The Invincibles enjoyed a delightful and informative trip to Parham House last week. Both the house and gardens are magnificent and the owners do their very best to make one's visit enjoyable. The gardens were in full bloom and quite stunning. The house which remains in private hands is exceptionally well maintained, furnished and has 400 + paintings which are set around the house, its also famous for its collection of English clocks. The collection includes exceptional 17th and 18th century antique longcases and bracket clocks, highlighted by the exterior clock tower. Our guide was excellent and the lunch was very enjoyable.
In 1601, Parham was sold to the Bisshopp family for what must have been the huge sum of £4,500. It was to stay in the ownership of various descendants of Thomas Bisshopp until it was sold to the Hon. Clive Pearson for £200,000 in 1922 whose great-granddaughter, Lady Emma Barnard, still lives at Parham today. Clive Pearson and his wife Alicia duly set about substantial renovation works, including restoring many of the original features and enthusiastically collecting furniture and antiques that had an association with the house. Despite having been requisitioned during WW11, the house finally opened to the public in 1948 and these days is a monument to all the hard work of the Pearsons.
From the entrance, you mount a modest flight of stairs and make your way to the Great Hall, as the first of the main rooms visited. The hall is stunning, feels regal and takes you quite by surprise. Facing the South Downs with ceiling height windows and full of light, it has a huge and original fireplace and is surrounded by carved oak Tudor screens bedecked in portraits. 17th century buckets, 18th century riding boots and a beautiful long case clock mingle with long benches, Jacobean chairs, Tudor Chests, a carved chandelier and works depicting James I, Edward VI, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (painted in 1611) amongst others. This gives one the first full indication of the depth of this collection and is a room that simply echoes with its own sense of history.
From the Great Hall, a tour of the house took us through a series of deliciously opulent but elegant rooms. The Great Parlour, another panelled room, also drips with portraits, coats of arms and crests from families connected to the house as well as beautiful tapestry work, carpets and lacquer chests. With more views south across the Downs, there's an 18th century Chinese cistern in the window filled with potpourri, and a welcoming feel to this room. It's grand, it's ornate but it also somehow feels warm and intimate.
The West Room is intriguing. It's were you'll find 16th century Italian wool wall hangings, a rare Armenian carpet, an unusual shaped 18th century games tables, a period barometer and longcase clock, a Ming vase and more portraits.
The Salon has to be one of my favourite rooms for its sheer elegance and quiet sense of style. With light streaming in from the side windows that overlook the parklands, it shows off a gilded dinner service, a harp, beautiful furniture and a Queen Anne walnut window seat. One can quite imagine some genteel entertaining here, with ladies gathered around the fire and the gentlemen enjoying a recital as they stand by the bookcase.
And whilst the Green Room is primarily about the great botanist Sir Joseph Banks, I was particularly captivated by the portrait of Omiahm, an Oteheitan chief who came to England with Captain Cook.
Forgive me if I glide past some of the other rooms, such as the Great Chamber, the staircase, landing and lobby but I'm excited about showing you the Long Gallery. It's surely Parham's piece de resistance and at 48 metres long (yes 48 metres), it is the third-longest room in a private house in England. The ceiling was designed by Oliver Messel. You just have to work your way carefully down one long side and back the other, pausing only to visit some of the alcoves. You can't but help imaging a group of young men and women promenading and dancing here.
After a delicious lunch we walked through the impressive quadrant at the front of the house, along with the sculpture of the River God, then down a long path to the walled garden.
Entering through a pair of iron gates guarded by two stone lions, the Walled Garden's loveliness took us by surprise.
The borders and beds have been developed into an abundance of colour. In the 1940s, Alice Pearson insisted on having flowers all through the House for the enjoyment of visitors. They still follow this tradition. No flowers are ever bought, and the arrangement, done 'the Parham way', harmonise with the colours in the rooms.
As you explore you're offered up views of the Dovecote and you can discover all sorts of hidden treasures like the Carrara marble statue of a dying soldier which dates back to the mid 19th century.
I think we can all agree we had a lovely day at Parham House.
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