LIBRARY
In the Library hangs a portrait of John Carr, architect of Fairfax House, by Andrew Festing (1984), after an original of c.1785 by Sir William Beechey (1753-1839).
The illustration on this page shows
the Library laid out for a Christmas morning breakfast, as it would have been served around 1765. A large round of Cheshire cheese sits in a mahogany cradle and other foods on display represent dishes that were supplied for consumption in Fairfax House at that time.The Library has been restored to its 1762 colour scheme. All the stucco work on the ceilings was carried out by the Giuseppe Cortese, an Italian stuccoist who based himself in Wakefield. In the decorative scheme he used in the Library, Cortese incorporated medallions encircled with oak leaves and featuring the busts of some notable literary figures: the poet Alexander Pope, the essayist Joseph Addison, the poet John Milton and the philosopher John Locke.
The fireplace, with its Siena marble and Greek key pattern decoration, is one of two original fireplaces surviving in Fairfax House (the other is in the Dining Room). On either side of the room are two large eighteenth-century bookcases with glazed doors. The bookcase on the left of the fireplace is the work of Thomas Chippendale. Opposite the fireplace between the windows is a writing desk after a Chippendale design in the Gothic style. Also to be found in this room is a handsome walnut longcase clock, c.1685, by Thomas Tompion, which came from Lord Lonsdale's house, Lowther Castle in Westmorland. On the floor is an unusual Turkoman Carpet with a face woven into the design, thought to represent the Turkish revolutionary leader Kemal Ataturk.
MORE ABOUT THE LIBRARY
Chinese Brush Pot
A Chinese Water Pot in the shape of a Carp, porcelain, (Jingdezhen), Kangxi (1662-1722).
Category: Ceramics
John Locke Panel
One of four 'basso relievo' medallions garnished with oak leaves and set in panels on the stucco ceiling. The names appear in the ribbons above their heads.
Category: Architectural feature
The Tompion Longcase Clock
One of the 14 clocks in this collection, this elegant month-going clock by Thomas Tompion, c.1685, with its 10 inch square dial and silvered chapter ring, is set in a handsome walnut case decorated with spiral turned columns and an elaborate cresting.
Category: Clocks & Barometers
Turkoman Carpet
This unusual Tekke Bokhara carpet, c.1900, with its predominantly octagonal and ghul patterns, has two male faces, inserted some time later, in the corners of one end.
Category: Furniture
Writing Desk
The mahogany desk, in Gothic style, is based on a design in Thomas Chippendale's Director, 1755.
Category: Furniture
