow it slid to the feet of the bed, out of which I leaping out of it, could see it no more.’ The Earl was concerned by this and his unease led him to ride home to Petworth that day.

He arrived home to find his wife in good health, but when he told her what had happened that morning, she told him to open a letter she had written and given to the footman that had not yet been posted - she had written ‘wherein she desired my speedy return, as fearing that some ill would happen to mee, because that morning shee had seen a thing all in white, with a black face, standing by her bed side which had frighted her so much as to make her scrike out so loud’.

So as far as they could tell they had both seen a ghostly figure on the same day at the same time, but one in London and one at Petworth. We wonder what happened to these ghostly figures?!

Lady Anne Percy, Countess of Chesterfield by Sir Peter Lely (can be seen in the Square Dining Room)

The Earl’s account in full

Source: Allan Fea, Some Beauties of the Seventeenth Century (London: Methuen & Co., 1906), pp. 65 – 68

Writing in 1652 the Earl says: “A very odd accident this year befel mee, for being come about a law-sute to London, and lying in a lodging with my door fast locked (and by reason of the great heat that summer, all the side curtains being flung a top of the teaster of my bed), I waking in the morning about eight o’clock and turning myselfe with the intention to rise, planely saw, within a yard of my bedside, a thing all in white like a standing sheet with a knot a-top of it, about four or five foot high, which I considered a good while, and did rayse myselfe up in my bed to view it better. At last I thrust out both my hands to catch hold of it, but in a moment like a shadow it slid to the feet of the bed, out of which I leaping out of it, could see it no more.

The little beliefe I ever had in things of this nature made mee the more concerned, and doubting least[sic] some ill might have happened to my wife, I rid home that day to Petworth in Sussex, where I had left her with her father, the Earl of Northumberland; and as I was going up stairs to her chamber, I met one of my footmen, who told me that hee was comming to me with a packet of letters, the which I having taken from him went to my wife, who I found in good health, being in company with Lady Essex,  her sister, and another gentlewoman, one Mrs. Ramsey.

And after the first salutation, they all asked mee what made mee to come home so much sooner than I intended. Whereupon I told them what had happened to me that morning; which they all wondering at, desired mee to open and read the letter that I had taken from the footman; which having stil in my hand I immediately did, and read my wife’s letter to mee aloud, wherein she desired my speedy return, as fearing that some ill would happen to mee, because that morning shee had seen a thing all in white, with a black face, standing by her bed side which had frighted her so much as to make her scrike out so loud that her weemen came running into the room.

I confess this seemed very strange, for, by examining all the particulars, wee found that the same day, the same hour, and (as neer as could be computed) the same minute, all that had happened to mee had befallen her, being fortie miles asunder. The Lady Essex and Mrs. Ramsey were witnesses to both our relations, and acquainted the Lord of Northumberland, who thought it a very extraordinary thing."

Somerset's Secrets

We've been opening up closed doors again for our most recent Conservation in Action -  and indeed, the last one of the season!

This time, Michelle and I focused on the two desks in the Somerset Room, giving visitors the opportunity to see inside the pieces, and find out how we care for them.

This writing table Boulle pewter and tortoiseshell inlays, looks to be the work of Gerrit Jensen, who worked 1680-1715, although it is stamped by Charles-Michel Cochois, a later cabinet maker who died in 1765. It is absolutely stunning on the interior!

We clean out each of the drawers with a soft pony-hair brush to lift the dust away.

This will be the last of my blog posts this season on our Conservation in Action events, as they have now come to an end! We have greatly enjoyed showing our visitors how we care for the house, whether through pest management, environmental control, or cleaning techniques.

This November we will be running special snapshot tours of the house, where you can meet some the conservation team and find out how we care for the collections over the winter. Look out for information on the website. We hope to see you there!

Sarah
Conservation Assistant

Baking history...

The smell of freshly baking bread met visitors to the historic kitchens last month for Heritage Open Day and the Sunday after as Mrs Brown and her volunteers were back in the kitchen cooking up some wonderful breads from traditional recipes.

A selection of loaves created in the kitchens, including Cheats's Loaf and Manchet.

Drover's Bread. Traditionally made using beefsteak or mutton, this version was made with potatoes and onion, although any vegetables could be added to vary this bread. Simply roll out 1lb of bread dough, line your chopped ingredients onto the dough and season, before rolling it up into a sausage shape. Seal the ends before baking.

