The Saloon

The Saloon is physically and socially the heart of the house. It was designed for the 4th Earl by Thomas Allom in a gothic style with rich decoration and completed in the 1860s.

The stone fireplace was carved by Mr Outhwaite of London who also carved the heraldic ceiling in the Entrance Hall.

The four tapestry fragments around the Saloon continue the story of Meleager: two depict the boar hunt, one depicts Atlanta's attendant adjusting her sandal, and the fourth depicts Meleager's sisters mourning his death.

The remarkable wall coverings are made of leather. They were brought back from Cordoba, Spain by the 3rd Earl and date from 1631. They were hung here in 1862. There are matching panels in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The Oak Staircase

Thomas Allom's great oak staircase fills the tall Italianate tower built by Sir Charles Barry in 1842. Designed to appear as if it is at the centre of the Castle, it is actually slightly to one side. Messrs Cox and Son of London took nearly a year to carve and install the staircase between December 1861 and October 1862.

On the lower flight of the staircase is a marble statue of the 4th Earl of Carnarvon as a child, with his sister Evelyn, commissioned from the Italian sculptor Tenerani while they were on a visit to Rome with their father in 1838.

Evelyn later married the Earl of Portsmouth, and her great granddaughter, Jean Wallop, married the 4th Earls's great grandson, and became the 7th Countess of Carnarvon, thereby linking the two families again.

The Wall Coverings and Paintings

Whilst the 3rd Earl was responsible for creating the current Castle, the 4th Earl brought back many of the wall coverings and paintings from his travels.

The 4th Earl travelled to Canada, South Africa and Australia as part of his work for the Colonial Office and developed a deep affection for those countries. A sea town in Western Australia was named after him.

The 4th Earl was involved in politics for nearly 40 years, primarily in the Colonial Office in which time the colonies trebled in size under his administration. He was also Lord Lieutenant for Ireland. Outside politics, Carnarvon's leisure was spent in study, with a particular interest in archaeology. He was admitted as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1877 and was President from 1878 to 1885.

The Red Hall and Stairs

The Hall houses portraits of members of the family and their friends. From the Hall there is a family staircase that leads to the main bedrooms on the first floor, the the former nursery, schoolroom and to additional bedrooms above that. The 17th century chest at the end of the passage holds a collection of Japanese Imari Porcelain.

The dominating portrait in this Hall is that of Evelyn 4th Countess of Carnarvon, painted posthumously by John Rogers Herbert in 1877. Evelyn Stanhope, sister and heiress of the 7th Earl of Chesterfield, married the 4th Earl of Carnarvon in 1861. After the death of her brother in 1871, the Chesterfield estates in Nottinghamshire were inherited by the Herbert family.