The bookcases were designed in 1763 by Robert Adam and are regarded as the first rank of any designed and made in 18th-century Britain. They were made specifically for Croome and designed using his innovative neo-classical, architectural principles. They were constructed by King George III’s own cabinet-makers, who were paid the equivalent of seven years’ wages of a skilled tradesperson for their work – a testament to their beauty and quality, which will be revealed to the public once more.
The bookcases are in the first rank of any designed and made in 18th century Britain. They were made specifically for Croome Court and designed to fit precisely around each of the Library’s four walls. Their importance to the nation is reflected in the V&A’s desire to save them in 1975, when all hope of their future public display in Croome Court seemed lost. That we have the opportunity today to reunite the bookcases with the house they were original designed for, sharing their story with our visitors is testament to the National Trust’s long-term determination to save Croome Court’s heritage for the nation.
In the 1760s, Adam’s bookcases formed the principal feature of Croome Court’s newly constructed Library. The design of the Library, along with the Long Gallery and Tapestry Room, was conceived by Adam as an entire work of art that included all interior fittings and fixtures and reflected the architecture of Croome Court as a whole. The effect of the completed room was ground-breaking.
Adam’s ionic pilasters within the central bookcase section are echoed by the ionic frame of the Library's Venetian window. The honeysuckle motif in the cresting also reflects Adam's design for the ceiling plasterwork within the Library. Adam based the elements of these monumental furnishings on the stone architecture of ancient Greece and Rome.