Plans and interiors of Mentmore

Joseph Paxton and his son-in-law George Stokes designed Mentmore Towers, correctly known as just 'Mentmore' in the mid-1850s. Paxton was the most lauded and fashionable architect of the period. The basic plan of Mentmore (as the house is correctly known) is of two interlocking square blocks of equal size with a three floored tower on each corner. As one faces the principle entrance in the centre of the left hand block, the right hand (servant's or service block) appears only as a single storey, this is because its first floor is sunk into the ground, having windows only looking to the rear, and to the internal courtyard. This was so the servant's would have no views and be distracted from their work.

The principal block two floors high with four towers is built around a central glass roofed courtyard, formerly known as 'The Grand Hall'. The glass roof was a speciality of Paxton's, as with The Crystal Palace it was designed on the ridge and furrow principle. The front door, facing east, was reached by a porte cochere from (what Paxton referred to as) the Cour d'honneur, this three sided courtyard is flanked on the right by the second floor of the service block - and on the left by the windowless rear of the billiards room. Both flanking wings instead of windows had a series of niches, designed for statues. These niches seem never to have been filled. The three floored tower to the right of the front door (connected the service and principle blocks) This tower was in fact a cleverly disguised water tower which not only served the mansion but part of the village too.

The south facing side of the principle block opened onto a wide terrace overlooking the Chiltern Hills Wide flights of stone steps lead to the lawns below. The west facade overlooked the fountain garden. The north facing facade formed a two sided area together with the west facade of the service block, here was once the ornate and intricate Italian garden.

The courtyard around which the service block was built was reached through large iron gates under an archway. This courtyard unseen by any of the influential guests was built of common yellow brick, while the rest of the mansion was faced in golden Ancaster stone.

The house contained many innovations of the day, huge panes of plate glass both inside and out, central underfloor heating, and an attempt at early air conditioning. There was also hot and cold running water to the bathrooms and flushing lavatories. Mentmore was the most luxurious house in Britain at the time.

Apart from the fountain and Italian gardens the rest of the grounds were laid to grass and parkland, along winding gravel paths were scattered priceless statues, urns and smaller fountains; one path led to a small gate bearing the sign 'Ruth's Gate' which gave entry to Mentmore Churchyard. Ruth had been the daughter of the 5th Earl's son Neil Primrose, who was killed during World War I. Ruth later married the 2nd Earl of Halifax. It would be interesting to know why the gate was named after her.

In the curve of the principle drive facing the front of the mansion stood King Tom a larger than life, bronze statue of Baron Meyer de Rothschild's favourite stallion. This statue by the sculptor Joseph Boehm is now at the Rosebery family home at Dalmeny in Scotland.

1970s

Here follows a description of the interior of the mansion circa 1970 when it was still the home of the Earl and Countess of Rosebery:-

The interior of the mansion during the period until the early 1970s was like stepping back into a Victorian time warp, on entering thought the front door one immediately entered the large vestibule or East Entrance Hall, the walls of Caen stone were hung with large paintings, statues of blackamoor heads were against the walls and a wide flight of steps led into the mansion proper, at the head of the steps blocking the plate glass door (intended as the main entrance to the grand hall) was the 17th century Marie de Medici cabinet one of the treasures of the collection. Thus one entered the principal room from the entrance hall via a corridor at the top of the steps

The Grand Hall was a glass roofed courtyard at the centre of the principal block of the mansion. Its principal feature was the huge chimney piece (supposedly) designed by Rubens for his house in Antwerp It was/is of black marble with white marble headed rams acting as caryatids at the side. On top of this huge structure stood a large solid silver statue of the court dwarf of Charles I. The hall was two floors high. At ground floor level hung magnificent Gobbelins tapestries, at second floor level ran a huge arcaded gallery completely around the room, the coloured marbles and green alabaster of its balustrade complemented the Byzantine and Venetian furnishings - the huge baroque gilded thrones, the painted and gilded venetian sedan chair, the numerous tables of objects d'art, clocks and statues. The piece de resistance of the hall however was not the magnificent venis martin grand piano but the three huge elongated gold lanterns which lit the hall. These had once graced the Doge of Venice's state barge - The Bucintoro. The royal savonnerie carpet on the floor was reputed to be stained with the blood of an executed monarch, I think it was supposed to be Emperor Maximillian of Mexico, but I was never convinced of that - the Rosebery's kept too many dogs, which was a more likely explanation.

As one stood in the hall facing the Rubens chimney piece, to the left through a glazed arch and door, one looked into an anteroom and hence the obviously named South Entrance through a single pane of plate glass, (the largest ever produced at the time) to the stunning panorama of the Chilterns. To the right and through another glazed arch was the Grand Staircase, a single flight of wide white marble steps divided at the mezzanine level into two further flights to the arcaded gallery above. Here on the stairs were two of the most famous paintings, Gainsborough's only known sporting picture, and the jewel of the collection the Drouais of Madame de Pompadour now hanging in The National Gallery For this one picture alone the British Government paid, almost as much as they could have paid for the whole collection. Either side of the stairs in concave recessed glass cases were the family racing trophies, Ascot Gold Cups, 2000 Guineas cups, St. Legerplates and The Epsom Derby Trophies. Also displayed here were German gold and silver cups, including a famous ampullah shaped as an owl in solid gold, studded with precious stones.

On either side of the South Entrance were the two principal drawing rooms. The white drawing room, the largest of the two, had been stripped of its Fragonard doors and Bouchier paintings after World War II; by the 1970s it had become a rather grand box room, with painting and priceless antiques stacked and jumbled. However, from this room access was gained to one of the gems of the collection: behind a mirrored secret door was the Blarenberghe Room. This small tower room was lined with over 40 paintings by that artist, and further gold snuff boxes and miniatures were displayed in small cases and vitrines.