Burton Constable Hall: Mermaids, Dragons and Sphinxes

On a visit to Burton Constable Hall over Easter I noticed a whole thing going on with mermaids, dragons and sphinxes throughout the house.

Burton Constable Hall is a country house in the Holderness area of the East Riding of Yorkshire and was the seat of the Chichester-Constable family for many centuries. William Constable (1721-1791) was particularly interesting because he was a scientist, antiquarian and collector and there is a little ‘museum’ in the house devoted to the unusual objects he gathered.

The photographs I’ve taken are mainly of the architectural details or furniture. There is a remarkable frieze in the Gallery depicting mythological beasts and strange sea serpents as well as two gilded tables supported by sphinxes. The Chinese Room is full of dragons – on chairs, in the light fitting, climbing up the windows and as ornaments.