What a fascinating visit! Sally & I joined the second party, this time of 16, to visit this extraordinary house and its even more remarkable owner, David Pinnegar – whose enthusiasm for his house is equaled only by his enthusiasm for his huge collection of musical instruments, in particular harpsichords, pianos and pianolas, organs, obscure horns, one of which must have been 10ft long, even an alpine horn which helped to demonstrate harmonics – and more than one harp. But I digress!
We arrived on a beautiful sunny evening to stand on the rear terrace with a wonderful view down over the parkland to the fields beyond and David started by explaining that having given a tour of the house twice a week for 34 years he had to vary his talk! He then launched into a wide-ranging discourse whilst enthusiastically leaping about and making his points waving his hands in the air perhaps like one of the characters on the frieze above the entrance between the pillars, which he described in detail. Indeed I found myself rather naughtily comparing David with the description of the satyr maybe even down to the little tails that he pointed out can just be seen appearing from the small of the satyr’s back?!
It is clear from the booklet that was published for the bi-centenary of Hammerwood Park in 1992 that the architect Latrobe designed this house for his first commission and before emigrating to the United States. There he famously designed the White House and many other significant buildings – but he used Hammerwood as a means of developing many of his ideas and theories. Clearly David has taken on the whole gamut of these ideas and was at pains to explain each in detail.
The house is an enigma posing a lot of questions we were told, for example:-
The columns taper and are plain without decoration which removes the scale to fool the eye from a distance and makes the house look taller. In many ways these end sections are like a folly that would normally be seen at a distance from the house whereas in this case the two ‘temples’ reverse the usual vision to make the house look larger than it is from the distance.
At the time of building in 1792 the French revolution was raging with people getting their heads cut off and it was felt too dangerous to build on the scale of the past and with money much tighter, architecture had to find a way to achieve an impressive result which explains the reason for a design that looked larger and grander than it physically was.
During the building of what was then called Hammerwood Lodge a neighbour came to dinner and seeing one of his alternative designs which had a central block. he asked Latrobe to build it for him and it is this building that became Ashdown House, the only other extant Latrobe design in Britain.
David explained the connection with the Freemasons and the temple dedicated to Apollo as he was a Moravian Christian – and the Greek revival movement. – The ideas came thick and fast!
Eventually we were invited in via the entrance in the east ‘temple’ directly into the enormous dining room that remains largely in the state it was when David bought the house. Years of neglect and the theft of tons of lead from the roof had left the house effectively open to the elements and wet rot and dry rot and collapsed ceilings were everywhere. However, when we moved on to the rooms directly off the dining room they had been handsomely refurbished with wonderful plaster-work ceilings repaired/remade and fireplaces and decorative work completed to an exceptionally high standard.
In every room, including the (untouched) dining room, it was immediately obvious that David had another passion – for musical instruments, mostly in the form of harpsichords, pianos and several organs which literally littered the rooms. Many of these instruments were of a considerable age and showed the development of music as David frequently demonstrated by sitting and playing at the keyboard(s) in masterly fashion. By the time we had reached the library at the west end of the house which was set up as a music room we had been educated about harmonics using several long tapering horns that provided differing wavelength possibilities. This room was also where they hold concerts and we were encouraged to sign up for concert information. If this would be of interest to any reader you can email David Pinnegar at antespam@gmail.com
The large central hallway with substantial stairway had been decorated for the bicentenary by two artists in trompe l’oeil fashion – like the exterior of the house, to fool the eye. Being two or 3 storeys high in house terms this huge space has some delightful ‘fake’ features such as niches and pillars and most unusually a cherub sitting on a balustrade apparently based on the infant Pinnegar son at the time – and at the top of the stairs, a parrot in a cage!
A final musical demonstration from a ‘Symphonium’ on the landing near the staircase which I have seen called an original juke box as you have to put a coin in the slot to set the mechanism off. Sometimes known as a Polyphon these instruments play a large pierced disc mounted vertically in a handsome piece of furniture – a disc version of a musical box. A fitting musical conclusion to a fascinating visit!
The Dining Room demonstrates the level of damage found when David Pinnegar purchased Hammerwood.
There was so much more to this visit than described here that I can only suggest that if you have not been before, have a couple of hours to spare, have an interest in architecture and refurbishment and quite a strong constitution and, significantly, have an interest in music, keep an eye on the sign telling you when Hammerwood is open and go and see for yourself! There is much entertainment and more information at http://hammerwoodpark.co.uk/
