Houses to Visit for Beautiful Plasterwork in the UK (Shropshire First)

Shropshire: Attingham Park

Attingham Park is near Atcham, on the B4380 between Shrewsbury and Wellington. Noel Hill, later 1st Baron Berwick, had inherited the older Tern Hall; after his father died in 1782 he commissioned the architect George Steuart to build the new neo-classical house, which took Tern Hall in at its core.^[1] In 1805 to 1807 the 2nd Baron, Thomas Hill, had John Nash remodel the interiors and add the Picture Gallery, one of the earliest picture galleries in a country house and notable for its early use of cast iron.^[1] Historic England adds that the gallery has a coved toplight with curved cast-iron ribs from Coalbrookdale, reputedly the earliest use of curved cast-iron ribs to support window frames.^[2] The house was given to the National Trust in 1947 on the death of the 8th Baron Berwick, a gift negotiated by him and his wife, Teresa Hulton.^[1]

Historic England's Grade I list entry dates the mansion to 1783 to 1785, built by George Steuart for the first Lord Berwick, with Nash's alterations in 1805 to 1807.^[2] The same entry describes the plaster ceilings room by room, which makes Attingham a good place to practise reading them:

• Entrance Hall: a panelled enriched plaster ceiling.^[2]
• Drawing Room: a painted and gilded enriched plaster ceiling with wide bands of wreaths, swags, arabesques and vine-leaf wreaths, and sphinxes at each end.^[2]
• Small Drawing Room (the Sultana Room): a delicate enriched plaster ceiling with painted roundels.^[2]
• Lady Berwick's Boudoir: a circular room with a dome of husk-ornamented bands, plaster wreaths and flaming lamps.^[2]
• Dining Room: an enriched plaster ceiling with wide bands of wheat-ear decoration, vine-leaf wreaths and circular relief plaques.^[2]
• Octagon Room (Lord Berwick's Study): a dome with plaster arabesque enrichment and putti.^[2]

Which rooms are open, and when, changes, so check before you go. In every room in this guide, do the obvious thing and look up. See also our guide to Shropshire architectural heritage and the period towns of the Welsh Marches.

Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire

Hardwick Hall is dated 1590 to 1597 and was built for Bess of Hardwick (Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury); Historic England records the design as probably by Robert Smythson.^[3] It is famous for its windows: the saying "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall" is about how many large windows it has, at a time when glass was a luxury.^[4] Inside, the High Great Chamber has a coloured plaster frieze showing forest scenes, credited to the plasterer Abraham Smith,^[3] and other descriptions call the subject hunting scenes.^[4] The house was handed to the Treasury in lieu of estate duty in 1956 and transferred to the National Trust in 1959.^[4]

What to look for: how the frieze sits above the tapestries and below the ceiling, and how the plaster is modelled in relief so it casts shadow. This is the same principle as a modern plaster piece on a flat wall.

Ham House, Richmond

The National Trust dates Ham House to 1610, and says the house as visitors see it is largely the late-seventeenth-century work of the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale, who made it one of the grandest Stuart houses in England.^[5] The North Drawing Room dates from the 1630s, created by Elizabeth Murray’s father, William Murray.^[5] According to Wikipedia’s account, the white plaster ceilings of the Great Dining Room and North Drawing Room were made in the 1630s by the plasterer Joseph Kinsman, and the Queen’s Apartments, created in 1673 for Catherine of Braganza, have ceilings by the plasterer Henry Wells, the Queen’s Bedchamber being the richest, with a large oval of bay leaves dotted with roses.^[6] Neither the National Trust page nor the Historic England list entry we read mentions the plasterwork, so those attributions rest on that single source. The list entry does describe the interior as very fine, sumptuous and unspoilt, with its original furniture and fittings, and dates the house to 1610 with alterations in 1672 to 1675 linked to Elizabeth Murray, Countess of Dysart.^[7]

What to look for: leaf garlands and flowers modelled in deep relief, and the way the oval shape of the main panel is echoed in the corners.

Syon House, London

According to Wikipedia, Robert Adam’s work on the interiors at Syon began in 1762, for the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, and stopped in 1769 after five large rooms were complete.^[8] Sources disagree on the dates: the Historic England list entry (Grade I) says the house was remodelled inside and out by Adam in 1767 to 1775, although the text is printed as "1767-5", and it does not describe the ceilings.^[9] Treat the dates as approximate. The Percy family has owned Syon since 1594, and the house is the west London residence of the Duke of Northumberland, so it is privately owned: check opening times before you go.^[8] The rooms form a sequence. The Ante Room has twelve Ionic columns veneered in green scagliola, scagliola being imitation marble made from plaster. The Red Drawing Room has 239 ceiling roundels painted by Cipriani. The Long Gallery is 136 ft (41.4 m) long, with 62 Corinthian pilasters.^[10] Wikipedia describes its walls and ceiling as stucco-covered with rich, light decoration.^[8] Read more in our guide to Robert Adam and neoclassical interiors.

Also worth knowing: Osterley Park

By 1761 Robert Adam had been commissioned to modernise Osterley Park in west London, and over about the next two decades he created the red-brick exterior and a set of neoclassical interiors. In 1773 Horace Walpole praised the finished house as the "palace of palaces".^[11] It is a good companion to Syon if you want to see how Adam’s ideas developed.

