Worth the Wait

Today I went to a National Trust property called Tyntesfield. For as long as we've been here, this place has been under some major renovation whilst still open to the public. For this reason, I never opted to go because I wasn't really interested in seeing scaffolding all over the exterior and the contents of the house in piles or under sheets. Well, this year, they have taken the scaffolding down and most of the house is uncovered and I am so glad I waited!!! W.O.W! Today was the grand opening day and the car park was packed. I later learned that yes, there were a lot of people viewing the house, but many of the cars were volunteers and paid workers who were still working on areas of the house. This place keeps many Britons employed - from gardeners to tea room workers to technical workers (electricians, plumbers and so forth). It was also nice to see apprentices alongside the professionals to ensure the upkeep of the house and the professions as well.

Tyntesfield was the home of the Gibbs family since 1843. The original part of the house is Gothic, but Antony Gibbs and his family improved and extended the house so it is considered Victorian overall. Antony Gibbs dealt in shipping and his sons, William and George, added to his fortune by primarily importing bat guano from Peru. The last inhabitant of the house was one of the brother's (William's) great-grandson, George "Richard" Lawley Gibbs, the second Baron of Wraxhall, who died in 2001 without an heir and the house was acquired by the National Trust. The third Baron of Wraxhall (Richard's brother), Sir Eustace Hubert Beilbey Gibbs, is a diplomat, and no doubt a very rich one at that after selling this place to the NT.

The house is exceptional. There has been a great kerfuffle over the NT's management and the amount of money poured into the house's restoration, but you know what? It was worth it! If you enjoy olde estates, do not miss this one. It's about an hour's drive away just south of Bristol and well-signed from exit 19 off of the M5.

This is a smattering of the exquisite wood carving throughout the house. Flash photography was not allowed and the interior was quite dim so my woodwork photos had to be scrapped.
I think this is the fourth narwhal tusk I've seen in olde homes. They must've been in fashion. At least they weren't trying to pass it off as a unicorn horn like in Vienna.
The light fixtures were incredible - every single one.
The tile and glass were also incredible.
The Victorians sure loved their fish! Craig and I were in an antique shoppe with many Victorian light fixtures for sale which incorporated metal fish.
Interesting window for a chapel
Tenax propositi translates as "firm/steadfast of purpose". I did learn the difference between the terms "chapel" and "church". One can own a chapel but not a church.
This is the boys' room, complete with stuffed moose. It also contained a gigantic billiard table that was heated so the felt would not be damp and hinder the ball momentum (faw-faw-faw) and it also somehow electronically scored the points at a touch of a button. Amazingly posh and high-tech for 1900, eh? The table was covered or I would have had a photo.
Lots of books in the boys' room including the boys' bible, Hawker on Shooting
Then off to the servants' area - the kitchen
the larderHow would you like to empty that many chamber pots and washbasins?
And the bazillion servants' bells - gaaah!
This isn't even half of them...
The ballroom
This dining room wallpaper was jaw-dropping gorgeous. It was hand-painted on textured wallpaper (I could see the paint strokes) to look like hand-tooled Cordovan leather. I wish the photo was better. It was so awesome.
Off to the chapel which is not a church...
The back of the house which was actually the entrance
Gazebo in the rose garden which is probably so beautiful when in bloom
The tea room and shop were in the stables which incorporated the animal stalls into the whole atmosphere. Very clever that people could eat like pigs and leave their trash for someone else to muck out of a pig's stall!
What a day!