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46477

The grounds of Belton House a Grade I listed country house in Belton near Grantham, Lincolnshire,

The mansion is surrounded by formal gardens and a series of avenues leading to follies within a larger wooded park. Belton has been described as a compilation of all that is finest of Carolean architecture, the only truly vernacular style of architecture that England had produced since the Tudor period. The house has also been described as the most complete example of a typical English country house; the claim has even been made that Belton's principal facade was the inspiration for the modern British motorway signs which give directions to stately homes. Only Brympton d'Evercy has been similarly lauded as the perfect English country house.

For three hundred years, Belton House was the seat of the Brownlow and Cust family, who had first acquired land in the area in the late 16th century. Between 1685 and 1688 Sir John Brownlow and his wife had the present mansion built. Despite great wealth they chose to build a modest country house rather than a grand contemporary Baroque palace. The contemporary, if provincial, Carolean style was the selected choice of design. However, the new house was fitted with the latest innovations such as sash windows for the principal rooms, and more importantly separate areas for the staff. As the Brownlows rose from baronets to barons upward to earls and then once again became barons, successive generations made changes to the interior of the house which reflected their changing social position and tastes, yet the fabric and design of the house changed little.

Following World War I (a period when the Machine Gun Corps was based in the park), the Brownlows, like many of their peers, were faced with mounting financial problems. In 1984 they gave the house away complete with most of its contents. The recipients of their gift, the National Trust, today fully open Belton to the public. It is in a good state of repair and visited by many thousands of tourists each year.

Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belton_House

Taken in: UK / England / South Kesteven District / Belton and Manthorpe (show map)

Taken on: September 24, 2017

Tags:

Lincolnshire

Midlands

England

English

United Kingdom

Great Britain

British

Britain

Grantham

Belton House

Belton

country house

Grade I listed

Grade I listed Building

Grade I

listed Building

Carolean architecture

park

garden

gardens

English country house

Brownlow and Cust family

Brownlow

Cust

Sir John Brownlow

Baroque palace

Carolean style

Henry Williamson

Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight

Machine Gun Corps

National Trust « less

Sets appears in: • Belton • Lincolnshire

Groups appears in: • Lincoln, England • PLANT [directory] 植物 more » • 1-Plants World • Unlimited! • National Trust - Time Well Spent • National Trust properties in the UK • PARKS GARDENS AND WOODS • The Very Great Outdoors • Flickr Photo Album Unlimited & Instant Posting « less

Camera: Nikon D7100, f/6.0, 1/500 sec, 125mm (=187mm), ISO 360 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7100
Lens:	18.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-6.3
Aperture:	f/6.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	125mm (35mm equivalent: 187mm)
ISO:	360
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Saturation:	Low
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Lightroom 6.1 (Windows)
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