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Belvedere, County WestmeathThe delicate rococo plasterwork ceilings are the real glory of Belvedere's interior. Framed by rich cornices these ceilings are notable for their lively quality and freedom of movement. The drawing-room ceiling has scrollwork enclosing medallions of Juno, Minerva and Venus, while that in the dining-room is rather bolder, with clusters of fruit and flowers and four puffing cherubs emerging from clouds in the centre. In the hall the plasterwork is in much lower relief and is supposed to represent the night, with an owl, a flaming torch, stars and more swirling clouds. The name of the plasterer is unknown, but it has been noted that the work closely resembles ceilings formerly at Mespil House outside Dublin; these are believed to have been the work of the Frenchman Bartholomew Cramillion who is known to have made the splendid rococo ceiling in the Rotunda Hospital Chapel in 1755.The small park that Lord Belvedere created around his villa is just as fine as the house itself and was the envy of all visitors, not least John Wesley who in 1767 remarked that 'one would scarce think it possible to have such a variety of beauties in so small a compass'. One of the attractions was an enormous sham Gothick ruin, which Lord Belvedere in typical fashion built to block out the view of Rochfort House (later known as Tudenham), the home of another of his brothers with whom he had quarrelled. Yet despite his violent and cruel temperament, the Earl was certainly a man of taste and the Gothick arch he had built at the other end of the park is one of the most endearing follies in Ireland. Following the death of the 'Wicked Earl' (as he was later known) in 1774, the house was inherited by his son, the second Earl, who sold Gaulston and continued to live at Belvedere where he added a small wing to the back. Although his father had left him 'very embarrassed in his circumstances' he managed to revive the family fortunes sufficiently to build a magnificent town residence - now the home of a famous Dublin school. He died without heirs in 1814 and the property was inherited by his sister, the Countess of Lanesborough, and later passed in 1826 to her great-grandson, Charles Brinsely Marley, who lived at Belvedere until his death in 1912. Marley laid out the Italianate terraces in front of the house and assembled a remarkable collection of pictures and objets d'art which was given to Cambridge University upon his death, forming the core of the Fitzwilliam Museum. The residue of this collection together with the house and estate were left to his cousin Lieutenant Colonel C. K. Howard-Bury, leader of the 1921 Mount Everest expedition, who after his death in 1963 bequested it to Rex Beaumont. The contents were auctioned by Christie's in 1980 - a catastrophic loss for any such house. However, the interior of Belvedere is so fine that it still retains its soul, empty as the rooms may be. Located 4 miles from Mullingar on the Tullamore Road. NGR: N 420477. Open daily, April to October. Refreshments available on Sundays. Toilet facilities. Admission charged. Tel: (044) 42820. From the Appletree Press title: Irish Country Houses.
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