Anglesey Abbey houses Lord Fairhaven's eclectic mix of many rare and fabulous objects. Thie collection continues to delight guests today, as it did at the start of the 20th-century.
Whet your appetite with these five highlights from the collection:
Tick tock
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
Every room at Anglesey has at least one clock - in fact there are 37 clocks on display. Far be it for them just to tell the time, the real interest lies in the wonderful decoration and surprises each one has in store for you.
In the Living Room the richly decorated Pagoda Clock dating from 1790, quietly ticks away the minutes. At three o'clock precisely each afternoon it erupts into music and life. As a tune is played out on 12 bells, the jewelled flowers revolve in their pots.
Chestnut Madonna
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
One of many carved and painted wooden figures to be seen in the house, nestling in the dressing table alcove of the Prior's Bedroom, is a painted chestnut wood figure of the Virgin Mary. This figure is from the Burgundy region of France and probably dates to the 14th century. It would have been the most sacred item in a small parish church. Lord Fairhaven collected objects like these because they fitted well inside the converted remains of his old Augustinian Priory.
Religious jewels
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
Jewelled crosses and religious items were collected by the first Lord Fairhaven's mother. They had pride of place in her grand London town house. In 1939, after his mother’s death Lord Fairhaven inherited the cabinet complete with its contents.
Among the treasures contained within are crosses made from a variety of precious and semi-precious stones. The image of the Madonna and Child at the bottom of the cabinet is believed to be Byzantine 14th century with a more modern Russian silver mount.
Royal views
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
Lord Fairhaven's collection of Windsor views is second only to the Royal collection. As a young officer in the regiment of the First Life Guards he was stationed there, and both his father and later his brother bought country houses on the edge of Windsor Great Park. In 1947 he gave a framed gouache by Paul Sandby (1730-1809) 'Windsor on a Rejoicing Night' as his wedding gift to Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.
The library made from London!
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
The Library at Anglesey contains over 4,000 books. Built in 1937 by the gentleman architect Sidney Parvin, it features a clever use of mirrored glass to give an impression of more space. This collection includes many fascinating titles, with a particular emphasis on 18th and 19th-century colour plate books.
Pride of place on the west wall is 'The opening of Waterloo Bridge' by John Constable. The bridge depicted was demolished in 1934 and its salvaged elmwood supports have been re-used to create the bookshelves of this magnificent room.
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