BODELWYDDAN CASTLE

Drawing Room and Sculpture Gallery | Portraits on display

This magnificent vaulted room has been turned into a sculpture gallery, dedicated to the work of one of the leading British sculptors of the first half of the nineteenth century, and a native of North Wales, John Gibson. The room itself was presumably created in the 1830s by Hanson and Welch but in many ways looks back to an earlier period. It can most obviously be compared to William Porden's work at nearby Eaton Hall of 1803, or even to William Beckford's Fonthill of 1796. Early illustrations of these interiors have guided the decoration here. The plaster vaulting has been painted to simulate stone in imitation of Fonthill - an effect commonly applied to Regency plasterwork - and the elaborate curtains are based on those shown in a contemporary watercolour of Porden's drawing room at Eaton. The gothic pelmets are original to the windows but have been removed and stored in a cellar, having last been used in theatricals!

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All images and text are subject to copyright protection. 06 October 2008