{"id":20986,"date":"2023-05-09T12:49:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T10:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=2367"},"modified":"2023-05-09T13:36:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T11:36:41","slug":"take-a-tour-of-peckover-house-in-cambridgeshire","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/take-a-tour-of-peckover-house-in-cambridgeshire\/","title":{"rendered":"Take a tour of Peckover House in Cambridgeshire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover Peckover House, where the rococo panelling, fine furnishings and perfect Georgian symmetry belie the modest Quaker roots of its former occupants. Photograps National Trust Images\/Andreas Von Einsiedel <\/p>

By Katie Pike\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 09 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Ah, the Georgian era: lavish balls, elegant Palladian houses and swathes of silks, satins and brocades decorating the well-heeled and their homes. One can quite imagine such opulent scenes in Cambridgeshire\u2019s Peckover House in the prosperous port town of Wisbech.<\/p>\n

The house is typically Georgian \u2013 perfectly symmetrical, red brick and sporting a partially Wisteria-clad exterior. Inside it is equally impressive \u2013 all rococo mouldings, elaborate plasterwork and mahogany.<\/p>\n

Its previous inhabitants aren\u2019t perhaps what you might expect of this fashionable house \u2013 this isn\u2019t a tale of 18th-century soir\u00e9es and social climbing. \u2018The Peckovers \u2013 who occupied the house from the 1790s to the 1940s \u2013 were an unusual family,\u2019 says Ben Rickett, house and visitor services manager at the house.<\/p>\n

\u2018They were a contradiction \u2013 Quakers who ran a bank and were wealthy. Yet despite their success they chose to spend their money on the town, helping fund the Wisbech & Fenland Museum and donating to local schools and the hospital.\u2019 In short, the Peckovers were more likely to be found reading in their extensive library than living the high life.<\/p>\n

The house was built c1722, 70 years before the Peckovers moved in. The architect behind the design is unknown but it\u2019s believed that a bricklayer or joiner built it, using \u2013 remarkably \u2013 an instruction manual. \u2018There were plenty of these books for house building around at the time,\u2019 says Rickett. \u2018They were the DIY manuals of the Georgian period.\u2019<\/p>\n

Throughout the house are little quirks (window seats lift to reveal cupboards and small shelves for candles are tucked behind shutters) which show that whoever was behind it, knew what they were doing.<\/p>\n

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The first generation of Peckovers to move in were Jonathan and his wife Susanna. Jonathan had been a greengrocer and draper but found that local townspeople began to trust him to look after their money.<\/p>\n

He started with a small safe but, after moving to Peckover House in 1794, built a wing onto the property to house a bank, which would later be managed by the next three generations of Peckovers. The Wisbech and Lincolnshire Bank became one of the first in the town and, in 1896, merged with 19 other banks into the Barclays partnership.<\/p>\n

So how does this seemingly quiet and industrious way of life fit with such a glamorous home? \u2018Before the National Trust acquired the house in 1948, its whole contents had been auctioned in a two-day sale. And when it first came to the Trust, the day-to-day running was initially handled by the Wisbech Society.<\/p>\n

A woman nicknamed \u2018Georgian Doris\u2019 was responsible for furnishing the house with pieces from her favourite period, the Georgian era,\u2019 says Rickett. \u2018Lots of pieces that we see here today came from other Trust properties and don\u2019t accurately portray how the house would have appeared in the Peckovers\u2019 time.\u2019<\/p>\n

Gradually, around 20 pieces have been reinstated, having been bought at local auctions or bequested. \u2018One of my favourite pieces is the early 20th-century bentwood walking stick trug. It was used by Alexandrina Peckover \u2013 the last of the family to live in the house until her death in 1948 \u2013 to collect cuttings from the garden,\u2019 says Rickett.<\/p>\n

Other star pieces include the early 18th-century lacquered cabinet in the Drawing Room, a Greek catechesis that is nearly 1,000 years old and the c1860 cabinet of curiosities.<\/p>\n

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The cabinet belonged to Lord Alexander Peckover (Jonathan\u2019s grandson) who, like the rest of his family, was held in great esteem by the locals \u2013 as well as the monarchy. In 1907 he was recognised for his services to the county and given the title Lord Lieutenant.<\/p>\n

\u2018Forever modest, his one stipulation when he was made a lord was that he wouldn\u2019t have to wear the formal court dress,\u2019 says Rickett. \u2018He and his three daughters were great travellers and filled this cabinet with pieces acquired on their trips, from shells and stamp rollers to stones.\u2019<\/p>\n

The biggest loss to the house was Lord Alexander\u2019s library, which included medieval manuscripts and bibles. \u2018It would have been considered one of the best in the country, if not world.\u2019<\/p>\n

Piecing together the history of the house, its original decor and furniture is an ongoing project for the Trust. \u2018We\u2019ve managed to map much of it using the auction catalogue from the 1948 sale, a house inventory and a couple of archive photographs,\u2019 says Rickett.<\/p>\n

\u2018From what we can tell, the furniture was all good-quality but simple and dated \u2013 pieces would have been passed down through the generations. Their clothes were all around 20 years out of date, so it fits that their decor was too. Our plan in the next few years or so is to strip it back to how it would have looked when Alexandrina lived here.\u2019<\/p>\n

We can only imagine the Peckovers would be delighted to know that the house is returning to its former simplicity.<\/p>\n

\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
The rococo mirror frame above the fireplace in the Drawing Room is believed to date from the 1750s and was probably comissioned by Henry Southwell, whose family owned the house for 40 years from 1752. The blue walls replicate the scheme as it would have appeared in the second half of the 19th century. The mid 19th-century cabinet was added in 1948 and was brought in to match the design that would have been here during the Peckovers\u2019 time.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
Peckover House is situated on North Brink overlooking the River Nene.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
The staircase hall is little altered since it was designed in the 18th century. The carpet is a replica of the design that would have been here up until 1948 when most of the contents of the house were sold. In the walking stick stand, Alexandrina\u2019s walking stick and trug can just be seen.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Dining Room was originally painted salmon pink. The panelling, chimney piece and scrubbed pine floor date from the 18th century.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
\u2018Snob screens\u2019 were added to the house after the Peckovers turned one of the wings into a bank. These shutters were fitted to the windows of the Drawing Room, Dining Room and Library to keep the private rooms of the house separate.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
The firescreen is original to the house and dates from c1750. It was hand-embroidered by Jane Peckover.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Palladian arched window and intricate coving and plasterwork make an impression on the upstairs landing of Peckover House.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
The original sink and cupboards of the Butler\u2019s Pantry in the basement. This is where the butler would have cleaned the silver and decanted the wine.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
The stove in the Kitchen was added in the 1930s and was from F Ford of Wisbech.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Peckover\"<\/picture><\/div>
Alexander Peckover\u2019s cabinet of curiosities is one of the most important items in the house. It\u2019s filled with intriguing objects brought back from his travels, including Roman oil lamps, a Georgian spinning top, coins and even bottles containing water from the Jordan River.<\/span> <\/figcaption> National Trust images\/Andreas von Einsiedel<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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