There’s a rare chance to have a guided tour of the Grade II listed Sandon Hall at Sandon Spring Fair on 23rd and 24th April.
The Staffordshire seat of the Earls of Harrowby, Sandon Hall remains a private house and is not open to the general public – so opportunities to take a tour are few and far between.
The tour, which will last approximately 30 minutes, will show visitors some rarely-seen rooms in the 1852 neo-Jacobean hall and they will enjoy a potted history of the estate before exploring the Harrowby family museum, which is housed on the first floor.
[box type=”shadow” align=”aligncenter” ]Sandon Hall General Manager Jon Guard, who will lead the tours, says: “It’s lovely to be able to show people the areas of the hall that are rarely seen during public events and to share the fascinating history of the building. The tour will include a good mix of historical highlights – like the stunning Chinese wallpaper in the Drawing Room (pictured above) that pre-dates the current hall by around 100 years; dramatic events – such as the retelling of what a disastrous Christmas dinner that led to the hall burning down in the 1840s; and the rather morbid tale behind the portrait of a Prime Minister that graces the Dining Room.”[/box]
In the family museum, visitors can view treasures including an original letter from Nelson written to the 1st Baron Harrowby whilst on board HMS Victory alongside letters to various members of the family from historical figures – including Charles Dickens.
A set of duelling pistols on display were used by PM William Pitt – Britain’s youngest ever Prime Minister – in a 1798 duel against Foxite MP George Tierney on Putney Heath. As Pitt’s ‘second’, the 1st Baron Harrowby was allowed to keep the pistols (neither party was injured during the duel) and they remained in the family. There is also an interesting collection of WWI and II recruitment posters.
The historic house tours will take place as part of Sandon Spring Fair at a cost of £2pp on top of the fair entry fee of £6pp (accompanied under-16s free). Several tours are scheduled each day – at 11am, 1pm and 3pm with places available on a first-come, first-served basis.
[box type=”info” ]For more information, or to benefit from advance ‘early bird’ discount for online ticket sales, visit www.sandonspringfair.co.uk [/box]
