At first sight, Melford Hall looks like a typical Tudor country house.
However, as you walk around the house, you move constantly from one style and period to another. A house touched by history, the many stages of Melford Hall's life are reflected in the rich variety of its collections.
The battle paintings
The Regency design Library is home to a number of battle paintings by Dominic Serres. The paintings feature naval campaigns involving the Hyde Parkers.
Most notable are:
- 13 July 1776: ‘The Passage of the Hudson River’. Captain Hyde Parker II was in the frigate HMS Phoenix, shown in the painting firing at shore batteries on the banks of the Hudson River. Painted 1777.
© NTPL / John Hammond
‘The Passage of the Hudson River’ by Dominic Serres
- 16 August 1776:‘American fireships on the Hudson’. This painting features the enemy attack with fireships on HMS Phoenix. The Phoenix became entangled, but Hyde Parker II managed to douse the flames sufficiently to escape with his force to New York. Painted in 1777.
© NTPL / John Hammond
‘American fireships on the Hudson’ by Dominic Serres
- 9 October 1776:‘Forcing the Boom on the Hudson River’. The Phoenix is shown with the frigates Tartar and Roebuck breaking through the enemy's defensive boom and returning fire from Forts Washington and Lee. Painted in 1779.
- 4 October 1780: ‘The Shipwreck of the Phoenix at Night’, featuring the wrecking of the Phoenix in a hurricane off the coast of Cuba. Hyde Parker II managed to rescue most of his crew and armaments. Painted in 1781.
- 5th August 1781: ‘The Battle of the Dogger Bank’, featuring a battle scene with the Dutch forces. Painted in 1782.
Other notable paintings in the Melford Hall collections feature members of the Cordell, Firebrace and Hyde Parker families.
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The spoils of war
In 1762, Captain Sir Hyde Parker captured a Spanish Galleon ‘Santissima Trinidad’. It was laden with treasures from the Emperor of Peking to the King of Spain.
The cargo was valued at £600,000. Much of the prize booty was brought back to Melford Hall, including the superb Chinese Vases on the staircase and in the Library.
Also of note are the ivory figures of the Christ child and the Virgin Mary, carved in the 18th century by Christian craftsmen in the Philippines for the Spanish market.
Stained glass
The panels of stained glass in the windows of the Great Hall are rare examples of 16th-century work, mostly English and Flemish. They include the royal arms of Henry VII and his Queen, Elizabeth of York.
On the landing at the top of the staircase is a stained glass panel of Queen Elizabeth I. She is depicted in the blue dress she wore to the service which was held in the old St Paul’s Cathedral in November 1588 to give thanks for the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Beatrix Potter
A model of Jemima Puddle-Duck is on display in the Beatrix Potter Room. It was given as a present from Beatrix Potter to the Hyde Parker children.
Other items on display include a silhouette by Beatrix Potter and pictures and sketches of some of her characters, including Jemima Puddle-Duck and Jeremy Fisher.
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