Hardwick and Syon compared

The two houses make a useful pair because they sit at opposite ends of the story in this guide. Hardwick, built in the 1590s, puts its plaster in one bold, modelled band at the top of the wall; Syon, fitted out by Adam from the 1760s, spreads lighter stucco and scagliola across whole rooms. The table sums up what the sources above say.

If you only have time for one, choose by what you want to learn. Hardwick shows how a single relief band changes a room. Syon shows how a whole sequence of rooms can be planned together.

What to look for when you look up

Plasterwork is easier to enjoy once you know its vocabulary. These are the parts to spot.

Then look at the centrepiece. A small ceiling rose in your own home is a descendant of those great centrepieces, scaled for a smaller room. Our history of the ceiling rose explains where they came from, and how to identify the period of your house from its plasterwork shows how to read yours.

How great-house plasterwork was made

Knowing how it was made makes it easier to read. This is a general description of the traditional method, not a claim about any one house. Traditional ornamental plasterwork was built up in stages. A base of lime plaster, often reinforced with animal hair, was applied over timber laths. Sean Wheatley's account of lime plaster ceilings describes laths nailed under the joists with gaps of about 10 mm, a first coat pushed through the gaps to form nibs that key the plaster, then a floating coat and a thin finish coat.^[12] Straight mouldings such as cornices were run in place: a profile cut to the section of the moulding was dragged along the wet plaster. Ornaments such as flowers, leaves and swags were cast in moulds, then fixed to the ceiling and finished by hand. Painting, and sometimes gilding, followed.

That is why a good ceiling has crisp edges and clean repeats: the repeating pieces came from the same mould. A modern cast plaster ceiling rose is made on the same principle. See handmade versus mass-produced ceiling roses if you are curious how the finish differs.

How plasterwork changed

These four houses cover about two centuries, and the style changes with them. At Hardwick, plaster is a bold, picture-like frieze. At Ham, it becomes rich, naturalistic garlands of leaves and flowers. At Syon and Attingham, in the later eighteenth century, it becomes lighter, more regular and drawn from Greek and Roman ornament. If you want the background, see our guides to Tudor style and Georgian interiors.

Planning a visit

• Check opening times. Attingham, Hardwick and Ham House are National Trust properties; Syon is privately owned by the Duke of Northumberland.^{[1][4][5][10]} Opening days and rooms on show change, so check each house’s own website first.
• Look up. It sounds obvious, but ceilings are the part most people miss. Take your time at each room’s threshold.
• Photography. Rules vary between houses and rooms, and flash is often banned. Ask at the entrance.
• Go for the light. Raking daylight through a window shows relief best.
• Take notes of motifs you like. They are a good guide when you choose a rose or a wall light for your own home.

A ten-minute method for reading any ceiling

You do not need to know the house to read its ceiling. Stand at the door and work through these questions in order.

1. Is there a cornice? If the wall meets the ceiling with a projecting moulding, note its depth. Deep and heavy suggests an earlier or grander room; slim and crisp suggests a later, lighter one.
2. Is there a border or frame? A band of moulding set in from the walls divides the ceiling into a field.
3. Where is the centre? A ceiling rose or centrepiece marks where a light once hung. Is it round, oval or square?
4. What is the ornament made of? Leaves, flowers and swags suggest naturalistic work; strict repeating patterns such as husks, urns and palmettes suggest the Georgian classical revival.
5. Is the surface flat or modelled? Look at the shadows when the light comes across a window.

These are rules of thumb for reading style, not for dating a particular ceiling. For your own home, how to identify the period of your house from its plasterwork goes further.

Keep reading

• Shropshire architectural heritage
• Robert Adam and neoclassical interiors
• The history of the ceiling rose
• How to identify the period of your house from its plasterwork
• Period towns in the Welsh Marches
• Georgian interiors guide

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Frequently asked questions

Which UK houses have the best plasterwork?

Hardwick Hall, Ham House and Syon House are well known. In Shropshire, try Attingham Park.

Is there a plasterwork house to visit in Shropshire?

Attingham Park near Shrewsbury is a Georgian house run by the National Trust, and its Grade I list entry describes enriched plaster ceilings in the Drawing Room, Dining Room and other rooms. Check what is on show before you go.

Who designed the plasterwork at Syon House?

Robert Adam designed the interiors, for the 1st Duke of Northumberland; sources date his work variously between 1762 and 1775.

Who made the ceilings at Ham House?

According to Wikipedia’s account, the plasterer Henry Wells made ceilings in the Queen’s Apartments, created in 1673, and Joseph Kinsman made the white ceilings of the Great Dining Room and North Drawing Room in the 1630s. Neither the National Trust page nor the Historic England list entry we read details the plasterwork.

What is a frieze in plasterwork?

A horizontal band below the cornice, often with figures or ornament. Hardwick Hall’s High Great Chamber has a coloured plaster frieze.

What is scagliola?

Imitation marble made from plaster. Syon House’s Ante Room has twelve green scagliola columns.

Is Syon House owned by the National Trust?

No. It is the London home of the Duke of Northumberland. Check its own site for opening times.

How do plaster ceilings from great houses relate to a ceiling rose at home?

A ceiling rose is a small descendant of the central ornament of a great ceiling, scaled for a modern room. See our history of the ceiling rose.