Hatfield House

Willow and Buttercup in the Palace gardens.

A friend of Willow's - who will be referred to as Buttercup for the purposes of this journal - arrived at Heathrow very, very early. Willow stayed in London with the Rev overnight and did us all proud by getting up to catch a 4:30am bus out to meet her. Our mission for the day was to keep Buttercup shining until a normal bedtime hour for ease of transition into the northern hemisphere timezone.

We have often driven past the brown tourist route signs pointing to Hatfield House when driving down to the city on the A1. The scene that always pops into my head is from Cate Blanchett's 'Elizabeth' where the young Princess, living in constant fear of her life, is told 'The Queen is dead. God save the Queen'. Legend (it seems unlikely that she was sitting outside reading in November!) has it that she was sitting under a tree in the gardens reading her Bible and her response to this historic greeting was 'It is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes.'
Psalm 118:23.

Left: The tree that QEII planted in 2012 at an approximate site of the Oak where QEI was supposedly told of Mary's death.
Right: From the front steps of Hatfield House - the Elizabeth Oak field is away to the right.

Hatfield House from the knot garden.

After helping out with Messy Church at St Johns (a wonderful experience for a young adult in search of history and culture) we spent the afternoon snooping around Lord and Lady Salisbury's house and gardens.

It was a brilliant English summer day, the water sparkled reflecting the soft blue sky and a light breeze set the hollyhocks swaying. You can park and see the exterior of the Old Palace and the stable yard full of shops and eateries for free all year.  The House and grounds are still lived in so only open to the public for a season (April - September).

The quarter of Hatfield Palace that survives.  I wonder if that chimney made swirly smoke on a still day?

What is left of the Old Palace seen from the Library window.

Going into the Stable Yard.

The Old Palace
Hatfield Palace was built by the Bishop of Ely. He was also Henry VII's minister so perhaps it was a half way point from the Island in the Fens to London Tower on his journeys between his responsibilities. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and took the church land, Hatfield became a Royal palace. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward were given a thorough education here.  They learnt several languages, science and math of the day and theology(protestant) from the best minds the King could bring from around Europe. Elizabeth had her first romance here that ended in a horrid interrogation for her although she managed to extradite herself without accusations of treason. Her first love lost his head. It would seem that Lord Seymour had the intention of marrying her and using her to take the throne. This experience would have had a huge influence on the princess' evolution into a virgin queen - unwilling to hand the crown to another.

Left: A wooden banister knob perhaps dating from the time the palace was built around 1485. What would have been the Palace's courtyard garden in the background.
Right: The hall is now hired out for events. I imagine that when a palace the brick walls would have been plastered and murals painted on them. The huge tapestries were dwarfed by the vaulted ceiling.

Poor Princess Mary, well beyond schooling age, was also resident at Hatfield Palace after being announced as illegitimate after her parent's divorce.  I can only imagine her bitter anger and jealousy. When Mary became Queen after young King Edward's demise she bought back the old religious beliefs burnt many who wouldn't recant, married the Spanish King and had Princess Elizabeth interred at Hatfield House.  When Mary thought her sister was the figure head of a plot against her by her disgruntled populace she had her locked up in the Tower for a while. Elizabeth's life was spared when Mary believed she was pregnant and was convinced that she was carrying an heir. Unfortunately it turned out that she was carrying a huge tumour that took her life. Upon her ascension to the throne, Elizabeth left Hatfield Palace, never to return.

Left: King James 1  Right: The Rainbow portrait commissioned by Robert Salisbury when Elizabeth I was 67yrs old.  There is a great deal to be said about this painting by Isaac Oliver and its Symbolism - I've left that treat till last!

A sculpture of QEI and her ministers including Lord Burlegh (Willaim Cecil).

The Queen's hand has snapped off - Willow is mocking the concentrated dismay of those around the Queen - we wonder she was holding that could have been so riveting

 Hatfield House

Left: William Cecil, QEI Lord High Treasurer, builder of
Theobalds where the Queen was regularly entertained.
Right: Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury -  Minister for
James I, alma mater - St John's College Cambridge.

