The Great Hall
Invite your guests to step into the exquisite ambiance of the Great Hall, the heart of the Palace, wrapped in silk wall coverings and adorned with hand-carved architrave and French chandeliers. Admire the beautiful alabaster and marble chimney piece constructed by renowned Scottish Architect Richard Normal Shaw.
The History
“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 The tapestry has since been replaced by a beautifully ornate silk wall-covering.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.”
THE GREAT HALL GALLERY
