An exact replica in miniature of a rare Chippendale table specially made for Newby Hall, Ripon has been gifted to the Hall.
The name ‘Chippendale’ is a byword for fine quality furniture making all over the world and the table is a copy of the 1775 original housed in the Tapestry Room which was stolen in 2007 and recovered four years later.
Newby Hall is internationally celebrated as one of the largest and most complete surviving Chippendale interiors. Its furniture was commissioned in the 18th century as part of an interior remodelling of the Hall carried out by Robert Adam.
Made by expert miniature cabinetmaker Geoffrey Wonnacott, the handmade 1/12th scale Pembroke table faithfully replicates Newby’s original twin-leaf occasional table and is made of inlaid rosewood. The accompanying silver writing set is by Yorkshire based Mike Sparrow, specialist in miniature silverware for dollshouses.
It was commissioned by private collector Jane Fiddick for her Georgian Adam-style dollshouse, the interiors of which were inspired by Newby Hall
Jane’s miniature Adam dollshouse is part of a 70 strong world-renowned collection of dollshouses and miniatures gifted to Newby Hall by Jane and her friend Caroline Hamilton in 2015. The exhibits are historically accurate miniature houses realised in great detail and include miniature hallmarked silver, hand-blown glass, real china, minute stitching and hand-carved wood.
Jane Fiddick said:
When I first visited Newby, I was inspired by its fine interiors to design rooms in my Adam House that are an evocation of rooms at Newby. On gifting the house to Newby, I used a little Victorian style wine table in my dollshouse’s Tapestry Room but it just didn’t sit quite right with the gilded furniture. I decided to commission a duplicate of Newby’s own celebrated Chippendale table and Geoffrey painstakingly recreated it as an authentic reproduction.
Stately homes like Newby have had a tough time of it over the last couple of years so I’m delighted to be able to support them in any way I can and to see the pleasure that our dollshouse collection continues to give to visitors to Newby Hall.
Newby Hall is one of the UK’s finest Adam houses. It remains in private ownership and is the family home of Mr and Mrs Richard Compton.
Richard Compton said:
We are absolutely thrilled to welcome this fine replica of our Chippendale table to the dollshouse collection at Newby Hall which is much enjoyed by our visitors of all ages providing interest and fun undercover, essential in a Yorkshire summer! We thank Jane for her very kind gift.
Other Chippendale highlights on display at Newby Hall include a suite upholstered in tapestry created at the renowned Gobelins Factory in Paris, which supplied the court of the French monarchs since Louis XIV, dining chairs, hall chairs and card as well as Pembroke tables.
Newby’s ‘Our Dollshouses’ collection is on permanent public display at Newby Hall from April-September each year.
