I got the opportunity to tour the Lord Mayor's house this morning with Goodenough! A group of members and I were lucky enough to be the first to respond to the opportunity via email and so lucky we were! The house has the largest collection of Dutch 17th century painting outside of Holland itself and the mansion's interiors remain intact since 1753 (obviously having been restored) but it was absolutely gorgeous!
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First, we went into the vault - in here there was a cup that was saved from the Great Fire of 1666, a sword owned by Queen Elizabeth I from the 16th century, and the chain worn by Lord Mayors since the institution began in the 1300s.
(cup from 1662)
(Queen Elizabeth I sword)
^this is the chain that the Lord Mayor from 1845 is wearing in his portrait below
This was the reception room where guests mingle before going into the grand "Egyptian Room" for formal banquets
and here was the formal dining room
In classic mid-18th century style, the carpet echoes the design of the ceiling
here was one of the drawing rooms
and a peek into the incredible art collection - worth ~10 million pounds all in all (this is just a fraction)
We spoke with the Lord Mayor's executive assistant about everything that goes on here - he was really wonderful and I'm so thankful I went - such an incredible opportunity!
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