Rokeby Park is an early-18th century Palladian-style house set in a beautiful grounds.
The house was designed in the late 1720s by its owner, Sir Thomas Robinson, the son-in-law of the Earl of Carlisle, builder of Castle Howard in Yorkshire.
Sir Thomas was a leading amateur architect of the day and the house is a fine example of the Palladian revival in 18th century English architecture. Work was completed in 1731 shortly after Sir Thomas returned from a tour of the Continent.
The rather stark building has a square three-storeyed main block under a pyramid roof flanked by towers to the north. Two lower wings are set either side of the house.
Although the main block is faced in stone the two wings are stuccoed.
The austerity of the house is softened by the beauty of the surrounding landscape, which Sir Thomas did much to restore.
The interiors of Rokeby Park were not finished until Sir Thomas returned to England after serving as Governor of Barbados from 1741 - 47. Sir Thomas later became Master of Ceremonies at the fashionable Ranelagh pleasure gardens in London but spent most of his fortune and in 1769 was forced to sell the Rokeby estate.
The property was acquired by J S Morritt, an ancestor of the present owner. Morritt and his descendants made few changes to the house but added some superb paintings, including the famous 'Toilet of Venus' by Valazquez. This painting, collected by J S Morrit, now hangs in the National Gallery in London.
J S Morritt was a friend of Sir Walter Scott and the poet was a frequent guest at Rokeby Park. Scott's epic poem 'Rokeby' was dedicated to his host. The poem pays tribute to the beauty of the Arcadian landscape at Rokeby and this scenic quality also attracted artists such as Cotman.
Rokeby Park was originally designed to be approached from the north through the stable courtyard but the entrance was later changed to the south side of the house. A staircase planned by Sir Thomas to give direct entrance to the main rooms on the first floor or 'piano nobile' was never built and the visitor now enters through a Tuscan colonnade on the ground floor.
The rooms on the low ground-floor were not intended for everyday use and the decoration was plainer that the grand rooms above. Over the fireplace in the Hall is a copy of a Roman bas-relief from the Villa Borghese and the Library contains two 18th century paintings of Sir Thomas' town house in Whitehall.
To the left of the Hall is the Breakfast Room. This was originally intended to be used as a 'bagnio' or bathroom but was later redecorated as an early 'print room'. The room now contains a splendid Italian 'pietra dura' cabinent, dated 1700. A remarkable feature of Rokeby Park is the unique collection of needlework pictures worked by Ann Morrit, the sister of J S Morrit.
The staircase on the north front, leading to the piano nobile, is hung with many of the pictures Ann Morritt created with such immense skill. The centre of the piano nobile is ocupied by the spacious Saloon. The main doorway has a superb Kentian 'tabernacle frame' and the coved ceiling, with Raphaelesque decoration, was painted in the mid-19th century.
A copy of Valesquez's 'Toilet of Venus' now hangs in place of the original but there are other good paintings here including a painting by Reynolds and two late-18th century views of the house and grounds.
There are also two free-standing sculptures created by the younger Westmacott.
The finest painting to remain in the house, 'Venus disarming Cupid' by Antonio Pellegrini, is displayed in the adjacent bedroom.
The final room to be viewed is the splendid Dining Room which was created by J S Morrit in the north west wing in the 1770s. The work was probably carried out to designs by John Carr of York and embellished with delicate plasterwork in neo-classical style. The paintings here include 18th century views of the house and estate and a portrait of Queen Caroline by William Kent.
2007:May Bank Holiday then Mon & Tue from Spring Bank Holiday - Tues 4th Sep 14:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30 ) 2008: Call
Tel: 01609 748612 Rokeby Park Website
