Lot Essay
Founded by King Henry V in 1415, Syon was one of the last great abbeys to be built. It was dissolved in 1539 by King Henry VIII, and it passed into the hands of 1st Duke of Somerset, the Lord Protector to the King's son, Edward VI. The house was then acquired by Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland in 1594 through his marriage to Dorothy Devereux. Syon House has been the home of the Percy family ever since.
In the 18th century Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland commissioned the Scottish architect and interior designer Robert Adam to remodel the interior of Syon House. He also instructed the Northumbrian landscape designer Lancelot "Capability" Brown to redesign the grounds in the fashionable new English style.
In the 18th century Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland commissioned the Scottish architect and interior designer Robert Adam to remodel the interior of Syon House. He also instructed the Northumbrian landscape designer Lancelot "Capability" Brown to redesign the grounds in the fashionable new English style.