The Drawing Room
What is a Drawing Room?
From the 1500s larger houses had a withdrawing room set aside for family relaxation and to entertain guests. They were later known as drawing rooms and today we might call it the lounge.
Who decorated this room?
This room was created when Astley Hall was remodelled around 1665. Margaret Charnock, who owned the house, had just married Richard Brooke.
The original Tudor house would have seemed old-fashioned to the young couple and they updated it in the latest Baroque* style. They put in the ceiling and the wall tapestries.
*Baroque: an elaborate and theatrical style of art, architecture, .music and literature which originated in Rome around 1600.
The furniture is mostly walnut and rosewood, made in the Georgian and early Victorian eras between 1760 and 1850. Susannah Brooke lived in the Hall during these years.
Why is it so dark in here?
The blinds are kept down to protect the fragile tapestries from fading.
Plaster Ceiling
The ceilings here and in the Great Hall are remarkable and unique, although the creator is unknown. Shapes made of wood and leather have been fixed to the ceiling and plastered over. Its ornate foliage and playful cupids are typical of Baroque design.
Tapestries
The tapestries tell the Greek legend of Jason and his search for the Golden Fleece. They were woven in Brussels around 1665, and were probably made especially for this room. At some point the tapestries were sold or given away, but luckily they were spotted in a London auction in 1947 and bought back.
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