Paul Ayshford Lord Methuen c.1973

Lord Methuen, an R.A. and F.S.A. BAA, lived on in the west wing. He was married to Nora Hennessy daughter of the painter, W. J. Hennessy in 1915. She had trained at the Arts Decoratifs in Paris and was also an accomplished artist; together they designed the great carpet measuring fifty two feet six inches by sixteen feet six inches which mirrors the plasterwork of the ceiling of the picture gallery in the State Rooms.

On one occasion we sat cross-legged on that beautiful carpet and listened to the (then young) virtuoso cellist Jacqueline du Pre who had come to play for us by candlelight. One of many magical experiences.

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