 Lyme Park
At the heart of a vast estate, the majority of which is still essentially
a medieval deer-park, stands an imposing stone mansion that was the
ancestral seat of the Legh family for nearly 600 years. In 1398 Margaret
Legh came to Lyme Park, after exchanging an annuity granted to her grandfather
several years earlier for his courageous efforts at the Battle of Crecy
whilst accompanying the Black Prince. At that time Lyme Park was probably
no more than a modest hunting lodge surrounded by forest and moorland.
Development of the estate
began in the 16th century, when Sir Piers Legh VII instigated
an extensive rebuilding programme, which successive generations further
improved and added to as fashions changed. In the 1720s a major modernisation
of Lyme Park was undertaken by the famous Venetian architect, Giacomo
Leoni, whose work included recasing the original house, creating spacious
internal areas, and constructing the magnificent Italian style courtyard.
Peter Legh XIII bought most of the fine furniture that can be seen in
Lyme Park, today towards the end of the 18th century to compliment
the newly decorated rooms. Shortly after this major restoration and refurbishment,
Peter suffered a family tragedy and let Lyme Park deteriorate into a dreadful
state, which was further compounded by his successor.
Salvation came in the form
of Thomas Legh, an intrepid explorer and collector whose pioneering
journey through Egypt and up the Nile was well documented in 1816. Being
an extremely wealthy young man, he decided to give the outdated family
home a completely new lease of life and commissioned Lewis Wyatt to
undertake this enormous task. Every room received his attention in some
way but, quite remarkably, the sympathetic way in which Wyatt handled
the remodelling in no way impacted on the 17th century character
of Lyme Park. A superb example of the quality and tastefulness of his
work is perhaps most prominent in the saloon with its magnificent rococo
ceiling and the Grinling Gibbons carved wood decorations. Throughout,
the house is quite striking, with massive round-headed doorways and
huge fireplaces contrasting well with the more delicate ornamentation.
Like so many of his predecessors,
William John Legh had been a soldier and a politician during his life
and, after accepting a peerage, he became the first Lord Newton in 1892.
His contribution to the improvements at Lyme Park included the creation
of the beautiful Dutch garden, the building of a new stable block, and
the addition of many new buildings on the estate. When the 3rd
Lord Newton inherited the much-cherished family property in 1942, he immediately
handed it over to the National Trust, to ensure the future of Lyme Park
and the vast estate, totalling some 1400 acres.
Throughout its long occupation
by the Legh family, Lyme Park has certainly witnessed some interesting
characters and events. There have been competent businessmen, valiant
soldiers, influential MPs and diplomats, not forgetting one of the more
colourful members of the family who made his claim to fame as an Egyptologist.
With a great deal of documentary evidence, numerous family portraits,
and many personal possessions, there is something from every one of the
Leghs' lives on display. |
