The Yellow Drawing Room at Beaudesert Hall

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Date:1919

Description:The Yellow Drawing Room at Beaudesert was around 48 feet long by 36 feet wide and was situated on the first floor adjacent to the north end of the Long Gallery. The room was lined with oak panelling and hung with several portraits of Paget family members. Over the fireplace is a painting of Henry Bayley, ninth Baron Paget, first Earl of Uxbridge of the Second Creation pictured holding copper ore from the Mona Mine, by George Romney. On the right is a painting of the first Marquess of Anglesey, Henry William Paget, with his horse. The figure was painted by John Hoppner and the horse by Sawrey Gilpin. On the left under the window is a mahogany desk known as the ‘Anglesey Desk’. This was made for the first Marquess who by 1815 was in command of the British cavalry and horse artillery under Wellington, including at the Battle of Waterloo. The desk was sold by Christie’s, London on 8 July 1993 for £1.76 million pounds.

Beaudesert Hall was the mansion of the Pagets, Marquesses of Anglesey. Its core was medieval, with later alterations. James Wyatt and Joseph Potter remodelled the interiors of the original Elizabethan House, built by Lord Paget, in a Regency Gothic style early in the 19th century. A century later, this was out of fashion and following a small fire, Beaudesert was completely remodelled by the 6th Marquess of Anglesey during 1909-1912. Lord Anglesey called in Captain Harry Lindsay to replace the Regency work with a series of rooms intended to represent different periods.

In 1920 a year after Country Life took this photograph and two years after the First World War, Lord Anglesey decided that he could not afford to maintain both Beaudesert and Plas Newydd (on Anglesey). Plas Newydd became the family home and principal seat and many of the paintings and much of the furniture were moved to Plas Newydd, with surplus furniture and furnishings sold by auction around 1921. Beaudesert was put up for sale in 1924 and when no purchaser was found it was finally demolished around 1935. Many of the bricks with which Beaudesert was faced were used to replace the bricks polluted by coal smoke at St James’s Palace in London; they were of the similar date as those they replaced. The main staircase, known as the Waterloo staircase, doors, windows and much interior panelling were shipped to Australia and can be seen at a house called Carrick Hill, near Adelaide.

Beaudesert Park is an area of historic parkland, within which are the ruins of Beaudesert Hall, a walled kitchen garden, remains of a stable block, an ice house, ponds and cascades. The parkland is located on the eastern edge of Cannock Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and comprises part of the country estate owned by generations of the Paget family between 1546 and 1935. The Beaudesert Trust own and manage Beaudesert Park and welcomes Youth organisations, such as Scouts and Guides, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Youth Clubs and Schools, Colleges and University groups. Beaudesert Park is used for various outdoor activities and educational experiences.

Acknowledgement: Thank you to Country Life for providing this image. Please note ‘Copyright Country Life’ – this image may not be used for resale or commercial purposes without Country Life’s express permission.

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Creators: Country Life - Creator

Donor ref:BM-CL-5477449 (192/29977)

Source: Mr Bob Metcalfe

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