As well as loaves, Mrs Brown made some delicious bread rolls, including saffron cakes, polenta rolls, lardy cakes and tea cakes.

Yummy!

If this has inspired you to bake, have a go at one of Mrs Brown's recipes below and give Paul Hollywood a run for his money!

Sarah
Conservation Assistant

Cheat Loaf
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. Wholemeal flour / sieved course bran
3/4 to 1 pint  Warm Water
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Dried Yeast

Method
Put the flour in a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the warm water. Stir to form a batter; cover with some of the flour and leave in a warm place overnight.
Add the yeast and sugar to 1/2 pint of warm water. Stir it before leaving for 15 minutes until frothy. Add the salt and knead everything together for 10 minutes.
Make into a large ball for a single loaf, or divide into 2 - 4 smaller loaves. Place on a baking sheet, cover, and leave until doubled in size.
Bake at 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6 for 45 minutes.


Saffron Cakes
Ingredients
1 lb Flour
4 oz Butter
2 oz Sugar
3 Eggs + 2 Egg Yolks
1/4 pt Milk
1 tbsp Dried Yeast
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
Large pinch of Saffron

Method

Warm the milk, saffron and sugar together before adding the yeast. Stir and leave, covered, until the yeast froths.

Whip the eggs together for 2-3 minutes; add them to the milk mixture with the flour and ground coriander.

Mix well before kneading on a board.

Once kneaded, place the mixture back into the bowl, cover, and leave to rice for 30-60 minutes.

Knead the mixture for a second time. Split into egg-sized rolls; put onto a greased baking tray, cover, and leave to rise for another 30-60 minutes.

Bake in a moderate - hot oven.

Yorkshire Tea Cakes

Ingredients

1 lb Flour

2 oz Melted butter

1/2 pt Milk

1 Egg

1 1/2 tbsp Fresh Yeast

Method

Rub the butter into the flour. Warm up half of the milk and add the yeast. Make a well in the centre of the flour, pour in the yeast milk and mix together.

Lightly sprinkle some flour onto the surface, cover with a cloth and leave somewhere warm for about an hour for the yeast to rise.

Beat the egg well, add a little salt and some of the warm milk. Add this to the dough and knead it until smooth. Leave to rise in a warm place for another hour,

Divide into 12 pieces, shape into flat rounds, and place on a baking tray. Cover and leave for 15 minutes.

Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes, not allowing them to brown too much.

Enjoy!

Behind closed drawers in the Red Room

For last week’s Conservation in Action, Michelle and I focused on the furniture in the Red Room. This gave our visitors a chance to see inside some of the wonderful pieces that we have in the collection, which are usually closed up.
The Red Room contains two sofa tables, both of English origin and made during the 19th century.

Open view of the sofa table. The central drawers are on a spring so that when the table is opened they can pop up. You can also just see the glass and silver inkwells that sit inside the desk.

A close-up of the sofa table when the writing desk is lifted.

A second sofa table that turns into a games table. The two side panels fold out and the central panel slides out and has a chess board on the reverse, which can be fitted as in the picture above.



Underneath the central panel is a backgammon board.

Two fantastic pieces of Boulle work furniture also feature; a bureau-plat and a sarcophagus-shaped commode.



This bureau-plat (writing table) is a 19th century copy of a regency-style table. Veneered in ebony, it is inlaid with Boulle work and tortoiseshell. It was purchased by the 2nd Lord Leconfield after the 1882 Hamilton Palace sale where the London dealer Colnaghi’s had bought it for £300.



This commode (chest of drawers) is dated to around 1710 and can firmly be attributed as original Boulle work. Two commodes feature at Versailles which are virtually identical and are the only surviving pieces of furniture known to have been made by Boulle himself. The Red Room commode was purchased by the 2nd Lord Leconfield from Colnaghi, after the Hamilton Palace sale in 1882, where this commode fetched the then enormous sum of £1081:10s.



Detail of the winged creatures which feature on the corners of the commode.


Andre-Charles Boulle (1642-1732)
Boulle was Louis XIV’s official ébéniste (cabinet maker) who gave his name to the technique of metal inlaid wood and tortoiseshell furniture. Find out more about him and his work at the Palace Of Versailles here.

There are plenty of other examples of the Boulle technique around Petworth, including other commodes, cabinets, desks and clocks.


Sarah
Conservation Assistant

Sculpture from up above

Last week’s conservation in action saw Michelle and I cleaning sculptures in the North Gallery from quite a height.

