A Mogul Palace in the Cotswolds by Judith Allnatt

 

Sezincote is an unexpected exotic gem - a mogul palace and garden in the heart of the English countryside. It is unique in Western Europe and quite different from other houses of the period which draw largely on the Greek classical style. I recently visited this beautiful and remarkable place and was so taken with it and the mystery of how such a place came to be created that I decided to find out more about it.  The name, taken from the local village, originates from  'Cheisnecote', 'Chene' being French for 'oak'  so literally 'oak dwelling'. There are indeed  many oaks in the parkland around the house, creating a contrast between a traditional English landscape and the Indian mansion with its onion dome and minarets, and its unusual semi-circular orangery with peacock -tail windows.

In 1794, Charles Cockerell returned from India where he had lived for several years, involved in the East India Company, in banking and in assisting the civil service's military force in Bengal. Back in England, he became an MP.  He purchased Sezincote, which at the time was a traditional English manor, and together with his brother Samuel Pepys Cockerell, an architect named after their ancestor Samuel Pepys the diarist, began to plan a transformation. 

One theory offered is that the building was to be  unusual and splendid to attract attention and garner status. 'Nabobs' - conspicuously wealthy men who had amassed their wealth through the East India Company often returned to England wishing to wield influence and gain titles. There was a common fear at the time that they would use their power to corrupt Parliament. The suggestion has been made that this climate of disapproval might be the reason why, after building an ostentatiously Indian palace, plans for the interior of the house were reverted to a traditional classical style.

 However, looking at the timing of the construction this seems unlikely. Public disapproval of the poor administration of the East India company and its activities pre-dates the building of the house significantly. A satirical play called 'The Nabob' was performed as early as 1772 and the British Government in effect took control of the company after Pitt's India Act of 1784, introducing policies to reduce opportunities for corruption. As the house was not started until 1794, it seems that the Cockerell family would not have garnered favour by their choice and that they built it in the face of this difficult climate. 

A more likely explanation for their unusual choice is perhaps nostalgia for India. One wing of the house is known as 'the Tent room' because its interior was completely hung with fabric. It housed a four-poster bed and Charles Cockerell is said to have spent a lot of time there. One can imagine him waking to the stunning view over the parkland of the Estate. 

It's also interesting to note that although the architecture of the interior of the mansion is traditional, there are many Indian touches such as Lotus flowers painted on the ceiling above the stairs and chairs inlaid with intricate decoration in mother-of-pearl and, originally, rubies. The sheer scope and beauty of the project at Sezincote suggests that the motivation was a visionary imagination at work. 

Charles Cockerell met the artist Thomas Daniell in Calcutta. He had travelled in India making paintings of Indian architecture and gardens which assisted Samuel Pepys Cockerell in modelling  Sezincote on this style. The garden, designed with the help of Humphrey Repton,  drew also on spiritual influences. In India springs are sacred and the Sezincote garden design marks the water source with a  pool from which the stream flows through the garden, as a symbol of spiritual energy. Above the pool is a temple to Surya, the Hindu Sun god, positioned so that the sun sets behind it. 

At the summer solstice, the rays of the setting sun fall on a stone bench beneath the Indian bridge across the river, which is set between columns and stepping stones over the water giving the effect of a cool, shady pavilion. The bench is marked on the plans as 'the Philosopher's Seat' - an ideal spot for meditative contemplation. 

The Indian bridge has statues of holy Brahmin bulls. Daniell designed it with one bull facing the visitor as they approached Sezincote  but Charles Cockerell adapted the design to have two bulls facing each other in order to frame the view from the bridge. 

In 1807 Sezincote was visited by the Prince Regent, the mansion supplying inspiration for the Brighton Pavilion. It remains a place of architectural significance and later owners have added features in keeping with the Cockerell's vision and the spirit of the place. In 1943 Lord and Lady Kleinwort bought the estate , which was in poor repair after two world wars. The copper onion dome, which was  originally painted to appear like white marble had had the paint removed in World War Two to make it less obvious to aircraft and was  now verdigris. The roof was leaking and the gardens overgrown. As part of the renovation they  created a  formal garden inspired by the Taj Mahal with rectangular lily ponds and  Cyprus trees.  They built an  octagonal fountain representing eternity, superimposed on a stone square representing humanity, a fitting addition to maintain the unique aura of this fascinating and tranquil place.

The gardens of Castle Howard by Fay Bound Alberti

Castle Howard, North Yorkshire  

Over the festive period, my friends and I visited Castle Howard, a stately home in North Yorkshire. I am not a fan of country estates as a rule; I prefer finding out about the lives of the ordinary men and women who made aristocratic life possible. But it was a beautiful day and we were keen for some fresh air and green spaces.

Castle Howard fit the bill. A short drive from York, it is set in a thousand acres of parkland, with statues, lakes, temples and fountains. There are numerous artworks and world-renowned collections held at Castle Howard, though the house was unfortunately closed for the winter.

