Description
Book SynopsisIn this sumptuous portrait of the house known as the English Versailles', the Duke of Buccleuch sets the scene with a history of his ancestors, the Montagus of Boughton, who acquired the manor in Northamptonshire in the reign of Henry VIII. Ralph, 1st Duke of Montagu (16381709), Charles II's envoy to Louis XIV, transformed Boughton into a palatial homage to French culture. His son John, the 2nd Duke, was noted for planting long avenues, a love of heraldry, a fondness for practical jokes and the ancient lion he nursed in one of the courtyards.
The book showcases Boughton's magnificent painted ceilings, tapestries and Sèvres porcelain. The celebrated art collection also includes striking portraits of Elizabeth I, Charles II and his son the Duke of Monmouth, another Buccleuch ancestor. Van Dyck's friends and contemporaries cluster in the Drawing Room in dozen of grisailles. Most eye-catching of all is the portrait of Shakespeare's muses, the Early and Countess of Southampton. A gra
Table of ContentsTHE EARLY MONTAGUS OF BOUGHTON: THE DAWN OF A DYNASTY 6 ;
The 1st Sir Edward Montagu ;
The 2nd Sir Edward Montagu ;
Edward, 1st Lord Montagu ;
Edward, 2nd Lord Montagu ;
The Hon. Edward Montagu and Elizabeth, Lady Harvey ;
THE DUKES OF MONTAGU: POWER AND INFLUENCE ;
Ralph, 1st Duke of Montagu ;
John, 2nd Duke of Montagu ;
Lady Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu, and George, 3rd Duke of Montagu ;
John, Marquis of Montherme ;
THE SCOTTISH CONNECTION ;
Lady Elizabeth Montagu marries Henry, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch ;
Boughton reawakens ;
The family album ;
THE GRAND TOUR ;
THE NORTH FRONT: DUKE RALPH'S VISION ;
The Staircase Hall, the State Rooms, the Northwest Pavilion, the ‘Unfinished Wing’ ;
THE TUDOR MANOR: THE HEART OF THE HOUSE ;
The Great Hall, the Egyptian Hall and the Little Hall ;
THE WEST FRONT: DUKE JOHN'S LEGACY ;
The Loggia, the Boudoir and the Boudoir Lobby, the South Passage, the Morning Room, the Rainbow Room, the Drawing Room, the Library, the Flower Gallery and the Nursery ;
THE SOUTH SIDE: THE QUIET CORNER ;
The White Drawing Room, the Chinese Staircase, the Audit Room and the Sèvres porcelain collection ;
BEHIND THE SCENES: THE WORKING HOUSE ;
The Old Kitchen, the Armoury, the Attics, the Dower House and Stables ;
THE ARCHIVES ;
The Montagu Music Collection ;
The Huguenots at Boughton ;
BEYOND THE HOUSE ;
The Boughton landscape ;
The Montagu Monuments ;
Timeline and bibliography
