Nostell Priory takes its name from the priory dedicated to St Oswald founded here in the twelfth century.

It is most famous for its magnificent interiors by the architects, James Paine and Robert Adam and its superb collection of furniture by Thomas Chippendale.

The library
Nostell houses one of the finest of the Trust’s libraries, which is made up of four smaller collections brought together by Charles Winn (1795-1874) in the 19th century. It consists of more than 4000 books.

The National Trust purchased the library contents in 2002, with monies from an HLF grant, and a project is underway to catalogue the library and increase the public access to the books and pamphlets through exhibitions and display.

The Library, with its bookcases and other fittings, was designed by Robert Adam in 1766. Its original furniture, all of which remains in the room, was supplied by Thomas Chippendale in the 1760s.

The extremely fine library table (shown in the picture) cost £72.10s and was the single most expensive item that Chippendale made for Nostell.

The plasterwork ceiling, designed by Robert Adam, was executed by the plasterer Joseph Rose the Elder in 1767. Rose charged £169.17s 8½ d for all plasterwork in the Library.

The ceiling was repainted in 2000 in a 19th-century colour scheme, to integrate with the graining on the bookcases.