Gloucestershire
Swangrove - a hunting lodge, a maison de plaisance, built in 1703 for the second Duke of Beaufort sits on the edge of Badminton Park and sports a distinctive symmetrical design of castellations and tall chimneys. In 1996, the then Duke of Beaufort approached Robert for his help in reclaiming it as a hunting lodge.
Built in 1703 for the second Duke of Beaufort, Swangrove, sits on the edge of Badminton Park and had been long let to tenants, when Robert was asked by the then Duke of Beaufort in 1996 to bring the building back to its original function and utility creating a comfortable and handsome house.
Noted for its belvedere, or attic room, with windows on both sides from which to view the hunt, the Duke identified the kind of decor he desired as that with "an air of mellowness declining to extinction".
The attics and Chapel of Badminton were raided to select furniture to be brought to the lodge. Fabrics were laid out on the floor and over furniture, so Robert and the client could pore over them, admiring, fingering, approving and rejecting. "It was all planned and sorted in a day; the Duke was terrifically involved and encouraging" Robert recalls and “so confident in the arrangements that he said he didn’t need to see the lodge again until it was complete."
A pale scheme was used throughout the walls, ceilings and upholstery - allowing Persian carpets, art and antique textiles to add depth and character. A ground floor dining room and kitchen give way one floor above to a drawing room with original paneling and - at Robert's insistence - very comfortable furniture in linen damasks and tickings. A gingham canopied bed is lined with white damask in the main bedroom and the walls of the attic still have their original eighteenth century blue/grey faux marbled panels.
The attics and Chapel of Badminton were raided to select furniture to be brought to the lodge. Fabrics were laid out on the floor and over furniture, so Robert and the client could pore over them, admiring, fingering, approving and rejecting. "It was all planned and sorted in a day; the Duke was terrifically involved and encouraging" Robert recalls and “so confident in the arrangements that he said he didn’t need to see the lodge again until it was complete."
A pale scheme was used throughout the walls, ceilings and upholstery - allowing Persian carpets, art and antique textiles to add depth and character. A ground floor dining room and kitchen give way one floor above to a drawing room with original paneling and - at Robert's insistence - very comfortable furniture in linen damasks and tickings. A gingham canopied bed is lined with white damask in the main bedroom and the walls of the attic still have their original eighteenth century blue/grey faux marbled panels.
