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The Entrance Hall |
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| Welcome to Stoney Grove! William Blake built this magnificent place in 1782 as a gift for his new bride. Unfortunately, he died shortly thereafter. Rumours say she did him in, but nobody could ever prove it. Anyway, here we are, standing in the Entrance Hall. It's built in the Ionic order, with a vaulted ceiling decorated with elaborate plasterwork. Note the frieze over the western doorway. The beautiful columns were made from scagliola, a mixture of pulverised gypsum, sand and copperas-- for the green colouring--that was fired and then highly polished to resemble marble. Isn’t that a wonderful word, scagliola? It rolls off your tongue, doesn’t it? Go run your hand along the side of a column and see how if feels. Marvelous, really. The marble floor is French in style, but with different proportions. The Hall still has its original crystal chandeliers, and lighting is supplemented by four Russian candelabra on tripod stands. Shall we move on? Oh, yes. The other key point about this room is that the beer is here, in kegs just off the end of the Hall. There’s Flaming Monk for the brave at heart, and Nun’s Habit for the rest. And if anybody fancies a smoke, see me later. Alright then; follow me. And let me warn you that it might take a moment or two to get into the next few rooms, but I think you’ll find it worth the wait. |
