Nostell's must-see collection items

Nostell is full of treasures, bought to impress guests to the Winn family's Yorkshire residence. Here are some of the top items not to be missed on your visit.

Nostell West Yorkshire

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Chippendale wallpaper at Nostell, West Yorkshire — The wallpaper in the state rooms was handpainted, depicting exotics birds and flowers

The world-class Chippendale collection

Chippendale supplied over 100 items to Nostell - from a simple chopping block to entire rooms in the latest Chinese fashion. Explore the interior worlds he created alongside Robert Adam on the opulent first floor of the house.

Learn more about Thomas Chippendale at Nostell

Nostell West Yorkshire

Plasterwork

Nostell’s interiors are a work of art in themselves. Over two generations, the Rose family of plasterers crafted superb plaster ceilings for the house. The vibrant Rococo designs of James Paine with motifs taken from nature were later joined by the more sober Neo-classical decoration of Robert Adam which used geometric shapes and ornament taken from Roman and Greek archaeology.

Oil painting of Sir Rowland Winn and his wife at Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire — Sir Rowland Winn 5th Baronet and his wife Sabine Louise D'Hervart

Nostell West Yorkshire

Sir Rowland 5th Baronet and his wife and Sabine Louise d'Hervart by Hugh Douglas Hamilton

Rowland met Sabine whilst he was studying in Switzerland. The happy couple are proudly showing off the new classically-inspired Library designed by Robert Adam which includes Chippendale’s famous library desk. The bust of Venus symbolises the love between them. Despite their hopes and plans things did not end well for either of them.

See Hamilton's painting up close

Procession to Calvary by Pieter Breughel the Younger

This painting was probably bought by the 5th baronet during the later 18th century. He was a keen collector of art, including over 100 works inherited through his wealthy Swiss wife, Sabine. Many have long-since left Nostell, but this remains one of the outstanding stars of the collection.

Take a closer look at Breughel's masterpiece

The John Harrison clock at Nostell celebrated its 300th birthday in 2017

Longcase clock by John Harrison

John Harrison is world famous as the inventor of the maritime chronometer, the scientific instrument that finally allowed sailors to accurately measure their location at sea. The clock at Nostell dates to 1717 and is one of just four surviving early examples of his work.

Visit The Clock Stops exhibition

Sir Thomas More and His Family by Rowland Lockey

This famous Tudor scene is a copy of a now-lost 1527 painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. It shows the family of Sir Thomas More, a leading religious and political figure during the reign of Henry VIII.

Discover the detail in Lockey's painting