When Elizabeth died she made James VI of Scotland her successor. He gained this title after his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, cousin of Elizabeth and Catholic plotter for the English throne, was beheaded. He became James I of England and made the two countries one without a battle. He took up residence in England and decided that he liked the palace owned by the son of Elizabeth's Lord High Treasurer - William Cecil (Lord Burghley). William's son Robert, was a minister to the King and after being asked to swap Theobalds (King James died here in 1625) for Hatfield felt compelled to agree.  He immediately had three of the four wings of the Palace dismantled and put the bricks toward building a fine new residence for his family.  Robert, the 1st Earl of Salisbury, died soon after it was completed but would be proud to know that unlike many other family seats, Hatfield is still owned and lived in by the 7th Marquess of Salisbury (if the family hadn't been given the promotion he would have been the 13th Earl), his descendants.

One of the many shop fronts in the Stable Yard

The Stable Yard access is free, tickets to the House and grounds are £16 per adult.

In today's world the cost of this privilege is having shops on your doorstep and strangers staring at your stuff for 6 months every year. Their living area is not open to the public and the rooms that are, are still used for grand occasions after visiting hours in season and all the time through the cooler months. A local lady told me that she often sees Lady Salisbury pottering around in the garden wearing the same hat that Petal bought from the gift store. Lady S makes suggestions for the stock carried!

Left: A pineapple on a column in the middle of the stable yard fountain - it looks fairly new! (see it reflected in the window)
Right: A blood orange sorbet or chocolate ice-cream, rhubarb juice(Cawston Press - deliciously tart) and water were happily refreshing.

Petal bought one of Lady Salisbury's hats.

The house is full of interesting things collected and used by interesting people. There was an audio guide available but we prefer to see what we see. They had some lovely guides sprinkled around who were able to answer any question posed about paintings, objects and who had used the spaces for what. We were told we could take photos without flash, luckily the bright day made that possible. I think it would be a dark house in winter. If you took a picnic you could have a lovely long day for your £16 ticket.

Left:  M at the front door. Right: The modern water sculpture looks a little out of place.

Although it does frame the front door rather well.

Clock/Bell Tower  and one of two lions guarding the front door.

The entrance hall- the fabric design on the desk uses the pattern of the birds on the lamp sculptures at the front gate.
The gate on the right opens into the games hall. Its proper title is - the Armoury.

Instead of nannies they just have gigantic pictures of mum and dad keeping the kids in line with a back up guard in armour!

A lot of weapons on the wall for a playroom!  Pretty dangerous play fights I'd imagine.

The Hall. It looks a lot like the house in BBCs Sense and Sensibility where Marianne was carried in after Colonel Brandon found her collapsed in the rain.  Mary Queen of Scots is hung left of the white horse - just as plain as in the National gallery - she must have a had an amazing personality to  achieve the reputation of beauty she goaded her cousin with.

The staircase to the King James drawing room which we forgot to take photos of.  It is used by the family for parties and soirees still. From the windows you can see the 9ft tall maze that is out of bounds to everyone always.  Imagine how glorious these tapestries would have been before the fading.

The family crest in the paws of a lion on the stairs.

Foot of the staircase.

This portrait of QEI by Nicholas Hilliard 1585, is called 'The Ermine Portrait and is hung in the KJ drawing room. 
The little ermine(farmed for their fur supposedly a symbol of purity) is wearing a crown that has slipped to a collar. What secret message could be deduced from that? She is holding a branch of an olive tree for peace in her other hand.  Many portraits of Elizabeth were painted to hang around the halls of palaces where ambassadors from other countries were housed to represent the Queen - who as she aged rarely took audiences away from candle light. The idea was that if the nations knew how old and frail the Queen was they might think to attack her realm. 
The pendant in the top detail is called the Three Brothers - for the three huge rubies. It was apparently one of Elizabeth's favourite jewels, her monument in Westminster Abbey is wearing it. James I wore it as a hat pin then gave it to his wife who took it to the Netherlands with her and it has never been seen since. There is a novel waiting to be written! 

Left" detail from the garden gates = 6 were made to celebrate the residence of Queen Victoria. They must have had a lot of prior warning to get such a huge project finished in time.  Top Right: a little Chinese pekingese looking face in one of the staircases' wall paneling.  Lower Right: A similar shape as a gilded handle on a tea chest.

M making himself at home in the long gallery.  The ceiling was originally white but after a trip to Venice the 2nd Marquise  decided to copy one he was impressed with there and had it covered in gold leaf - it really glows - quite a marvel. 

These items have been carved out of pieces of solid rock crystal then the gold was pressed on. Amazing! On display in the Long gallery.

Queen Anne's throne - original fabric etc.   Her 17 children predeceased her.

The Library - what a room!  Kings, Queens and Prime ministers have worked, debated and problem solved in here.

