Post by Lady Destiny on Aug 15, 2006 3:59:44 GMT -5
EXTERIOR
The approach to the castle is particularly beautiful as its towers and turrets appear and disappear amongst the trees in the 200 acre surrounding parkland with its ornamental lakes, herds of deer, and flocks of gryphons.
The Gatehouse, with its stone figures standing on the battlements, guard a drawbridge over the Castle. Beyond stands Talmar's Tower, with original Edward III windows and solid 10ft thick walls.
A curtain wall, with early leaded windows and arrow loops, leads to the Kitchen Tower, surmounted by a distinctive octagonal lantern.
On the west front, next to Gryphon's Tower, is the Nevill Gateway, with its obliquely placed flanking towers and overhead machicolations through which boiling water or oil could be poured on to the heads of attackers. Along its barrel vaulted passage is a door on which battering ram marks can still be seen today.
The Nevill Gateway is the principal entrance to the Castle, which allowed horse-drawn carriages into the courtyard, through the Entrance Hall and out through the Chapel Tower standing alongside Mount Raskelf on the east front.
At the south east corner of the Castle stands the unusual five-sided Caelum's Tower, named after the Norse Knight Caelum Lupus. Designed to provide the best defensive solution at that point, it is unique in Rhy’din, the only other tower of this shape being in Raby.
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-Gardens-
Although there would have been a small garden at Lashire during the Middle Ages to provide the herbs and plants needed for medicines, it was not until the Lord Ashram married that a formal garden was established, designed by his ladywife, Destiny.
The walls of locally hand-made bricks were constructed with flues which, when heated, enabled sub-tropical fruits such as apricots to be grown on the South Terrace. Of these, only the White Ischia Fig, brought to Lashire by Destiny Fear, Lady Talasane, later Lady of Lashire, still survives in its specially built house, fruiting annually.
The Gardens have been considerably altered during the arrival of the Lady, but many of the original features remain. In particular, there are the two fine old yew hedges, and the ornamental pond, originally constructed to provide water for the Kitchen Garden.
Also within this area are the new conservatory whose front replicates the 19th century original, rose gardens; formal lawns; and the informal heather and conifer garden.
The East Garden contains the main herbaceous border with species of trees within the lawn, such as the Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipafera) and the Wedding Day Rose (Rosa syn Wedding Day) whose petals transforms through three colour changes.
The West Garden displays shrub borders, garden nurseries and the remaining Kitchen Garden. Also in this part of the Garden is the Gothic cottage.
In the centre of the South Terrace is a fine wrought iron gate, bearing the monogram of Lord Vercengetorix, Lord Ashram’s father.
INTERIOR I
The Entrance Hall, with its elegant Gothic vaulting, described as "one of the boldest conceptions of its age and the first truly dramatic interior of the Gothic revival", was designed to ease the problems of turning carriages in the courtyard.
The raising of its roof made it possible for carriages to drive right through the hall but effected the High Gothic decorated Chapel above where evidence of its former mediaeval sedilia (the area where the priest would sit) now half sunk into the floor.
The Barons' Hall, where seven hundred knights gather to plot to defend the castle or attack, had an original hammerbeam roof that was replaced with a more elaborate one. However, the Barons' Hall still retains part of the Minstrels Gallery and a window from the Nevill period.
The Octagon Drawing Room is a most rare with unchanged decoration over the ages, displaying lavish textiles: gold silk lines the eight walls, and the curtains and elaborate swags are of crimson and gold silk.
The Small Drawing Room houses a fine collection of sporting paintings under a beautiful plaster ceiling, with mouldings of musical instruments. This fine Regency room reflects, in its atmosphere, both the masculine sporting world of the era and the tranquil landscape seen beyond the large windows.
In the Library, the repetition of gryphon emblems on the pelmets, cornices and fireplace also reflects the symobol of power of the family.
Adjoining is a small apartment, called the Ante-Library. These rooms have many items of furniture, paintings and craftwork created by significant artists and craftsmen of the past centuries.
-The Blue Bedroom-
The Blue Bedroom shows a typical bedroom designed for very important visitors to the castle in the 19th century, but is where the current Lord and Lady reside. With its domed canopy 'Polonaise' state bed, ornate French pierglass and bell pushes for calling the servants. It is in sharp contrast to the starkly furnished Servant's Bedroom, which was for a head housekeeper, who was alloted one or two ornaments and a wardrobe.
-Kitchen and Dining Room-
Built hundreds of years ago and still almost completely in its original mediaeval form, the Kitchen was in use. This room of intersecting arches sweeping up to its octagonal ventilation shaft also has a fascinating collection of Victorian cooking equipment.
Around the room runs a passageway within the thickness of the walls, used as a serving route to the Barons' Hall.
The handsome Victorian Dining Room has an elaborate 'guilloche' design ceiling with a pattern of repetitive geometrically, interlocking loops repeated in the mouldings of doors and shutters. This room is also a picture gallery containing many important artworks.
46 metres away from the Kitchen, it meant that the servants had to use dishes with hot water compartments and copper dish warmers to keep food hot in transit.
The servants had their lunch in the mediaeval Servants' Hall which was a warm and jolly place with a fire always burning in the hearth and the staff relaxing or carrying out tasks, such as knife polishing and sharpening. The windows facing onto the courtyard are original, but those facing outwards were once arrowloops and have been enlarged.
