Burton Constable, the Library or Long Gallery

Slide 11 – The Library, or what is now termed the Long Gallery, is entered from the grand staircase by folding doors. It is a fine apartment extending nearly the whole length of the west front. There are three window recesses of ample size, and these form cosy recesses for reading purposes. The walls are panelled throughout with English oak, and the bookcases contain a vast number of books of priceless value, many of which are family heirlooms and not to be disposed of. These books are carefully catalogued in MS and are bound in a number of volumes. The really beautiful relief of the cornice with its vines, mermaids and sea monsters, is imitated from the Bodleian building in Oxford. Two tables (shown in the view) with the tops of each being a solid slab of marble, supported by winged and gilded sphinx carved in solid wood. Each table weighs half a ton. The table in front is a fine piece of carved oak work, surmounted with a bronze equestrian statue. Tall vases of Florentine alabaster stand upon tables, and here are some high-backed English chairs of late 17th and early 18th century, all richly gilded.