| Grotto At Goldney House |
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| 1764 architecture | |
| grade i listed buildings in bristol | |
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| university of bristol | |
The Grotto at Goldney House is a highly decorated Grotto , dating from 1739, in Clifton , Bristol , England . It is 85 m south of Goldney Hall which is used as student accommodation by the University Of Bristol . HISTORY It was built between 1737 and 1764 (dated 1739) and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I Listed Building . It is decorated inside with shells, quartz and rock crystal and inside is a pillared hall with fountains, rock pool, statue of Neptune and a Lion's Den. In 1762-5 Thomas Paty was employed in "grinding, gooping and laying" tiles for the Grotto.1 The grotto was built as the centrepiece of the gardens by Thomas Goldney III, a Bristol merchant who was a partner of William Champion in the Coalbrookdale Works. ARCHITECTURE AND DECORATION The fountains were supplied by an early Newcomen Steam Engine 2 hidden within a Gothic tower approximately 20 metres to the north.3 The grotto is approximately 36 ft (11 m) long by 12 ft (3.6 m) wide and consists of 3 chambers, divided by pillars encrusted with quartz crystals. The central chamber houses a life size Plaster Of Paris Lion with a Lioness sitting in a den behind. Another chamber hosts a seated sea god with water running from an urn over giant Clams into a pool. It is lined with over 200 species of Shell brought back from such locations as the Caribbean ,4 and African waters.5 The roof of the central hall is composed of closely fitting block of Bath Stone carved into pseudo- Stalactites . On a panel on the door is the portrait of a lady, thought to be Ann Goldney (1707-96), the younger sister of Thomas Goldney III.6 It is the only Grotto in Britain with both a shell room and running water, and its restoration is one of the strategic initiatives of the warden.7 REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINK |
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