Look Familiar?

Last Friday we went over to Stoke Rochford, a country house near Harlaxton and built at virtually the same time? It was designed by the same man who designed this manor, so guess what?

See anything that looks familiar? Indeed, the central entrance could almost pass for Harlaxton. The clock is in the same style as well although of a different color clock face. The house is a working hotel now with guest rooms going for about $500-$1000 a night. And, this house, too, served as headquarters for some of the British 1st Airborne in the days leading up to Operation Market Garden in September 1944, and a number of those "lads," now in their late 80s or 90s, were returning last weekend for a reunion.

This building was hit by a devastating fire in 2004 which gutted much of the center of the house, although the walls were left intact. Fortunately, their B&G director had been doing everything right (British Army veteran), and the insurance company had to fork over 12 million pounds for the reconstruction effort. You can barely tell where the surviving original decor ends and the reconstruction begins. A large Orangery survived without damage.

As did the only known marble sculpture work attributed to the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens, the great marble fireplace in the what had been one of the drawing rooms and now serves as the bar. It is insured for 2 million pounds.

The rooms on the other side of this wall (almost two feet thick) were destroyed. The brass hardware on the inner doors melted completely, but the fire did not penetrate. However, thousands of gallons of water poured into the room during the fight against the flames. The plaster ceiling was saturated and on the verge of collapse. Scaffolding was quickly erected in the room up to within about a foot of the ceiling and then sheep skins were shoved in between the scaffolding and the ceiling to draw off the water. It took 18 months before the ceiling was dry, but it was saved. The company that directed the restoration work was the same one that worked on Windsor Castle after its fire in 1992. The external scaffolding alone cost over a million pounds to erect and maintain for three years while work went on.

 After a lovely cream tea in the main hallway--sorry, my flash was disabled so those didn't come out very well--we returned to Harlaxton.

Today is Halloween and there is a trick and a treat for the students. They second exam in the British Studies course is this afternoon from 2-4, and then there is a costume party in the Bistro tonight.