Ann Lethbridge's Blog, page 21

Saltram Part 7

 Hope I am not boring you to death with all of these visits of mine.  I could spend hours wandering the lovely houses and I am so grateful to those who maintain them in such beautiful style.

These are the North Stairs, a quick retreat to upstairs from the dining room. They are not the main staircase, but very grand with an overhead skylight and support columns.

This hall also lead off to the heart of any house.  The kitchen.  Which will will visit next time.



Until then Happy rambles.

Her Highland Protector

In stores now, and online everywhere.

Lady Jenna Aleyne must marry well if she is to claim her lands…Only, there is a complete lack of eligible suitors in the Highlands! But then Niall Gilvry is assigned to watch over Jenna, and there's no denying she finds this handsome Scot most distracting!
Niall knows Jenna is too fine a lady for the likes of him—after all, high society has little time for a lowly third son—but he takes his duty seriously. With danger lurking in the shadows, Niall stays close. It would be just oh, so easy to pull her into his arms.…

Book Two in the Gilvrys of Dunross is fast paced, suspenseful and wildly romantic ~  Romantic Times  Check it out on Amazon.com. 

Fashion for July

I have a couple of July Fashions to share, one this week one next.  I am not being stingy, but all this takes a bit of time to get in shape, and I am supposed to be writing the next Gilvry's of Dunross story.  You did realize that Book 2 is out now I hope. Ahem, just a little reminder.

Oldenburgh Dinner Dress.
            French white satin slip, decorated round the bottom with a rich blond lace, and headed with a superb pearl trimming: a wreath of laurel leaves formed of pearls, in an angle in the front of the slip. The trimming is perfectly novel, and the effect of it is more elegant than can be conceived from the engraving which we have given. Over the slip is a short Russian robe of white crape, open front, edged round with a rich pearl trimming to correspond with the slip; the wreaths which ornament the robe is formed of pearls also, to correspond. The front of the dress is formed in a most novel and tasteful style, peculiar to the inventress, Mrs. Bell.

The back continues full, and the waist very short. Crape long sleeve, trimmed with pearl bands at regular distances. Small lace cap, superbly decorated with pearls, and finished with tassels to correspond; a fancy flower is placed to the side. The form of this cap is extremely elegant, exquisitely tasteful, and becoming. A white satin Chapeau Bras, ornamented with a spread eagle on the crown, worked in chenille, is indispensable. The hair is worn up a-la-Grecque on the left side, where it is fastened in a full knot.

Gloves and slippers of white kid. Plain ivory fan.

 This really is a pretty gown. Hope you enjoy, until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 6

 Our next room at Saltram is the piece de resistance for entertaining.  The Salon. I should mention that the ballroom did not have the chandeliers during the Regency era. Instead when they were having a ball they put up lamps over the windows and candles over the doors and concealed them with wreaths and festoons of leaves and flowers.  Health and Safety would definitely not approve it seems to me. Talk about a fire hazard.  I still wonder how they managed to light the middle of the room if they were only lighting the perimeter. But this is what happened in 1810, so a nice description of a real event.

Other neat bits of information, the band played in a tent outside of the great window and playeddances all right. The floor was "chalked" in a design by the hostess by a celebrated artist from Plymouth and they had two rows of seats around the edge of the room for about 200 people.  What an amazing image.

By the way that window in the middle there, with two columns and a bit of a portico, is known as a Venetian window.  The concave ceiling is beautiful. I can only capture a bit of it, but hopefully you can get the idea.

The carpet is Axminster. It cost  L126 and was desiged to mirror the ceiling. the reason for the furniture going around the edge of the room is to show it off. And here is the other wall with the fireplace. I just love the these giltwood Chippendale sofas.


Finally, while there are lots of pictures of a collector time, I picked this one, as he is such a regency looking gentleman, though it is dated around 1785, a Baron and neighbour and friend. A very personal touch.  The walls were originally blue damask which over time faded to dove grey according to account.

Clearly there is much more to see and know about in this room, but on we go.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 5

This is the Velvet Drawing room, redecorated as it appeared on 1770, but missing most of its original red silk velvet hangings.

Quite stunning, I must say.  As you can see the walls are covered in pictures, just as they would have been in the late 18th century.

The smaller picture looks in the other direction towards the windows and shows a part of the ornate ceiling. I really like the gilded window seats.


This is a Boulle writing desk in the Louis XIV style.  It was greatly sought after and many pieces left France after Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo.  My final piece of furniture is the fascinating scagliola table top decorated with rompe-l'oeil playing cards and a letter dated 1713. It is thought the game being played on this table is piquet.


For all its beauty and columns, there is yet more to come which is even more beautiful and luxurious.

Until Next Time, Happy Rambles.

Goodreads Giveaway Countdown

Count down is on!  