Close up on the left of the 'scroll' to the right; a genealogy of QEI.  Buttercup was  incredulous my jaw dropped too when she pointed it out.  Written below is the description given for the object.

'This is the heraldic pedigree tracing the descent of Queen Elizabeth from Adam and Eve. The knight in the center on view is William the Conqueror on his charger.  Other supposed ancestors of the Queen shown on the roll are King Arthur, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Romulus and Remus, Hector and Noah!  The parchment roll dates for 1559 and is almost 20 meters long.'
Well I guess fiction was alive and well before Shakespeare was born!'

Left: a transportable organ, it was here when the house was finished being built and has moved rooms more than three times.
Right: The organ in the Chapel.

Beautiful stained glass in the Family Chapel.

The kitchens were renovated for Queen Victoria's week visit in 1846 to cope with the triple sized population of the house.
25 people worked in there in that week.

The third Marquise was a favourite Prime Minister of Queen Vic, perhaps because he shared Prince Albert's interest in scientific progress. He was one of the first people in England to light his house with electricity and to install a telephone (early adopters of this technology must have had a more philosophical purpose.) The guide told me that in the long gallery, the wires would often burst into flame and the family would just throw cushions at them to put the fire out without a break in conversation.  Maybe it is that nonchalance that separates the aristocracy from the middle classes!

Left: the still room.  The Still room maid was incharge of making preserves, light tray breakfasts, afternoon teas, the hot beverages and occasionally jellies.  Centre: a tea pot for large celebrations with a burner underneath.
Right: The scullery - woe was the life of the scullery maid. Her chief purpose was washing up the pots and pans and utensils, scrubbing the floors and walls and when not busy with that plucking birds and preparing vegetables - her poor sore hands.

The knot garden on the opposite side of the house from the Maze - those Jacobites sure liked puzzles!
Plenty of Opium poppies seeding up in the garden.

The smell of roses was thick in the air - Petal found a couple of fallen heads!
Incredible red of this water lily! A pair or two of bright blue dragon flies buzzed over the surface too.

Lots of shady walkways to bring down the temperature of the scorching English summers ...  Just love the dapple!

Wicked plans afoot with the long seed head - most ended up in my hair.  Buttercup doesn't seem to need our help to battle the timezones!  She didn't even fall asleep after dinner on the way back to Cambridge.

This is a remarkable portrait of QEI

So I shall remark upon it here!  It is called the Rainbow Portrait because she is holding the thing of beauty(whose pigments have all faded) that symbolises peace after the storm (surviving the Armada). Robert - 1st Earl of Salsibury commissioned it and followed in his spymaster father's footsteps - they really knew how to charm a girl, he had non sine sole iris (no rainbow without the sun) inscribed on it.
It was painted when Elizabeth was in her late sixties, obviously it is more symbolic than a photo realism! By this age she had banned all mirrors from her room as she had lost all but three teeth, her skin was flaking off because of the lead and mercury in the whitening powder and rouge that she used and she was virtually bald.
Everything in the picture had some double meaning and was hung to remind the people who their queen really was regardless of age - the ultimate fountain of youth - the artists brush.
Over the golden cape are rather grotesque images of eyes and ears showing that she knew what was going on around her kingdom and throughout Europe. Both William and later his son Robert Cecil ran a small band of professional spies. William uncovered the papist plot to put cousin  Mary on the throne which lead to her beheading and Robert uncovered the gun powder plot (some conspiracy theorists say he used double agents to arrange it all and frighten King James into a tougher stance against the Catholics). 
The flowery bodice is covered in wild flowers that she grew up with showing that she was closely connected to her land and the common people.
The snake on her sleeve represents wisdom (I'd say a crafty slyness) and the heart gem hanging from its mouth shows that her mind ruleed her heart in Royal duties. 
The short ruff around her neck was the male fashion demonstrating her strength to rule and the flamboyant lace collars show her feminine discernment and intuition. She wears only one ear ring which is also the male way and in the lace collar is a gauntlet symbolising her belief in chivalry and honour. 
She is covered but not outshone by precious gems and pearls - no doubt some courtier pointed out that she was the most precious jewel of England.
No wonder those Cecils got ahead - I bet the Queen loved it.  We really appreciate the time and expertise of the guide in Hall!
For a better look at the portrait go to this site http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/feature/3/The-Rainbow-Portrait
To watch a video of the House go to http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/feature/118/Promo-Video