A view of John Vanbrugh's project for Castle Howard (1725)

Work began on the stately home in 1699, though it took over a century to complete. The architect was Sir John Vanbrugh (c. 1664 -1726), who was also responsible for Blenheim Palace, as well as a number of Restoration comedies (such as The Provoked Wife, 1697). Castle Howard was Vanbrugh's first foray into architecture, and he was assisted by Nicholas Hawksmoor (c. 1661-1736), a pioneer of the English Baroque style. A Baroque building, Castle Howard has two symmetrical wings that project either side of a North-South axis. The characteristic dome was added to the design at a late stage.

Castle Howard as imagined in Brideshead Revisited (Granada TV)

Castle Howard has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for over 300 years. It is perhaps best known for its role in Brideshead Revisited (1981). Castle Howard also featured as the Kremlin in The Spy with a Cold Nose (Galton and Simpson, 1966) and - for inside scenes - in the television series Death Comes to Pemberley (2013). 


Castle Howard was opened to the public  in 1952, reflecting a world where stately home upkeep had become impossible for traditional aristocratic families. Many stately homes were demolished or sold off bit by bit, or redesigned as tourist attractions in the post-war era. Castle Howard is now owned by Castle Howard Estate Ltd and run by Nicholas and Victoria Howard. The grounds were excavated by Channel 4's Time Team in 2003, searching for evidence of a local village that had been demolished so that the estate could be landscaped. You can find the episode on YouTube.

The mausoleum 

In addition to the landscaped gardens to the front of the house, the park grounds contain a forested area and two major buildings: the Temple of the Four Winds and the Mausoleum. Built in 1729, the Mausoleum sits on a hill, and is raised on a terrace encircled with a stone wall. It looks rather like an observatory, and is encircled by Doric column and crowned with a dome. The burial vault lies below, and contains sixty three catacombs. The mausoleum was said to have cost over £10,000 when built, and it influenced their fashionable spread. Such a building, announced the English whig Horace Walpole, 'would tempt one to be buried alive'. More recently, the mausoleum and gardens featured in the Artic Monkeys' video Four out of Five. 

Still from the Artic Monkeys' Four out of Five, showing the mausoleum

The Temple of the Four Winds lies at the eastern end of Temple Terrace. It has four doors and four sets of stairs, each of which faces a cardinal point on the compass. The Temple was designed by Vanbrugh in 1724, and influenced by Andrea Palladio's Villa Rotunda in Vicenza, Italy. Originally named The Temple of Diana, it remained unfinished for ten years after Vanbrugh died in 1726. After it had deteriorated in the 1940s, George Howard restored the Temple in 1955. It was used as a place for refreshment and reading, with a cellar beneath that was used by servants.

The Temple of the Four Winds

We sat on the western side of the Temple to enjoy a packed lunch. From there we had views over the Howardian Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty located between the Yorkshire Wolds, the North York Moors National Park and the Vale of York. The Howardian Hills, as you might expect, take their name from the Howard family.

The walk from the Temple to the house is lined by statues; 18 lead figures can be found throughout the gardens as a whole. Aside from Hercules - who has a rear end that would put Kim Kardashian to shame - our  favourite was Meleager, one of the great heroes of Greek mythology. When his father Oeneus forgot to sacrifice to Artemis, the angry goddess sent a huge wild boar to ravage the country. Meleager gathered a band of heroes to hunt the board, and he finally killed it after a long battle. This lead statue is on the Temple Terrace, with an adoring hound at the hero's feet and a slain boar to the side. We didn't find the statue of the large boar that Meleager defeated, though that is also on the estate.

Meleaguer the hunter with hound, and the head of a newly slain boar.

The spectacular Atlas Fountain and pond crowns the gardens. Dating from 1850, it was exhibited at The Great Exhibition prior to installation at Castle Howard. The Fountain was designed by the English architect and artist, William Andrews Nesfield, and the figures carved in Portland stone by the sculptor John Thomas. who also worked on Buckingham Palace. The figures were transported from London by rail for installation at Castle Howard. 

A large bronze globe dominates the fountain, and is supported on the shoulders of Atlas. In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan condemned to hold up the celestial heavens for eternity. The fountain has four recumbent Tritons blowing water through shells over Atlas, as he kneels in the centre. 

The fountain was empty when we visited, but is beautiful when filled, as you can see by this YouTube clip. The pond alone is vast - 27 metres in diameter. The shell and basin carvings were made by local craftsmen, and the water transported from a stream nearby, and brought up to the estate reservoir by steam engine. The fountain was turned on for the first time in October 1853. 

The Atlas Fountain

You can find out more about Castle Howard from its website, where you can also find videos of the house and gardens. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. We will be going back in the summer when the house is open. 

A belated happy new year to you all!