Lot Essay
Belsay Hall was built between 1807-17 for Sir Charles Monck, 6th Bt. (1779-1867) who in 1799 had changed his name from Middleton. Belsay Hall was built to his own designs in a severely neo-classical style. The most impressive room was the library, the design of its oak bookcases deriving from the Erechtheion and much of the furniture being supplied by Gillows. The library is illustrated in C. Hussey, English Country Houses, Late Georgian 1800-1840, London, 1958, fig. 158.
A sketch for a similar writing-table appears in the Gillows Estimate Sketch Books, dated 1787, and is illustrated in L. Boynton (ed.), Gillow Furniture Designs 1760-1800, Royston, 1995, fig.39.
A sketch for a similar writing-table appears in the Gillows Estimate Sketch Books, dated 1787, and is illustrated in L. Boynton (ed.), Gillow Furniture Designs 1760-1800, Royston, 1995, fig.39.