Monday 14 September 2015

THROUGH MY LENS -Mount Stewart House and Gardens (Part 1)

We are going to keep our feet on dry land this week as I am showing you a lot of video I took when I visited the National Trust Property at Mount Stewart House and Gardens at the end of August.  The guides inside the house were very helpful and I think this will add to your experience of seeing this wonderful house. 


This first photo above is the front entrance.  You may remember, when I last posted about this beautiful house, inside was being all refurbished, so come with me and see what we can find.  You will not be disappointed.  

If you wish to look back to a post I did before the house was renovated to learn more about the history and see the changes made to the house.  CLICK HERE. 


Part of the Entrance Hall




Central Hall
As you can see there are several statues in alcoves and one free standing statue at each end of this impressive hall.  Below are their names. 


Young Adonis

He is an annually-renewed, ever-youthful vegetation god, a life-death-rebirth deity whose nature is tied to the calendar. His name is often applied in modern times to handsome youths, of whom he is the archetype.


Apollino
The original ancient marble statue, depicting the Greco-Roman sun god, is called the Apollino (little Apollo) or Medici Apollo, and is now in the Uffizi Museum in Florence.


This is a copy with drapes around his middle hiding his particulars !!  It was known as one of the prime examples depicting the perfect proportions of the human body.


Lady Francis Anne Vane Tempest with her son George ( who became 5th Marquis of Londonderry ) and husband Charles 3rd Marquis of Londonderry in cameo on plinth. 


Narcissus  Greek God
Narcissus saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus drowned.


The Ionic column of a classical nude is at one end of the Hall as you walk into Mount Stewart and is entitled ‘Venus’.


 Bacchante at the Bath
A Bacchante in Roman mythology is a female follower of Bacchus, god of wine and intoxication. In Greek mythology, they are called Maenads. Bacchantes are depicted as mad or wild women, running through the forest, tearing animals to pieces, and engaging in other acts of frenzied intoxication.

Both statues are signed by Lawrence MacDonald and carved in Rome in 1856.


A last look at this lovely ceiling, balcony and chandilier before moving on.  



This is a passageway leading into a magnifcent Dining Room. Below you will hear the very informed guide explain about this piece of furniture and  tapestry.


CLICK HERE if the video does not appear.



Opposite this beautiful tapestry, I turned round to see 3 busts and I asked the guide to tell me a bit about them which I found fascinating. So CLICK HERE if the video does not appear below.





Now we step into the elegrant Dining Room but this shot's colouring does not do it full justice as I had the wrong setting and visitors were coming in before I could change it.  I will take a better photo next visit for you but you might get a better idea of this room from the video when I went back again to shoot that.  


The table is set up for dinner and they is a place setting.
Below is the a typical menu.



CLICK HERE if the video does not appear.  



I hope you enjoyed seeing these videos and hearing a bit more about the house. I would like to thank the guides that were extremely cooperative in assisting me.

I am linking this post with THROUGH MY LENS.

I have still more rooms to show you later in the week however I thank you today for your visit and also for all the comments you leave.

27 comments:

  1. Amazing.
    It is beautifully restored.
    Back in the day it would have taken an army (and not a small one) of servants to maintain that splendour. I suspect it would have been very hard to heat too...

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  2. Great old place - I wonder how much it would cost to build today!

    cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  3. Fantastic post Margaret, such a gorgeous place. I love the paintings, especially the ones of the horses but the portraits are wonderful too. Enjoyed all those lovely statues and the furniture, just about everything catches the eye. Thank you for this great tour and have a super week.

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  4. Hari OM
    What a fantastic tour you gave us Margaret! Really enjoyed the video snippets. The sculptures are stunning... we have a Mount Stuart (Scots spelling &*>) on Isle of Bute, but due to family still resident.. absolutely no cameras permitted (still private family). YAM xx

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  5. Fantastic!
    I am amazed to think that people actually lived in such magnificence!
    Have a great week!

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  6. Hello Margaret, what a grand place. I can not imagine living there, beautiful sculptures and chandelier. Thanks for sharing, have a happy day!

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  7. Magnificent! So different from the my life's experiences. ;)

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  8. Very interesting place! Thank you for this amazing tour, Margaret! Your voice sounds very nice! :)

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  9. Very pretty place, very elegant. But, the pink cushions on that bench was startling.

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  10. I am always amazed by these kinds of houses and how the residents could find them comfortable. With all the grandeur they don't feel warm and comfy at all. I would feel like I was in a museum if I lived there. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. what a very beautiful and especially elegant place. everything was so special back in the day!!!!!

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  12. A really great and elegant interior. Thanks so much for linking in with "Through My Lens".

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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  13. What a wonderful and stately home. It just begs a tv mini series ! :) Or maybe I can just image one there.

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  14. Mount Stewart is a beautiful stately home and it looks as though the refurbishment has been very successful.

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  15. Beautiful building. Some for richness.

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  16. What a stunning house Margaret - really enjoyed your photos and very interesting text :)

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  17. Thanks for sharing the elegance of this place.

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  18. I am glad it's been refurbished and preserved. Beautiful.

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  19. Very nice. Best way to bird. Explore AND bird:) Sweet designs!

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  20. Beautiful old place, nice to see it refurbished.

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  21. What a lovely tour! So glad when places like this are saved and open to the public. A beautiful and painless way to learn some history!

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  22. Love the architecture, but I would have fired the interior decorator. The artwork is great though.

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  23. What a glorious tour you took us on! Loved the photos you shared.

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  24. OH MY WORD, Margaret, the cabinet in the dining room is exquisite. As I saw it and before I opened the video, I thought, I would have stored my garden seeds in there! LOL! Your guides sound so helpful and not at all supercilious about having to explain a bit more about the house. What a WONDERFUL tour you took us on. Thanks!

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  25. It's a fabulous place! I love the Central Hall with the statues.

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