Raby Castle, County Durham
Raby Castle was built in the 12th century by the Nevill family who were at one time the most powerful family in England. Raby Castle was owned by the Nevill family for nearly 400 years until the death of Henry Nevill, the 5th Earl of Raby, in 1601. The castle is now owned by Lord Barnard, a direct descendant of the Nevill’s of Raby, having been owned by the Barnard family since 1626.
The Octagon Room
Humphries Weaving was appointed to aid in the restoration of The Octagon Room, modelled in 1848 by Scottish architect William Burn. The Octagon Room is a rare survivor of an 1840s room with unchanged decoration, displaying lavish textiles including gold silk, and crimson and gold silk curtains and swags.
The three fabrics used were copied from original documents from the room, which was decorated in the 1860s. Humphries Weaving produced broadloom light golden twill tied silk damask for wall panels, which was redrawn from the original house document and has it’s design attributed to A.W. Pugin. The curtains and valances are crimson and straw narrow woven damask with crimson silk lustring linings.
Project references: 1246/1252, 1264/1347