We focused on two of the sculptures in the Square (North) bay – Pandora and Prometheus and Vulcan, Venus and Cupid. These two sculptures, by Irish sculptor J.E. Carew, stand either side of the entrance to the bay.

It’s a good thing we’ve got a head for heights (or, at least, do now having been in this job for 6 months!), as to reach the top of the sculpture we needed to work on top of the scaffolding.

Cleaning the tops of Promethus and Pandora

We used a hog's hair brush and a vacuum cleaner to lift the dust away from the sculpture. The porous nature of the marble means we do not use any liquids on the statues. Wet cleaning has the potential to drive any dirt and stains further into the marble, creating more problems than it would solve.

Cleaning Vulcan!

Sculpted between 1827 and 1831, Venus, Vulcan and Cupid was commissioned as a pendant to Pandora and Prometheus, which was created between 1835 and 1837 and remained unfinished at the 3^rd Earl of Egremont’s death. These two sculptures were intended for this space, before being moved to the Audit Room (now the National Trust Restaurant) in 1836-7. In 1992 they were restored to their original and current space in the North Gallery.

The Myths Behind the Sculptures

Prometheus and Pandora

In Roman mythology, Prometheus created the first man from clay, stole fire from the gods to give to mankind, was punished by Jupiter* and released from his torment by Hercules. His sister-in-law was Pandora, the ‘all-gifted’, who was fashioned from clay by Vulcan*. After Prometheus’s theft of fire, Jupiter’s retribution to mankind was the opening of Pandora’s box thus releasing all the world’s evils. Only Hope remained inside.
* NB: Jupiter is the Roman god; Zeus is his Greek equivalent.
Vulcan is the Roman god; Hephaestus is his Greek equivalent.

Venus, Vulcan and Cupid

Vulcan was the God of Fire and Blacksmith to the Gods. Carew has sculpted him seated on his anvil inscribed ‘AITNA’ – meaning the volcano Etna, located in Sicily – and resting on his hammer. His wife, Venus, and her son, Cupid accompany him.

Sarah
Conservation Assistant

Jellies, Jellies, Everywhere!

Last week, Mrs Brown and her team of helpers were busy making jellies in the historic kitchens. We started by going back to basics and making the very first type of jelly - a medieval meat jelly - before creating Tudor, Georgian and Victorian fashions. The time and dedication it took to set the gelatine used to make jelly - over ice - as well as the intricate patterns and designs - meant that jelly was a preserve of the rich and was a symbol of wealth and status.

Once you've browsed the gallery below, why not take a look at the Historic Food website for more traditional jelly creations! 

Sarah

Conservation Assistant (and new-found jelly enthusiast)

Visitors to the House on Saturday would have been greeted with the smell of pig as a head and trotters were boiled in order to make traditional brawn and meat jellies! Here Jacky is straining the mixture.

The result of the pig! A traditional meat jelly, set in one of the copper moulds from the kitchens.

Jacky prepares an eighteenth century dish of ham and eggs. An almond milk jelly is set inside emptied egg shells and arranged on a coloured almond jelly that has been chopped up to look like ham...

 

...The finished product was very convincing!

This eighteenth century chequered or 'ribboned' jelly is creating by setting different coloured layers of jelly in turn, before slicing them up, turning them around and resetting them with a clear jelly to create the chequered effect.

Caroline sets different coloured layers of jelly in small glasses...

...resulting in this stunning centre piece! A modern adaptation of a traditional Georgian fashion, where they had specific jelly stands with glasses set into the stand to hold the jellies.

Three different flavoured jellies made using the gelatine from the boiled up pig, including elderflower flavour and orange and cinnamon.

By the end of the week we were very much enjoying playing around with packet jellies and food colouring to create some jazzy effects! The top jelly here was made using a combination of packet jellies and whisked jellies, where we allowed each layer to set in turn before adding the next.

This jelly was made by setting lemon jelly and strawberry jelly in regular jelly moulds, chopping them up and placing some into a more intricate mould. We then poured a clear elderflower jelly around the other colours and allowed it to set. It created a lovely mosaic or stained-glass window effect.

 

Mrs Brown's Stripey Orange Jellies

1. Cut the top off the orange and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
2. Make up some of your favourite jellies according to packet instructions - just don't pour it into the jelly mould!
3. Take your first colour jelly and pour it into the orange. Put this in the fridge and allow it to set completely before repeating the process with another jelly. Try experimenting with different colours and flavours for different effects!

These impressive jellies are easy to make at home - why not have a go!