Nostell Priory – a Regency History guide
Nostell Priory (2014)
What is Nostell Priory?
Nostell Priory is a Palladian mansion with Neoclassical interiors designed by Robert Adam. It is situated near Wakefield in Yorkshire. It was given to the National Trust in 1954.
The decorated alcove in the Top Hall, Nostell Priory, designed by Robert Adam and carried out by Joseph Rose the Younger (2014)
The history of Nostell Priory
Sir Rowland Winn, 4th Baronet (1706-1765)
Sir Rowland Winn, 4th Baronet, inherited Nostell at the age of 16. He married Susanna Henshaw, an heiress, in 1729, and they had three children, Rowland, Edward and Anne. Sir Rowland was made High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1731.
When Sir Rowland returned from his Grand Tour in 1727, he was inspired to build a new house on his land in the Palladian style. Colonel James Moyser, a local gentleman architect, drew up plans and in 1736, the young James Paine was employed to work them out.
James Paine was employed to work on Nostell Priory on and off for thirty years. Nostell was one of his first commissions after finishing his studies at St Martin’s Lane Academy in London and it was significant in the development of his architectural career. Paine was still working on the house in 1765 when the 4th Baronet died.
The Palladian exterior of Nostell Priory designed by James Paine (2014)
An exquisite doll’s house was made for the Winns in about 1735 which is on display in Nostell Priory. The doll’s house is architecturally accurate and beautifully crafted, which has led to the family tradition that it was made by Thomas Chippendale when he was a boy. Sadly there is no evidence to support this. The model was probably made for adults to enjoy rather than as a children’s toy.
Georgian doll's house, Nostell Priory (2024)
Sir Rowland Winn, 5th Baronet (1739–1785)
The 5th Baronet was born in 1739 and finished his education in Switzerland. He spent a lot of money on horses and later built a riding school at Nostell. Whilst in Switzerland, he met Sabine d’Hervart, daughter of the Governor of Vevey, whom he married in 1761. The couple were devoted to each other and had two children, Rowland and Esther.
A portrait of Sir Rowland Winn, 5th Baronet, and his wife Sabine displayed in the library in which it was painted, Nostell Priory (2014)
After inheriting Nostell in 1765, Rowland replaced Paine with Robert Adam to finish work on the house.
Robert Adam was the most successful architect of the late 18th century. He was good at cultivating important contacts and had a much closer relationship with his employers than his predecessors had done.
He designed the interiors of the house in the Neoclassical style and added the curving stairways at the front of the house leading to the first floor entrance hall.
Robert Adam's sweeping stairway leading to the first floor entrance hall of Nostell Priory (2014)
Adam employed a trio of master craftsmen to help him:
Antonio Zucchi for decorative painting
Joseph Rose the Younger for plastering
Thomas Chippendale for cabinet making.
As a result, Nostell Priory has a huge collection of Chippendale furniture, complete with bills of sale to verify its authenticity and date his work, as well as stunning interior decorations.
Chippendale chairs in the Top Hall, Nostell Priory (2014)
Lady’s writing table with retractable fire-screen by Chippendale in the Saloon, Nostell Priory (2014)
Chippendale’s Palladian-style desk in the Library, Nostell Priory (2014)
The State Dressing Room, Nostell Priory, with green and gilt japanned chinoiserie furniture by Chippendale (2014)
Adam planned four new wings, but only one—the family wing—was ever built, leaving the asymmetrical façade that we see today. His work was brought to an abrupt end in 1785 when the 5th Baronet was killed in a carriage accident.
Sir Rowland Winn, 6th Baronet (1775-1805)
Sir Rowland’s wife Sabine was devastated at her husband’s death. She continued to live at Nostell with her two children, Esther and Sir Rowland, 6th Baronet, who was only ten when his father died.
The new Sir Rowland became an avid sportsman and kept several racehorses in the stables at Nostell. He was made High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1799 but died unmarried in 1805.
The Tapestry Room with 1820s giltwood furniture and a white marble chimneypiece by Adam (2014)
John and Charles Winn
When the 6th Baronet died, the title was inherited by a cousin, but Sir Rowland provided for his sister’s children, John, Charles and Louisa Williamson, whose father was a Manchester baker. They assumed the name Winn and became heirs to the estate. John died in Rome in 1817 whilst on the Grand Tour.
Charles married his cousin Priscilla Strickland in 1819 and employed Thomas Ward to redecorate Nostell. Charles bought lots of furniture from Gillows and became an avid collector. He brought back his brother John’s collection of Etruscan vases from Rome and acquired vast numbers of paintings, books and antiquities.
Angelica hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting - a self-portrait by Angelica Kauffman (1791) in the Drawing Room, Nostell Priory (2014)
Rachel Knowles writes faith-based Regency romance and historical non-fiction. She has been sharing her research on this blog since 2011. Rachel lives in the beautiful Georgian seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England, with her husband, Andrew, who co-writes this blog.
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Sources used include:
Raikes, Sophie and Knox, Tim, Nostell Priory and Parkland (2001)
All photographs © Andrew Knowles and RegencyHistory.net.
Last visited 2024 and last updated 21/4/26