You only have until June 19 to sign up for this giveaway.
If you want to know more about the book you can check it out on Amazon.com or on my website.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway Her Highland Protector by Ann Lethbridge Giveaway ends June 19, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 4

It really is time to look inside the house. The entrance hall is just as pretty as the outside, don't you think?

This is a mid eighteens century space. I was quite fascinated by the pink and white checkered floor and those really uncomfortable hall chairs.

The table is Georgian with a marble top and cabriole legs.  There is a matching one on the opposite wall. The bracket clock is Boulle from the mid 18th century.





The next room is the Morning Room.  It was also occasionally used for small family dinners.

Apparently about two thirds of the pictures in this room are in the same positions as they were in 1819.

The dining table is mahogany as are the Gothick dining-chairs both dating to the middle of the eighteenth century, as well as a set of Chippendale-style dining-chairs.

I really took a shine to this gilded side table. there are a pair of them. They are English frames and the tops are Florentine, inlaid with specimen marbles and mosaic pastoral scenes.  I have to say that my pictures do not do these rooms justice, but if they give you a sense of what they are like, then I am pleased.


These rooms are laid out in the gallery style. There is no corridor, one simply moves through one room to the next and the next room is something to behold.

More about that next time. Until then, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 3

Saltram House was originally a Tudor House but the Parker family remodelled into a Palladian mansion through the latter half of the 18th century and on into the Regency as we will see.

This is the South front. Its Entrance Porch with the Doric columns and the coat of arms were added in 1820 by the Parker who had become first Earl of Morley in 1815.


This is the House from the East front.

And a view from the house across the ha ha. A drop in the lawn with a wall to keep the deer and other animals roaming the park of the manicured lawns used by the inhabitants.

To me the house looks almost pretty enough to eat. A wedding cake of a house. And there is lots more to see if you care to stick with me.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Fashion May 1812

It has been a while since I posted any fashion and I thought it was time.  I have two gowns from two hundred years ago that I thought you might like a a break from our explorations of Saltram where gowns very similar to these would have been worn.

Both of these gowns are from Ackerman's Repository for May 1812.

The descriptions are as follows:

Promenade or Carriage Costume.
    A Round spencer robe of blossom coloured sarsnet, trimmed with tufted Chinese silk fringe; a drapery of deep Vandyke lace, continued round the back and shoulders to the bottom, in the loose Polonaise style; the spencer sitting close to the throat, without a collar, which is supplied by that of the morning robe of white muslin beneath. 
A provincial bonnet of the same material as the spencer, ornamented with two curled white ostrich feathers, placed in adverse directions in the front. Half-boots of blossom-coloured kid; ridicule to correspond; and gloves of lemon-coloured kid, or pale tan colour.

I do like this gown very much. That reticule is teeny tiny isn't it? And such an interesting shape. Not much more in there than a handkerchief I would think.

Domestic or Morning Costume.

    A French frock of fine plain India muslin, with demi-train, and long full bishop’s sleeves. Waggoners’ cuffs, with gaged front, and shoulders to correspond. Tucker of double-rolled muslin, which also finishes the cuffs round the hands. 
    A Parisian mob cap of fine lace, confined round the head, and terminating on one side with a celestial blue or silver grey ribbon. Sash of the same, tied in small bows and ends in front. Hair in waved curls, divided in the center of the forehead.
   Spanish slippers of lemon-coloured kid, and gloves of the same material. 
   The peculiar taste and elegant simplicity of these habiliments are further specimens of the graceful invention of the celebrated Mrs. Gill, of Cork-street, Burlington-gardens, from whom we have obtained them.


This young lady looks very much as if she has the die away down pat. I wonder if the note she is holding is from a beau?  I presume that by domestic, they are referring to the wearing of it at home. I can't say that I like the waggoner's cuffs much. I can imagine them getting in the soup. or at least in my soup. I am sure she would be much better at keeping them under control than I would.  This dress seems to have a bit of everything, a train, a sash, bishop sleeves, a gaged (?) front and shoulders, a tucker of double rolled muslin and something similar on the cuffs beneath those waggoners sleeves.  Remarkable. No wonder she looks so out of sorts. I definitely need to find a character to wear this one.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 2

We started in the stable block.  Horses were so important at this time, so I always like to take a peek inside and here we discovered some other interesting things.
Here we have two examples of early fire pumps, they cannot be called engines since they are manual, the first one, on the right would be carried like a sedan chair. The second one a much larger model is on wheels and would have been pulled by a horse. As you can see, they did not hold very much water. Larger version were used in London.,
Here a view of the stables, and an empty stall. You will have to imagine their equine inhabitants.
 As you can see above and below each stall had the name of the horse who lived there. I liked the bright airy feel of the place.


Well that's all for this time. Until next time, Happy rambles.


Here is the stable block, on the other side of the pond.