Berrington Hall was built for Thomas Harley, the son of the 3rd Earl of Oxford.
He made a fortune supplying pay and clothing to the British Army in America and became Lord Mayor of London in 1767 at the age of 37.
Harley acquired the Berrington estate in 1775 and immediately commissioned 'Capability' Brown to work on the grounds. Brown took advantage of the panoramic situation of the estate and created a beautiful parkland with a artificial lake and island.
The house was built between 1778 - 1781 on a site advised by Brown. This was above the wide valley of a tributary of the River Lugg with views to the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons.
The house was designed by Brown's son-in-law, the fashionable architect Henry Holland, who created Carlton House for the Prince Regent.
The estate is approached by an entrance lodge in the shape of a triumphal arch.
The rectangular main block of the house has a neo-classical exterior with a central portico and a wide flight of steps rising to the entrance.
The domestic quarters were built around a courtyard at the back of the house.
Since then there have been no significant changes to the exterior of the house and virtually none at all inside. The rather austere appearance conceals a lavish interior.
The principal rooms have splendid fireplaces and fine doors and are embellished with wonderful decorated plaster ceilings in muted pastel shades. The drawing-room and library have decorative panels thought to be by Biagio Rebecca.
The magnificent staircase hall with its central dome is considered to be Holland's masterpiece.
The rooms contain a collection of French furniture, including pieces that belonged to the Comte de Flahault, the natural son of Napoleon's step-daughter Hortense and Talleyrand. Harley's daughter, who inherited the estate, was married to the 2nd Lord Rodney, son of Admiral Rodney.
The dining room is decorated with huge panoramic paintings of sea battles, three by Thomas Luny, in tribute to the distinguished Admiral who played a significant role in the American War of Independence.
The Rodney family continued at Berrington Hall until 1900 when the estate was sold to Frederick Cawley, later Lord Cawley.
Lady Cawley's room displays a photograph of the 1st Lord Cawley and his four sons on horseback in front of the house.
A few years later three of their sons were killed in the First World War.
In 1957 Berrington Hall was accepted by the Treasury in payment of death duty and transferred to the National Trust with some of the contents.
The Trust has had to replace much of the pinkish ashlar stonework outside but the remarkable original interior is in a superb state of preservation.
2008:House: 17 Mar-2 Nov: 13:00-17:00 Mon-Wed & Sat-Sun. House tours: 11:00-13:00 Below Stairs: 17 Mar-2 Nov:11:00-17:00 Mon-Wed & Sat-Sun; 6 Dec-21 Dec:12:00-16:30 Sat&Sun; Last entry 30mins before close.
Tel: 01568 615721 Berrington Hall Website
