It is a commonly held notion that the top floor of any grand old house is
given over to servant's quarters. But at Osterley they were once magnificent
guest bedrooms, now rarely seen by the public.
Servants slept in a different building altogether, as my guide Louise Ayres
says. "I'm very spoilt," she continues, gesturing to a closed door
off the east wing's top floor corridor which we are standing in. "I
actually live in some of these rooms." But her apartment is one part of
the house that is off limits even on a behind-the-scenes tour like this one.
I am at Osterley House in West London, one of the showplaces of Robert Adam's
decorative genius, not to admire the public galleries but to take a peek
beyond the rope barrier at what makes this place tick.
It is just one of a dozen stately homes owned by the National Trust which is
throwing open its doors normall unseen rooms over the next two months or so.
Most are only open for a day or two - see details at the end of the article.
We are now making our way up to the Osterley's roof going past room after
room. One surprise is the sheer number of them: huge rooms with beautiful
cornicing and fireplaces, now storerooms for a trove of furniture for which
there is no room in the public areas of the house.
The camp sounding Blue Chintz Bed Chamber, once a grand bedroom for visiting
gentry now stores moulded plaster and other oddments. There is no evidence
of the lavish fabrics that gave it its name - they are perishable and when
out of the public eye are kept in boxes to preserve them.
Architectural fragments in innocuous bubble wrap packages labelled with things
like ‘breakfast room frieze’ are laid out all over the floor. Some are
waiting for clean up as no restoration is done at the house. Hannah Purcell,
our other guide asks us to be careful as there are screws sticking out of
the floor. Frankly, I am more concerned about crunching a priceless piece of
18C cornicing.
We climb the inside of one of the ‘pineapple towers’ to get to the roof – not
compulsory for anyone with a fear of heights. Aptly, the towers get their
name from the carved stone pineapples perched on their tops. They were an
ostentatious symbol of wealth in the 18th century, when Adam added them.
More skyline quirks come from chimneypots inscribed with the names of the
corresponding rooms their fireplaces are in. This was to help chimney sweeps
who would otherwise have been muddled by the sheer number of chimneypots.
Planes from Heathrow fly over the house East to West with clockwork
regularity. Louise points out the blackened balustrades on the East side of
the house which are a result of the pollution.
The views are magnificent – the parkland and lakes around the house and the
arch of Wembley stadium in the distance. On the way down we pass through
another treasure – the furniture store. The highlight for me is an amazing
19C birdcage. It is enormous and has the look of one of the Victorian
hothouses at Kew Gardens. The woodwork is intricate and painted cream and it
even has a wire dome topped off with a tiny classical urn. Even the birds
lived in luxury in Osterley’s heyday.
The tour is definitely comprehensive. At one point we shuffle single file
through a storage cupboard full of stacking chairs and portable heaters. A
charitable tour-goer said: “It’s like going backstage at a theatre.” Someone
less charitable might have said we didn’t need to see behind the scenes in
quite such exhaustive detail.
The tour works best when it takes you through the public galleries into the
rabbit warren of storerooms and servant’s corridors which link the them
together. It’s a great contrast and satisfies those curiousities about
what’s behind the doors you can’t go through!
There is something pleasing and almost intimate about seeing a pair of wellies
propped up at the back door by the entrance to the coal pen. It gives a
sense of what the house might have been like when it was lived in. Seen in
conjunction with the public areas of the house, it injects a bit of life
into place and it is all the better for it.
NEED TO KNOW
LONDON
Ostlerley Park and House
(Booking essential: 020 8232 5050)
Take a tour of this magnificent neo-classical house and explore parts that
other visitors don't reach, ending with spectacular views from the roof
(weather permitted) - Sundays: June 3, June 17, and July 1 at 11am to
12.30pm
Adults: £7.50 Children (8+ allowed): £4.00
Ham House
(020 8940 1950)
Enjoy a visit to this 17th century grand house on the banks of the Thames. The
tour offers a unique opportunity to visit to areas not normally open to the
public - Tuesdays April 17, May 15, June 19, July 17, August 14 at noon &
2pm
Adult (members): £8.50 Adult (non members): £12.50 Children 6+ allowed
MIDLANDS
Snowshill Manor, Gloucestershire
(01386 852410)
Visit the Cotswold manor house and discover its secret passages on this
special tour of the parts of the Manor not usually open to the public -
Wednesday April 25 and Wednesday May 23, 11am to 12noon
House & garden: adults, £7.70, child £3.90, family £19.60. Groups £6.60.
