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Clumber (1)

By the Duchess of Newcastle

Clumber: south front.

IT would have been an easier task to have written about the charming surroundings of Clumber than to attempt to give an idea of a building which has but little, either artistic or historic, to recommend it. Those who reside in the north of England often journey to what  is popularly known as "The Dukeries" to enjoy the quiet beauty of Welbeck, Clumber, and adjoining parks; but the antiquarian will not find much help toward his researches at Clumber, for the notices of it which  have  appeared from time to time have been meagre in the extreme.  In Thoroton's "Antiquities of Nottingham" there are two:—"A Hamlet of Mansfield, certain lands in it belonging to William the Conqueror," and "In 1310 one William FitzWilliam held a sixth part of a fee under Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln." Beyond a reference to tithes paid to the Vicar of Worksop, and a grant of land, value eleven shillings per annum, made by Henry VIII. to Roger and Robert Taverner, the historian is silent.

The present house stands on a site formerly occupied by a shooting lodge belonging to the Dukes of Newcastle (who had resided at Welbeck until 1711), and was built in 1767, but in 1879 a disastrous fire destroyed the central portion of it. Advantage was taken of this to replace the decidedly mean entrance by a large hall, carried to the roof, and with a gallery which will be noticed later. This hall is a fine structure in its way, but it necessitated the loss of some ten or twelve bedrooms, which were to have been supplied by bringing the whole facade beyond the present wings. This, however, has never been done, and the result is to give a very unfinished appearance to the entrance front.

Clumber: Apleyhead Lodge.

In order to give some idea of how Clumber came to be selected as the family seat of the Dukes of Newcastle, the following details may be interesting, especially to those who find genealogy an attractive study.

Dugdale commences the lineage with Geoffrey de Clinton, Lord Chamberlain to Henry I.

It was an Earl of Newcastle that befriended Ben Jonson in his hour of need, and the following manly letter has been preserved:—

"My Noblest Lord and Best Patron,—

"I send no borrowing epistle to provoke your lord­ship, for I have neither fortune to repay, nor security to engage, that will be taken; but I make a most humble  petition to your lord­ship's bounty, to succour my present necessities this good time of Easter, and it shall conclude all begging   requests   hereafter   on   the  behalf  of  your   Truest   Beadsman   and   most Humble Servant,

" B. J.
"To the Earl of Newcastle."

Clumber: the bridge.

[Page 6 of article missing] ... the country opens upon you with splendour, rich in effect and delightful to the eye. The fir and woody scenery around were warmed with patches of broom and gorse, then in golden hue, left, it may be presumed, for ornament. The hills, or rather rising grounds, are beautifully clothed with woody scenery, the lawns are as smooth on the surface as a calm water scene. The Duke of Newcastle's dwelling in this place is truly magnificent, although the building is neither lofty nor very extensive. From the new bridge which spans the apparent endless stream which waters Clumber, there appears an harmonious whole of grandeur; the proud-chested swans which sail gently in numbers to and fro in the space between the bridge and the house, happily corresponding in complexion with everything of art in view, blended with the various natural tints of foliage which surround you, (if I may be allowed the expression) paradises the mind."

This description was written more than a century ago. Now the "endless stream" is a lake three miles long. Italian terraces have been built from the house to the lake side; and in the summer, when the flowers are in full bloom, the scene is very bright—especially when the fountains, which grace the gardens, are included in the view; on the opposite side deep shadows are cast by the fine trees and shrubs, and these add materially to the beauty of the scene.

Napoleon by Canova.

Entering the house at the main entrance, the Hall, which has been already alluded to, is the first room of importance to arrest attention. The photograph of the colossal statue of Napoleon which illustrates this article is taken from one of the galleries, and in this gallery there are a number of pictures well worthy of notice, including Hogarth's "Southwark Fair," Wheatley's "Return from Shooting," a Gainsborough, Rubens, and Battista Franco, and others of equal note. The antiquarian would probably spend some time in the examination of four white marble cists of the first century. There are also some very fine antiques, which were purchased by the fourth Duke of Newcastle at Nollekens' sale in 1823. This hall makes a charming music-room, and is generally used by the family for that purpose.

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