Above: After attending the Grimshawe’s one-room school, Mary Heather went on to work as a servant at Errwood Hall. She told her daughter that the photo was taken inside the hall – perhaps before one of the Grimshawe’s many house parties.
It may seem a fairly dull and faded photo of a well-dressed dining table, but it’s only the second image that’s come to light taken inside Errwood Hall. So it does have a lot of historical interest and value.
It was sent to me by Marie, whose nine relatives attended the Grimshawe’s one-room school beside the drive to the hall (see previous post). It was discovered by Marie’s cousin, Eileen, the daughter of Mary, one of the nine brothers and sisters. Marie explains:
“Eileen’s mother worked at Errwood Hall. She was maid at several big house parties and it’s likely this was a picture of the table set for one of them.
“It was in the things Eileen had of her mother’s. She might have been given this picture as a momento, or as a thank-you, we really can’t say. Eileen only knows she kept it and said it was Erwood Hall.”
I’ve tried to improve the photo as far as possible to see if it would reveal any more detail (click to enlarge). And to check whether I could spot any of the items in the auction catalogue for the sale of all the hall contents in 1930.
There’s a pdf of the catalogue at the bottom of this page. The only item I think I can identify is the painting of what looks like a lady in a Spanish head-dress on the far right. I’m wondering whether it might be lot 419 – Queen of Cypress, which measured 24×19 inches and was painted by IL Moretto.
Above: This is the only other photo I’ve managed to find taken inside Errwood Hall. It shows the Grimshawe family’s top-floor catholic chapel (click to enlarge).
