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The Music Room

One of George IV’s greatest passions was music. Here in the Music Room the king’s own band entertained guests with Handel or Italian opera. The Italian composer Rossini performed here in 1823.

Extravagance and opulence

The extraordinary interior of this room is lit by nine lotus-shaped chandeliers. The walls are decorated with rich red and gold canvases in the chinoiserie style supported by painted dragons. The windows are dressed with opulent blue silk-satin draperies supported by carved flying dragons. The magnificent gilded domed ceiling is made up of hundreds of plaster cockleshells creating an illusion of height.

Tragedy strikes

This splendid room was severely damaged by fire in 1975. A full restoration was completed, including a beautiful reproduction of the original hand-knotted and fitted Axminster carpet.

Disaster struck again in October 1987 when a storm dislodged a heavy stone ball which fell through the newly restored ceiling onto the new carpet.

Fully restored

The Music Room has now been closely restored to the magnificent original scheme created by Frederick Crace (George IV’s chief decorator).

The Banqueting Room

The elaborate Banqueting Room is highly theatrical in style, a perfect backdrop to the magnificent feasts that George IV would have offered his courtiers and guests. Lengthy banquets often included up to 70 different dishes.