Architecture
Architecture, Furniture & Maintenance of Belton
Belton Kennels & Pigeon House, Belton Stables, Inventory of Furniture at Belton May 1830, Exedra Lion's Head Fountain c1817, 3rd Earl Brownlow's notes on Belton, Clerk of Works 1853 to 1863, Father Time, Belton roof views.
Belton Kennels & Pigeon House
The original dog kennels were in the vicinity of the Stables. These replacement kennels were designed by Jeffrey Wyatt, later Wyatville in the first half of the C19. Located at the north west corner of Old Wood, at a barking-distance well away from the Mansion. There are no known photographs. Demolished in the 1960s or 70s - there are no records. The brick and stone remains are visible after the covering nettles are killed off by the frost.
Activate the 3D image and click on number icons to find out more. Click cube icon lower left for full screen. Click on icon images to open in a new tab. Icon 1 shows the architect's design.
Eileen Davies provides a history of the Stables including a first-hand description from a stable girl of the 1950s.
Our graffiti survey of the Stables prior to their renovation uncovers the lives of the grooms who lived there in previous centuries. The image portrays the Stables when used as the Museum of the Horse during the time of the 6th Baron Brownlow.
An unedited album of photographs before & during renovation. We obtained the stored NT records pertaining to this building, but there is very little detailed information.
Countess Adelaide Brownlow poses by the exedra as a Greek figure. What is an exedra? How did Belton's exedra evolve from seat to fountain?
He made handwritten notes on the changes he had made at Belton and also details about family members. The two years he has written in are 1896 & 1903. He usefully calls on the recollections of his great uncles and aunts. Transcribed and annotated by Ian Ross.
A transcription by Janet Roworth of a book with 873 entries for maintenance. The link opens a searchable table sorted on Gardens (& Grounds), House, Outbuildings, Sawing, Salop & Village (estate villages).
The table opens in a new tab in chronological order for each location. To return to this state after searching, click the refresh button ⟳ to the left of the browser's address bar. Left the most frequently used words
Father Time Sundial
Portland limestone attributed to the Danish Caius Gabriel Cibber (1630-1700) sculptor to Charles II. An allegorical depiction of time, represented as an elderly man with wings with an attendant putto. Mounted on two octagonal sandstone steps.
Activate the 3D image and click on number icons to find out more. Click cube icon lower left for full screen.
The Boat House Shelter statement of significance was prepared in 2017 by James Edgar a buildings archaeologist, prior to its subsequent restoration. Included here because it may be covered in the transcribed accounts. The Belton Research Group worked with James on the gazetteer for Grantham House.
Image: Sophia Cust was the daughter of the 1st Earl Brownlow and his first wife, Amelia Sophia Hume. She painted many views of Belton. Her paintings has enabled the National Trust to restore many lost garden features.
A pdf with some views taken from the balustraded platform of Belton in the Autumn of 2012. Note the Cedar of Lebanon in the Italian Garden fell in 2019.
360 degree views from the roof June 2022
Click image to open in a Google photo album. Click twice more for 360 view
Morgan's Map of the Whole of London in 1682 depicts St James's Park before construction of Arlington Street. In 1746, Upper St James 's was renamed The Green Park. It may be because, at the time, the park was an open meadow with few trees. Or it may date back to a tale about King Charles II and his wife. Apparently, she discovered that Charles had picked flowers in the park and given them to another woman. In revenge, the Queen ordered that every single flower in the park should be pulled up and no more planted. There are still no formal flowerbeds in The Green Park.
Notes on why the Arlington Street house was likely No. 23
Norfolk Record Office: Deeds of large mansion house in Arlington Street in the parish of St Martin and St James in the Fields (later in St George Hanover Square), Middlesex, with oblong or long square of ground measuring 234 by 32ft. enclosed from St James' Park by grant from the Crown of 1681. Purchased in 1699 by Sir William Brownlowe bart. from Ann Charlotte Lady Frescheville baroness dowager Musard and others. Succeeding owners were John Viscount Tyrconnell, Ann widow of Sir Richard Cust, Isaac Maddox Bishop of Worcester, Revd James Yorke Dean of Lincoln, the Hon. Harriot Marsham, the Hon. Charles Marsham, and Charles, Earl of Romney. In 1822, the Earl of Romney sold to Josiah Taylor Esq. and 1830-1842 the property was morgaged to the West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company. In 1822 the Earl of Romney assigned to Taylor a lease for 99 years of 1798 from the Crown of ground measuring 49 by 47ft. part of Green Park originally granted in 1775. Docs. include agreement of 1740 between John Viscount Tyrconnell and Henry Pelham Esq. re party wall following demolition of Pelham's house; settlement after marriage between Revd James Yorke Dean of Lincoln and his wife Mary daughter of Isaac Maddox Bishop of Worcester, 1765; agreement between the Hon. Harriot Marsham and John Pitt re parapet wall and iron pallisades between their properties, 1776, with plan; schedules of fittings in docs. of 1828 and 1842.
The three images show Henry Pelham's re-built house overlooking Queen's Walk Green Park. It was built between 1743 and 1754 by William Kent and was renamed Wimbourne House, 22 Arlington Street and is now part of the Ritz Hotel (the large building to the north). Based on the party wall dispute it is surmised that the Brownlow's Arlington Street house was either immediately north or south of this building.
No. 24 Arlington Street is formerly referred to as No. 2. The deeds show it is not the Brownlow House. It is now buried under the apartment block.
Anne Brownlow, Lady Cust (1694-1779), sold the Arlington Street house around July 1755.
No. 19 was Sir Laurence Dundas' House and is shown left in 1763 prior to a proposed restoration by Sir Robert Adam
Plan of the basement and parlour (ground) storeys of a three-bay wide townhouse, with a garden at the rear. The basement contains the kitchen and domestic rooms, and the ground floor contains an entrance lobby, a court above the kitchen reception rooms, and a bedchamber and dressing room.
Dundas is seen in his house below. It was demolished in 1936 for the Arlington House apartment block. 17-20 Arlington Street is now rebuilt as mansion flats.
Either the Brownlow house was number 21 or number 23 to account for the party wall dispute. No.21 Arlington Street, a beautiful, elegant Grade II* listed property. This unique venue in London was originally built in 1740 for Richard Boyle - 2nd (and last) Viscount Shannon.
The Sir John Soane's Museum attributes another house to No. 23, but with uncertainty. Hence, we locate the Brownlow house as No. 23 now under the Ritz Hotel or at least in that area north of Pelham's No. 22.
Arlington Street, No 21 to the left, Pelham's No 22 in the background to the right. The Ritz Hotel occupies the site of No. 23. 3D view looking north.
In this 1831 watercolour by Buckler, the gate pedestals can be seen for numbers 21 and 22. They are still present to this day. Hence, the building beyond opening directly on to the street is likely Tyrconnel's house.
In the modern aerial view the north party wall of Pelham's 22 Arlington house is visible. Tyrconnel's house is under the southern wing of the original Ritz Hotel building.
No. 22 currently viewable from the road after demolition of a modern monstrosity, will disappear behind an extension south of the Ritz frontage.