Description

An 1897 , Bechstein grand piano with a rosewood case in Louis XV, rococo style. Ornate, brass Ormulu Mounts cover the entire case. The pierced, legs mimic the shape of the piano lyre. This Bechstein piano formerly belonge resided at Swinton Park, North Yorkshire and belonged to William Whitelaw, Home Secretary under Margaret Thatcher.

William Whitelaw

William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, KT, CH, MC, PC, DL (28 June 1918 – 1 July 1999), often known as Willie Whitelaw, was a British Conservative Party politician who served in a wide number of Cabinet positions, most notably as Home Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.

Swinton Park

Swinton Park, Masham, Ripon, North Yorkshire. The Cunliffe-Lister family (who later took the Swinton title), bought Swinton Park, a blackened stone stately home on the outskirts of Masham in the early 1880’s. At the time, the estate had been shortlisted by Queen Victoria as a possible country residence, but she chose Sandringham in Norfolk instead, where the shooting was said to be a little less challenging. There is a strong political history at Swinton Park visitors include Churchill and Chamberlain. Scratchy cine-film footage is available to guests on a homespun video, showing Harold Macmillan and Rab Butler enjoying a snifter on the neighbouring grouse moors. 'Willie' Whitelaw was a regular and Ted Heath and Reggie Maudling were filmed meeting on the Swinton lawns.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk and http://www.morethangoodmanners.com
Click to view a video about Swinton Park on YouTube uploaded by SwintonParkHotel

Rococo

Rococo or "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century artistic movement and style associated with Louis XV's reign and the beginning of that of Louis XVI. It developed in the early 18th century in Paris, France as a reaction against the grandeur, symmetry, and strict regulations of the Baroque, especially of the Palace of Versailles. Rococo artists and architects used a more jovial, florid, and graceful approach to the Baroque. Their style was ornate and used light colours, asymmetrical designs, curves and gold. Unlike the political Baroque, the Rococo had playful and witty themes. The word is seen as a combination of the French rocaille (stone) and coquilles (shell), due to reliance on these objects as decorative motifs. The term may also be a combination of the Italian word "barocco" (an irregularly shaped pearl, possibly the source of the word "baroque") and the French "rocaille" (a popular form of garden or interior ornamentation using shells and pebbles) and may describe the refined and fanciful style that became fashionable in parts of Europe in the 18th century.