Garden, restaurant/shop only: £4.20, child £2.10, family £10.60. Groups
£3.40. Visitors arriving by bicycle or on foot offered a voucher redeemable
at Snowshill NT shop or tea-room
Peckover House and Garden, Cambridgeshire
(01945 583463)
Built around 1722, this town house now stands in a beautiful Victorian garden.
Go behind the scenes to view rooms usually off limits to the public - Sunday
April 29 at 1pm and 3pm
Adults £6, child £2.50, family £12.50. Groups £4.30
Mr Straw’s House, Nottinghamshire
(01909 482380)
Go back in time to the 1920s in this family home owned by the Straw family.
This exclusive tour will show the washhouse, costume and archive stores -
Thursday April 26, Tuesday May 15 and Tuesday June 19 at 2.30pm
Adult (members): £3 Adult (non members): £8.40
Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire
(01246 858400)
This Elizabethan house has hardly changed since it was built in the 1500s.
Enjoy a tour of the house and discover areas usually hidden to the public -
Tuesday April 24, Tuesday May 22, Tuesday June 26 at 10.30am & 12.30pm
Adults (members and non members): £25, lunch included Children 12+ allowed
NORTH-WEST
Speke Hall, Garden & Estate, Liverpool
(0151 427 7231)
Discover the hidden secrets of Speke Hall, a rambling Tudor house built in
1530 and explore the roof. On selected dates - please call in advance as
they may change - Wednesday July 18 to Sunday October 28, throughout the day
Adults £6.70, child £3.70, family £20.50. Groups £5.80, child £3.20. Grounds &
Home Farm only: £4, child £1.90, family £11. Reduced rate when arriving by
cycle, on foot or public transport
SOUTH AND SOUTH-EAST
Mottisfont Abbey, Hampshire
(01794 340757)
Enjoy exclusive access to the Rose Garden in the early morning when the light
is ideal for photography. Visitors will also have access to Mottisfont's
team of rose experts and to plant and rose sales. This also includes a
Continental Breakfast served 'al fresco' - Tuesday June 19, 7am to 10am;
Thursday June 21, 7am to 10am
Adults: £30 each Families/Groups: £25 each (doesn't include entrance to house)
WALES
Dolaucothi Gold Mines, Carmarthenshire
(01558 650177)
Take a guided tour through parts of the old mines not usually seen by the
public. Visit hidden corners of the estate and prepare to be amazed at where
you are taken - Saturday May 26 to Friday 1 June
Normal admission + £10 extra for tour. Adults £3.40, child £1.70, family (2
adults & 2 children) £8.50. Groups £3, child £1.50. Standard: £3.08,
child £1.54, family £7.71. Underground tour (additional charge, Gift Aid):
£3.80, child £1.90, family £9.50. Groups £3, child £1.50. Underground tour
(additional charge, standard): £3.45, child £1.71, family £8.63. Underground
tour (NT members, Gift Aid): £3.60, child £1.80, family £9. Underground tour
(NT members, standard): £3.27, child £1.62, family £8.17
Powis Castle, Powys
(01938 551929)
Join the gardeners in the world famous garden as they explain work in
progress, seasonal plants and items of interest. The tour includes a trip to
the nursery, and other areas not normally seen by visitors. There will be
lots of walking and going up and down steps so visitors are advised to wear
suitable footwear and all weather clothing - Thursdays April 19, May 17,
June 21, July 19 at 10.30am
Normal admission charges apply + £4. Gift Aid: £9.90, child £4.95, family
£24.75. Groups £8.90. Standard: £9, child £4.50, family £22.50. Garden only
(Gift Aid): £6.90, child £3.45, family £17.25. Groups £5.90. Garden only
(standard): £6.26, child £3.12, family £15.67.
YORKSHIRE AND NORTH-EAST
Souter Lighthouse, Tyne & Wear
(0191 5293161)
Engine Room Day. See and hear the compressors at work and hear the foghorn
sound as we do our monthly maintenance. Normal admission applies - 1st
Monday of the month from April 2 - October 1 at noon
Adults: £4 Children: £2.50
Hardcastle Crags, West Yorkshire
(01422 844518)
Come and learn about the history of Hardcastle Crags and then discover how
Gibson Mill manages to operate without any link up to the national grid. £20
per person, including lunch. Booking essential - Wednesday June 6
