The Marquis of Stafford’s Bedroom
The Marquis of Stafford’s private room contained a ‘Japanned front’ stove and six ‘handsome Rosewood and Gold Elbow Chairs’ with ‘cushions & cases’. The room housed a writing desk and an ‘elegant rosewood ...
The New House at Trentham, 1630-1639
Trentham Hall was passed down through generations of the Leveson family to Sir Richard Leveson (1598-1661) who built a new house at Trentham in 1630. Work on this new property took just under nine years ...
The Nursery, West Hill, 1824
The Nursery at West Hill contained two bedsteads and also ‘two rush seat black stained childrens chairs’. The room also featured a number of lockable presses with shelves, one of which was ‘Satinwood ...
The Principle Drawing Room, West Hill, 1824
The Principle Drawing Room at West Hill was another lavishly decorated room with handsome features and elegant furniture exhibiting the wealth of the Leveson-Gower family.
A ‘handsome Brown & pink’ ...
The Sale of West Hill: The Mansion House in 1842
Reminiscent of the 1824 Sale Papers for Melrose Hall, the Sutherland Papers contains ‘The Particulars and Conditions of Sale’ for ‘West Hill’ which is described as ‘A Noble Mansion’, formerly known as ...
The Social Role of Stafford House
Many documents in the Sutherland Papers reflect the prestigious social role of Stafford House. Throughout the nineteenth century the house functioned as the centre of social life in London. In addition ...
The Trentham Estate: The Chief Agent’s Cash Book, 1778-1785
The image above shows a page taken from the Chief Agent’s Cash Book dating from 1778-1785. Thomas Horwood, Earl Gower’s Chief Agent during this period was responsible for keeping this account of payments ...
The Upper White Dressing Room, West Hill, 1824
Mahogany furniture featured prominently in the Upper White Dressing Room at West Hill. A ‘Bowed front mahogany Dressing Table with Drawer Lock & Key’ was housed in the room, alongside a ‘Mahogany tray ...
The Valet’s Dressing Room and the Housemaid’s Closet, West Hill, 1824
A dressing room adjoined the Valet’s Room, at West Hill, containing a ‘Mahogany Wash hand Table with handsome marble top’ and a ‘Mahogany Boot & Shoe horse’.
A description of the Housemaid’s Closet ...
The Valet’s Room, West Hill, 1824
Beginning on the second floor, the Inventory of West Hill describes the ‘Right Hand Bedchamber’ as the ‘Valets Room’. The room had a colour scheme of blue and white, including a ‘Blue and white painted ...
The Wash House at West Hill, 1824
Like the Bakehouse and Laundry, the Wash House at West Hill was fitted out with functional equipment, including six washing troughs, lead pipes supplying hot and cold water and a coal box.
‘A Stout ...
The Westhill Fruit Dispute, August 1830
Amongst the many documents providing an insight into household life at West Hill are a number of papers from August 1830 relating to a dispute over the sale of fruit grown on the property.
A letter ...
The Working Gardens at West Hill, 1824
The Inventory of West Hill made in 1824 describes the working gardens on the estate, telling us about the fruit and flowers produced there. The Inventory lists a ‘melon ground’ which had ‘3 light Melon ...
Trentham Gardens
The Sutherland Papers contain an enormous wealth of documents relating to Trentham Gardens. Accounts, correspondence, maps, plans and advertisements provide a fascinating insight into this famous local ...
Trentham Gardens: ‘The Beauty Spot of the Midlands’ in the Early Twentieth Century
As a result of sewage contamination in the River Trent, Trentham Hall had become uninhabitable by the early twentieth century. After the fourth Duke of Sutherland, Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1851–1913), ...
Trentham Park in the 1890s
One of the most intriguing documents relating to Trentham is the large notice featured above. This is the draft of a notice which was printed to provide information to people visiting Trentham Park in ...
Vouchers for Westhill, August 1840
The Sutherland Papers contain a wealth of vouchers for purchases made for the West Hill estate in the nineteenth century. A number of vouchers from August 1840 tell us about the products which local tradesmen ...
West Hill: Produce & Supplies for 1837
Inventories of West Hill indicate that the Duke of Sutherland’s estate in Wandsworth had a working farm and working gardens providing produce to the mansion house. The image above shows a tabulated document ...