The Green Drawing Room
This is the main drawing room, now occasionally used by family and guests as a dining room, which presents a number of interesting portraits.
There are two pictures from the Stuart Collection in this room, King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, from the English school of Anthony Van Dyck. Over the fireplace is a charming earlier portrait of Henrietta Maria, painted at the time of her engagement and on her left is a portrait of Elizabeth Cave, wife of the last Knight of Stanford, by Cornelius Johnson.
Between Charles and Henrietta is a portrait of a later Elizabeth Cave who was the wife of the fifth Baronet who introduced the Ballroom and Stables Courtyard.
The Green Drawing Room faces the setting sun, the perfect place to spend a summer’s musical evening under the watchful eye of Stuart Kings & Queens.
There is a small painting of Sir Edmund Verney of Claydon, Standard Bearer to Charles 1 and great grandfather to Margaret Verney, who was killed at the battle Edgehill. Described by a contemporary as “...severely honest in time of peace and undauntedly valiant in time of war”, it is recorded that he was grasping the Royal Standard so firmly when he died the Parliamentarians had to cut off his hand in order to take it from him.
The small walnut bureau is Queen Anne, about 1710 and the fine marquetry chest of drawers is Dutch 18th century. There is a handsome George III satinwood breakfast table in the middle of the room and the black cat in the right hand display cabinet is very early Staffordshire. The two cabinets in The Green Drawing Room contain samples of a very fine collection of Hilditch China that was kindly donated to the Hall for display in 2013 by Margaret Hewat. The bench and work-table are Hepplewhite and the recently restored piano is an early Broadwood.