REVIEW: Tour of State Rooms at Welbeck Abbey was ‘stunning’

A Guardian reader recently experienced a tour of the Welbeck Abbey State Rooms, which are only open to the public during August.
Welbeck AbbeyWelbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey

The State Rooms are decorated with objects and artworks from The Portland Collection; one of the largest privately owned collections of British portraits.

“Although the house has a long history, the rooms we saw dated from the 19th and early 20th century,” Mavis Kirkham said.

“The state rooms are impressive, with beautifully co-ordinated carpets, tapestries and fabrics.

Welbeck AbbeyWelbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey

“The rooms contain a great range of artwork, collected over centuries together with a vast collection of portraits of family members and of their famous racehorses.

“This collection is so disparate and so large that the overall impression is of display rather than design.

“Visitors will find artwork of great beauty here, whatever their taste, as well as items they find strangely ostentatious.”

Mavis said that the carvings in the chapel, all by local craftsmen, the fine carpets from all the carpet-weaving corners of the world and some of the plaster work will stay in her memory for a long time.

Welbeck AbbeyWelbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey

She added: “I have long wondered what this magnificent private family residence was like and this tour was a great opportunity to see the rooms frequented by so many famous figures of the last century.

Tickets for the 2015 State Rooms tours are now sold out.

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