Stradbally Hall

The Dining Room in Stradbally Hall, Stradbally

The beautiful dining room in Stradbally Hall formed part of the old Georgian house, and has not been changed in the subsequent alterations.

Courtesy of Mr. Thomas Cosby and the Cosby Family

The Dining Room in Stradbally Hall, Stradbally
Courtesy of Mr. Thomas Cosby and the Cosby Family

The Dining Room in Stradbally Hall, Stradbally

The beautiful dining room in Stradbally Hall formed part of the old Georgian house, and has not been changed in the subsequent alterations.

Courtesy of Mr. Thomas Cosby and the Cosby Family

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The Drawing Room in Stradbally Hall, Stradbally

The exquisite drawing room in Stradbally Hall, Stradbally. The ceiling and frieze of the drawing room are excellent examples of the Adams' Style.

Courtesy of Mr. Thomas Cosby and the Cosby Family

The Drawing Room in Stradbally Hall, Stradbally
Courtesy of Mr. Thomas Cosby and the Cosby Family

The Drawing Room in Stradbally Hall, Stradbally

The exquisite drawing room in Stradbally Hall, Stradbally. The ceiling and frieze of the drawing room are excellent examples of the Adams' Style.

Courtesy of Mr. Thomas Cosby and the Cosby Family

Enlarge image

Stradbally Hall, as it appears today, dates from the middle of the 19th century. It is an enlargement in classical style of a Georgian house, which had been built in 1772 to replace a yet older residence. The foundations of this earlier house can still be traced a few hundred yards to the east of the present mansion. They lie among the trees that border the avenue leading from the southern entrance to the demesne. The north front, with its massive pillared entrance, faces a broad stretch of parkland. The south front, of which the most remarkable feature is a lofty pillared pavilion, overlooks the terraces and gardens.

The tall windows on the ground floor to left and right of the pavilion light a series of apartments arranged en suite. In the centre, behind the pillars, is the Salon - the present homely and very cosy living room. Connected with this by circular headed archways, in which are set handsome mahogany double doors, are the dining room on the left, and on the right, the drawing room.

All these rooms formed part of the old Georgian house and have not been changed in the subsequent alterations. The ceiling and frieze of the drawing room are excellent examples of the Adams' Style. The bow window in the eastern front lights the Great Library/Ballroom. This, the largest apartment on the ground floor, is particularly remarkable for the series of twenty-four panels en grisaille which decorates the ceiling. It is of French origin and depicts the mythical story of Cupid and Psyche. Other rooms on this floor are the richly furnished "Prayer Hall" and the billiard room.

At the head of the Grand Staircase is the Picture Gallery. Flanked by narrow passages from which open the bedrooms, this magnificent apartment occupies the centre of the house. Sixty feet in length, by twenty in breadth, it is surmounted by a barrel vaulted glass door, the panels of which are set in a steel frame-work of simple but chased design. The soft even lighting thus achieved enhances the beauty of the many pictures that hang upon the walls.

At the western end is a small lobby separated from the main portion by two marble pillars, above which is art architrave decorated with a bold design in stucco. Stradbally Hall has been the seat of the Cosby family since the reign of Edward VI. The family of Cosby is of Saxon origin, and previous to the Norman Conquest, they possessed the Lordship of Cosby in Leicestershire, where they continued to reside until the reign of Richard the Second.