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Kelham Hall, Hottinghamshire ;

THE SEAT OF

JOHN MANNERS SUTTON, ESQ.

KELHAM HALL is seated on a gentle eminence on the banks of the Trent, at the distance of one mile and a half from the town of Newark, on the road from thence to Worksop. It presents a handsome front, consisting of a large centre and two wings, three stories in height, built of brick, with a bold cornice and casings to the windows of stone. The Mansion is large and commodious, and was erected by Robert Sutton, Lord Lexington, in the reign of Charles II.; it is now surrounded by beautiful grounds, laid out in the modern style, and a highly cultivated demesne. A view of Newark, including the bridge, the bold ruins of the ancient castle, and of the river Trent, which flows in front, forms a delightful prospect from the House and Grounds. Attached to the grounds, and not far from the house, is a very curious wooden bridge over the Trent, which appears to be the most complex ever formed by man.

The village is small, but the church, which is dedicated to St. Winifred, is handsome; within it is a monument to the memory of the last Lord Lexington, and his Lady. His Lordship died in 1723, when the title of Lexington terminated.

Kelham after the Conquest was divided into several seignories, of which the most considerable was the fee of Roger de Busli; it in a short time fell into the possession of Gilbert de Chelum, and from him it came to the family of Tukes, who held it a considerable time. It then passed to the Foljambs, who possessed it till the middle of the seventeenth century, when it was purchased by William Sutton, father of Robert, created Lord Lexington in 1645: whose son Robert, second Lord Lexington, died in 1723, leaving an only daughter and heiress, Bridget, married in 1717, to John, the eleventh Earl and third Duke of Rutland. The estates and property of Lord Lexington were left to Lord Robert Manners Sutton, the second son of his Grace, and direct ancestor of the present possessor.

THE SEAT OF HENRY WILLOUGHBY, LORD MIDDLETON.

WOLLATON HALL, three miles west of Nottingham, was erected by Sir Francis Willoughby, Knt., the lineal ancestor of Lord Middleton. The architect was John of Padua ; the overlooker, Robert Smithson. It exhibits a most magnificent appearance from a distance; and in the richness of its ornaments, it is surpassed by none in the kingdom. The approach through a noble winding avenue of Lime trees, is nearly a mile in length. The Park is extensive, and well stocked with deer; it also contains spacious sheets of water; the surface of the ground, every where broken into gentle swells, is amply wooded with Oak and Elm: a fine sweep leads to the north front of the House, which is square, with four large towers or wings, crowned with ornamented pinnacles, in the centre the fabric rises to a greater height, and at the angles are projecting turrets. It is built of a fine freestone brought from Ancaster in Lincolnshire, in exchange for pit-coal from the estate an inscription on the exterior gives us the exact date of its erection, EN HAS

FRANCISCI WILLOUGHBÆI ADIS RARA ARTE EXTRUCTAS WILLOUGHBÆIS RELICTAS: INCHOATE 1580, 1588.

ner.

A handsome flight of steps leads to the Entrance Hall appropriated as an armoury; muskets and accoutrements are disposed on the walls in a regular and ornamental manThe Great Hall has been altered, as well as some other parts of the House, by Mr. Jeffery Wyatt; it is 70 feet high and 70 feet in length, having a ceiling supported by oak brackets of light workmanship. At the upper end is a rich screen supporting a gallery, containing a handsome clock and an organ. Several good pictures adorn the walls, viz. Neptune and Amphitrite, by Luca Jordano; Rape of Europa, ditto; Game, Fruits, and a Dog, exquisitely executed, Wolves and Dogs, Schneider; Three Landscapes with Figures, Rosa de Tivoli; a Portrait of King Charles I. after Vandyck; an ancient bird'seye view of Wollaton Hall and the Gardens. Here is also a Bust of Bacchus in white marble; and near the gallery hangs a family piece, in which is introduced Sir Hugh Willoughby the famous navigator, who was sent out with three ships in the reign of King Edward the Sixth, to discover Cashay, and other northern parts; he sailed in May 1553, and having spent much time about the Northern Islands, was forced, about the middle of September, to put into a harbour of Lapland, called Arzina, where he and his whole crew were frozen to death. The Gallery contains some family portraits, a large painting of Joseph and his Brethren, and a piece of still life.

The Saloon commands from its windows a most enchanting prospect of the pleasure grounds, and their various ornaments of buildings and water, backed by fine shady groves. The pictures in this apartment are, a Boar Hunt, Schneider; four Family Pictures of the time of Elizabeth, Sir Francis Willoughby, Knt., his Lady, their son and daughter; also portraits of the first Lord Middleton, and his daughter the Duchess of Chandos, and a large view of the House and Park at Middleton.

The Great Staircase on the north side is beautifully painted by La Guerre the ceiling represents the Mythological heaven, with an assembly of the Gods and the story of Prometheus; on the walls is a Roman sacrifice to Apollo, in this, portraits of several of the family are introduced, on the left Prometheus animating the female statue, and on the right he is suffering punishment in the infernal region. The Staircase leads to the Dining Room, which extends over the entrance and armoury; here are portraits of Sir Richard Willoughby, Knt., Lord Chief Justice, temp. Edward III., and of Sir Hugh Willoughby who perished in the North Seas, 1554.

The Drawing Room is plain, but elegant: the pictures are a view of Nottingham; portraits of Lord and Lady Middleton; a Lady, by Sir Godfrey Kneller; and two Sea-pieces.

The Billiard Room contains, over the fire-place, a good likeness of the Earl of Strafford and his Secretary, the night before his execution, by Vandyck; at the other end is a large piece of fruit, flowers, game, vegetables, &c.; also a composition of landscape, sea-beach, rocks, &c. In the centre is Flora, evidently a portrait; and a fisherman with his basket and fish,-the subject is the four seasons of the year.

A secondary Staircase is ornamented with some good paintings: Landscape and Buffaloes; Lord Middleton; a Dutch Market; a Sea-piece, after Claude Lorraine; a Botanist studying Gerard's Herbal; the infant John making his offering to the child Jesus, with Mary and Elizabeth; Isaac and Jacob meeting; and several Family Pictures.

The Library contains a valuable collection of books; also the ancient service book of Wollaton Church; portraits of F. Willoughby, the eminent naturalist-his contemporary Ray,-and the late Lord Middleton. In two of the Turrets are neat rooms, to which the approach is from the roof of the House, from whence there is an extensive prospect. The chimneys are deserving attention, they are highly ornamental.

In the pleasure ground adjoining the House much of the ancient style is preserved it is adorned with many statues. The Evergreen Garden, and those in the Park, as well deserving attention, being upon an extensive scale, as well as the Stables and exterior offices, the latter were erected in 1774.

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