The Great Hall
Always great, but made greater
Is the Great Hall as great as its name suggests? With a fascinating history dating back to 1778, and a magnificent 1900 upscale, this hall is truly the most impressionable room in the Palace. Currently, this room serves as a showstopping wedding space, hosting ceremonies of up to 300, and feasts of up to 150 guests.
A Trio of Architects
1778 | Designed by Robert Milne for the Leigh Family
1835 | Designed by Henry Harrison for Archibald Howley
1900 | Designed by Richard Norman Shaw for Frederick Alexander English
About
“The Great Hall (or Salon) is entered under a gallery of Italian walnut. The gallery and its supporting pillars form a corridor at the south end of the Salon leading from the entrance hall to the hall staircase. This magnificent feature room designed by Norman Shaw is two stories in height and lined to the lower cornice with the same Italian walnut polished to a rich red-brown. Above the cornice Shaw used his favorite wall decoration, an old tapestry. The tapestry has since been replaced by a beautifully ornate silk mural wall-covering. On the east wall is another Shaw feature, a large ornate fireplace forming the focal point of the house. The chimney-piece is of polished lstrian marble and the panel over the chimney opening is of alabaster enriched with arabesques. The panels are filled with gorgeous blood-red Breccia. Hanging from the center of the ceiling is the magnificent candelabrum selected by Shaw from a French chateau and restored to its original condition. In restructuring the main house to accommodate the Salon, Shaw increased the width by about ten feet on each side and into the wings.”